Recently when preparing for a presentation, I was scanning the last six months of headlines from a news service that focuses on local government stories. What I found is not surprising to anyone who’s been working at a city or county over the past three years- structural deficits, reductions in force, outsourcing, and political polarization.
While these issues have always been present to some degree in the lives of local government managers, the magnitude of the challenge in many places has become overwhelming. Managers often tell me that the combination of financial stress and the viciousness of the attacks between Boardmembers and/or community factions are making the job exponentially more difficult than at any time in their careers.
As I’ve listened to these painful stories, and have attempted to provide a sympathetic ear and helpful advice, it occurred to me that the way forward starts with a journey inward. I realize that a visit to “the long dark night of the soul” may seem like crazy advice when the city is cutting back on firefighters and snow plowing, but it may be the only way to achieve personal satisfaction, long-term success and authentic leadership.
The academic literature is replete with advice about how traditional approaches no longer suffice in the 21st century. Most of it is focused on the shift from “external” and top-down approaches to more values and mission driven approaches. Bob O’Neill, ICMA’s Executive Director pointed this out in a recent Governing article when he referenced the work of Arizona State professor Janet Denhardt – co-author of The New Public Service- who suggests that the old ways of control, obedience, punishment and rationality have been replaced with strong values, learning from failure, being open, humble, confident and engendering trust and respect.
Dr. Denhardt’s assertions are remarkably aligned with the five essential characteristics of effective leaders defined by Bill George in his best-selling book Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value: pursue purpose with passion; practice solid values; lead with your heart; establish enduring relationships; and demonstrate self-discipline.
These admonitions reminded me of the lessons from my own life and leadership journey. Twenty years ago I was riding high- in my late 30’s, city manager of a diverse, growing city, president of a municipal league and moving up quickly. Suddenly, a sluggish economy and a wave of anti-incumbency shifted the political climate, and polarization enveloped the City Council and community.
Instead of becoming the hero I always imagined, I became collateral damage, and was fired. I had relied on traditional approaches- my powers of persuasion and position, trying to keep everyone happy by bending my principles, and looking for the “win”. A few years later, after endlessly replaying my choices and their aftermath, I realized that being fired was the best thing that ever happened to me.
My dark night of the soul or “crucible moment” as Bill George says, helped me to see that although the political environment I worked in was dysfunctional, my responses and my leadership were not up to the task, and more specifically, were not authentic. While more authenticity may not have fixed the system, modeling this leadership style- grounded in passion, purpose and values would have served me, my organization and my community more effectively.
Today’s city and county managers are being tested as never before to deliver long-term sustainability in the most volatile political environments in a generation. To be successful, they will need solid, clear values, the courage to do what’s right, and a humility born of an understanding that they do not have all the answers.
This is a tall order, but I believe people are hungry for leadership that is clear, passionate and humble. I also believe that to stay emotionally healthy in a high-stress, public spotlight profession, we need to stay true to who we are and what we believe. The best way to do that is to understand yourself through self-reflection, commit to your work passionately, and seek long-term solutions that come from the heart.
Join Craig at the ICMA sponsored Authentic Leadership workshop Jan. 12-13, 2012 in Carrollton TX.
Twitter: #AuthLead
For more information, visit Finding Your True North Workshop.