Yes, You can Change

In my daily journaling, I write a daily affirmation. Along with three things I am grateful for and three things I am looking forward to that day, these entries set the tone for my day ahead. Looking back at one recently, I wrote (in handwriting only I can decipher) “You can change.” In this case, spoiler alert, I was attempting to eat a little better. :) But, that being said, I looked back at the entries some weeks before that, and what was on my mind, and what excited me, and what I was challenged by. Even in the that small look-back stretch, it was clear I had changed, and positively - proving, in retrospect, my future affirmation.

Coaching Insights: Career Capital

A theme from a recent executive coaching conversation: many professionals wait until they're ready for their next role before preparing for said role.

The strongest leaders are continuously building 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 by:

✔️ Taking on stretch assignments

✔️ Expanding their professional network

✔️ Closing skill / resume gaps mindfully

✔️ Developing a clear and compelling professional narrative and portfolio

✔️ Participating intentionally with professional associations

Your next career opportunity is often shaped by the experiences, relationships, networks, engagement work and reputation you're building today, not when you 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 to start looking.

What's one thing you're doing right now to invest in your future self?

Just Roll With It

Yes, it would be ok and appropriate for you to start singing now in your best Steve Winwood voice. Just roll with it, baby! A fun song, yes. A solid statement of advice as well - yes! Resiliency and going with the flow and embracing negativity and bad days/circumstances as just situational “stuff” that happens. That’s rolling with it.

Coaching Insights: Good Days and Bad Days

I was working recently with a municipal manager coaching client. They were struggling with, and challenged by, the seemingly never-ending prioritization shifting, causing chaos in scheduling. The days were a grind lately. To help manage stress and improve focus, I suggested a simple two-week exercise: at the end of each day, I instructed them to identify and score experiences as a +1, 0, or -1. A +1 represents activities, interactions, or accomplishments that generated energy, momentum, or a sense of progress. A -1 reflects frustrations, recurring obstacles, unfinished loops, or tasks that drained energy and attention. A 0 captures neutral activities that were necessary but neither particularly positive nor negative.

Over the course of two weeks, patterns often emerge. By tracking and ranking these experiences, I noted that you can better understand what is creating value, what is consuming disproportionate time and energy, and where small adjustments could have an outsized impact. The objective is not to eliminate every challenge, but to become more intentional about where your attention goes, build resilience around inevitable disruptions, and create a clearer path toward a more sustainable workload and leadership approach. HT to Jim Collins for the system.

Sandwich

In responding to interview questions, common occurrences by applicants are not acknowledging the question, not providing a sufficient response/clarity in addressing the question, and not closing it sufficiently (running on, losing the audience, and so forth). So, we offer the simple sandwich concept:

• First piece (of bread): simply start off acknowledging the question.

• The meat/toppings/inside: literally answer the question, and be specific and concise and thread the needle of being "in between" too much and too little.

• Second piece (of bread): "close 'er down" by coming to a soft landing on the answer with closure and a clean finish.

What can you do…

Listening to a podcast recently, the host posed the question “what can I do most beautifully?” This question has a lot of applicability.

Today. In life. As a career. For a loved one. For a friend. For an enemy.

Mother Teresa

Whenever someone was a jerk or a blowhard, and they were married, my father would always say about that person’s spouse - “they have moved up past Mother Teresa on my list.” Alas, this story is not about my father’s Mother Teresa sayings. Mother Teresa is attributed with the quote: "Wash the plate not because it is dirty nor because you are told to wash it, but because you love the person who will use it next." Focus on these small, meaningful acts of service and you will naturally pay-it-forward for the next generation.

Planning

I am a big fan of planning. Comprehensive, strategic, action, legislative, capital - you name it! But if plans just ended there, nothing would happen. A great phrase to remember in local government planning is “be patient with results, and impatient with action.” Be planful, intentional and methodical in forecasting and thinking ahead. Develop a roadmap, of course. Be cognizant that stuff takes time, especially weighty endeavors. (BHAGS). But be partial to action. Have a bias for taking the lead and commencing an effort. Start. Do. Act.

5WT

Hat tip to Commissioner Joe Kantz from Snyder County, PA for today’s blog inspiration. No, this blog title is not a New Balance Sneaker size. It stands for a phrase Joe used at a recent conference I attended. We win when we work together. 5 Ws and a T. This particular saying applies perfectly to professional associations. Leaders from across a state/commonwealth come together to address issues of mutual interest. At times, they are Red/Blue/Purple politically but they can align, and succeed when aligned, on matters of legislative or governmental importance when they work in unison on a common goal.

