Leadership Skills

I was listening to a popular podcast recently and the individual being interviewed was a Professor from Harvard and they were discussing the “number one” leadership skill question. I have heard this posed, and in fact, cite a Harvard Business Review poll/survey from 2023 in some of my mindfulness presentations, that indicated then that the number one trait was empathy. Well, this Professor noted that making connections (intentional and meaningful connections out of a sense of friendship and kindness) and becoming a better conversationalist (hear! hear!) are two of the major, desirable leadership traits in 2025…and I could not agree more. Being authentic, listening with intent, thinking about how you deliver conversation points, “reading the room,” showing patience in conversations, etc. These are super important and in many ways in this digital world - lost arts.

Recognition Programs

A friend and colleague just recently sent out a note relative to their community winning a GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation award. The enthusiasm and joy (and sense of pride) was palpable. The production of the application was a team effort and kudos were shared. Having been through one of those efforts successfully myself, I know the pain of the process but also the satisfaction one receives at the notice of award. One of the reasons I started the Top Public Sector Employers Award program is to replicate some of these positive spillover effects. Awards and recognition programs: boost employee morale and motivation; encourage innovation and continuous improvement; reinforce organizational values and mission alignment and highlight and share best practices across the public sector.

Theories - or what is old is new again

In preparation for a class I was teaching, I revisited my home library of public administration books from:  classes I took myself;  classes I taught; and books I just decided to purchase. Many of them contain sections about the various commonly accepted theories in public administration. Names like Weber, Taylor, Waldo, Gulick etc for those that know. What amazes me is that, in 2025, we have some revisiting of elements of these theories on full display. Take New Public Management, originally popularized in the late 1970s, early 1980s. “Run government like a business” and the application of private sector principles to public sector operations were common elements. Are we not experiencing a revival of the NPM movement on full display via Musk and the efforts of DOGE?  There are also elements, on display from the Federal to the Local government, of the Public Value Theory (Moore), from the 90s - with its focus on creating value and citizen satisfaction. Perhaps we are seeing what is old is new again?

Job Descriptions

I speak often of growing up in South Buffalo.  I write this on my mother’s birthday. I