Failing

I have written previously about failing forward and organizations showing grace and an “allowance” to fail for leaders as they grow. I recently read of the corporate trend of failing parties. Get-togethers where attendees openly share recent failures in a group-setting, where others can learn. To me, the positives outweigh any negatives and include: vulnerability-acceptance, empathy, crowdsourcing help, culture-building and so forth.

Yes and No

At a conference this week, and heard some great sayings around “no” (and yes) that are worth sharing in paraphrased fashion here.

The first is the one I always use - if it’s not a “hell yes” it has to be a no. For career and life decisions. H/T to Derek Sivers for introducing me to this one.

The second is “No is a complete sentence.” Really like this one!

Finally, “No resentful Yesses.” Make it a yes with authority, conviction, heart and “oomph.”

Next Gen

A few comments of instruction and guidance to the next generation of public administration leaders, in no order of importance. The first of what likely will be a series:

• Use your tech-oriented upbringing and smartphone know-how to your competitive advantage, but avoid the pitfalls of device, technology, and text “over-reliance” that is often a negative stereotype attribute of your generation.

• Take the time to know the community elements that are outside government. The parks, the 3rd places, the spots where the n’erdowells hang out, the bodegas and the fancy grocery store, the golf course, and the churches/places of worship. Social clubs, too.

• Avoid the urge to frame local decision-making in the context of some national, politically polarized context. Usually it is not.

Graduation Season

Inspired by the stories of viral commencement speeches, I offer a short commentary to those obtaining their BA/MPA degrees and contemplating life in local government. And, no, I am not expecting this to go viral.  Having taught hundreds of MPA students and coached many individual public administration leaders, here are some words of wisdom and advice:

-disregard a lot of the noise on social media lately, especially here on our beloved LinkedIn, and how bad the profession is these days. Local government management life often sits in a complex and often conflicting environment, full of contradictions.  In any given moment or week or set of circumstances, it is both challenging and rewarding;  heartbreaking and excitingly heart pounding; defeating and uplifting;  frustrating and amazing; political and apolitical; static and innovative.  However, it is indeed an incredible profession where the product of your work can leave indelible impressions, make life better for your communities and neighbors, and save and change lives. That’s weighty stuff. Weighty stuff is challenging. Know that going in, and deal with it. 

-go in eyes wide open and with a thirst for additional knowledge. Find and seek answers via objective research. Be worldly, think global and act local, and read “right” and “left” political opinions on civic and governmental matters. Find and seek mentors.  Stay curious.  Question “best” practices and see, if indeed, you can make them better. Soak up information from professional associations and contacts. Find your brethren and your work-friend peers who you can call anytime, anywhere, and talk and walk through a difficult professional situation. Those contacts are worth their weight in gold. And reciprocate. Grow to be someone’s “phone-a-friend” first-call. 

-treat the profession as a craft, as a craftsperson would in the sense of a carpenter, gaffer or potter. Be proud of your work. Hone your craft. Excel and be the best you can be in the elements (budgeting, communications, personnel relations, project management, and so forth) of your daily job responsibilities. Continue to develop yourself professionally and personally.

-lead with humility. People can spot a humblebrag and attention-seeker from a mile away. Deflect praise and take the arrows. Listen with intent. This listening part is a lost art, as I have written about in this medium previously. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Talk to your staff and co-workers. Ask for - meaning purposely solicit - feedback on your performance and expectation-meeting. 

-strike the ubiquitously referenced, yet rarely successfully employed, balance of your professional obligations and life outside of work. Many a manager will perpetuate the stereotype of the woe-is-me CAO by and through their own actions, versus being more intentional and mindful of organizational, boundary, time, and calendar best practices. You have heard me ask this before - are you contributing to the very issues you’re complaining about? The best antidote I have found for this ailment is the development of hobbies, passions, interests and volunteer activities that are not-affiliated with the profession of local government management.

-and finally, and full-circle back to the profession’s challenges, stay grounded and mindful in your efforts to combat stressful situations via what I refer to as distress tolerance. If you are not a resilient person, it may not be the profession for you. Learn how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations and actually embrace these circumstances as growth-developing, armor-building, strength-forming, and “powerbank” -charging experiences.

Get Over It

I was speaking with a longtime local government manager. He was lamenting the state of affairs of some of these social media minded managers and podcasters, who regularly discuss the trials and tribulations of the profession, in his words, like it’s “in the foxhole everyday.” I agreed, in part, noting that there are a lot of keyboard commentators referencing how bad things are in the profession of public administration and in local government management in particular. I have said this before - it’s a tough job. It’s a 24/7 job. It’s life in the public fish bowl. But there is more to life than work and there are difficult jobs, and tasks, across a multitude of professions. Get over yourselves!

Awe

The van with the County logo drove down the street and I gave it some thought - perhaps it was a meals on wheels delivery for one of our senior neighbors who was just back from a recent hospital stay. Another thought was that maybe it was a county staffer affiliated with social services or mental health, and – like any nosy or caring neighbor – I contemplated who on my street might be in need of those services and prayed that they would be OK.

But I was wrong.

The van was actually a nurse affiliated with our county’s department of health. The nurse was trained in palliative care and making home visits to a neighbor of ours, providing end–of-life care to one of our county residents through the county’s hospice program.

It happens to be national county government month. I was not planning to write commentary like this, not expecting to see the van on the street and put two and two together. I give talks all over the country about the work of county governments - and this month there are stories galore of the excellent work and amazing services that county workers do each and every day - and then you experience something like this and think of about the scope, breadth and magnitude (and weight) of these types of services to our residents and about the nurse doing this dignified, caring, incredible work - sometimes you are just in awe. I am in awe.

Coaching Insights - The Past

I wish “we have always done it that way” wasn’t such an overused trope.  Everyone uses it in interviews and anecdotes and management stories and mishaps. No one likes “we have always done it that way,” of course, and it always elicits a “of course, we know what you mean” response. I was talking with a coaching client (City Manager), new to the role of CAO, and she mentioned this but stated an interesting situational scenario for me.  This municipality had a “tradition” that the retiring/outgoing department head was always involved (interview panel, selection process etc) for the process of naming their successor. “We have always done it this way,” they told him.  Well, he stopped that and I agreed.

Coaching Insights - Department Attention

Departments are like children, you know you have your favorites. I’m kidding people!  In all seriousness, there are bound to be certain departments that demand more time and attention from you as a CEO than others. On a recent coaching call with a client (a County Administrator) she was reporting that their county had a series of signature projects that were sort of quarterbacked by a single department, and department head, and thus that individual got a lot of notoriety (deserved) and that department a lot of attention (warranted).  That being said, I noted that you must be careful not to concentrate your efforts, attention, meeting time, and face to face opportunities and so forth, with the “needy” (in good and bad ways) departments, at the expense of the others.

Negative Nellies

I indeed respect these writers, pundits, commentators, managers, charlatans and everyone in between who feel compelled to write about how impactful the negative nellies are in their respective communities. You know the through line: keyboard warriors or nasty gadflies or outraged residents or council members that aren’t always nice - there’s a common denominator. And we (well not me, but some people in the profession of public administration) are sort of incessantly conversing on this subject as if its the only thing going. I get it, it makes people money — but get over it. Life in the public fish bowl isn’t perfect, it’s not always fun and yes, you have jerks. Just don't have your world revolve around talking about them all the time and how bad things are and how you and the staff have to overcome this non-stop. There are thousands of counterpoint experiences where life is swell, where challenges are addressed in a reasonable way and where government worklife is indeed more than manageable, it is — gasp — positively rewarding, fun and engaging. Negative experiences happen but one need not let their life be ruled by them.

Digital Detox

The great Cal Newport, a personal favorite of mine, writes in the NYT this past weekend of a call for digital detoxification. He advocates contemplation as an antidote, in the same way a cardiologist would recommend aerobic exercise and jogging. I am reminded of the analogy of the bicep curl and meditation (the below from our presentation on Mindful Public Management™). We need to work and train our brains as muscles — and meditation, mindfulness, "disconnecting to connect," and taking time to just think and contemplate are good workout routines to employ.

Diversity of Work

To me, a job like a city or county manager is so unique, in that, one has such an immense possibility of worklife “paths” to take, in the course of just hours let alone days and years. The generalist traits (and approach) to municipal management is often maligned, but indeed it is the most positive “calling card” of the profession, in this author’s opinion. Financial management? Yes. Human resource matters? Yes. Economic development projects? You bet. Project management? Minutia and process stuff? Yea, those too. And to know the work that is getting performed is indeed work grounded in public service and advancing the community and building better lives for people and caring for residents? Icing on the cake!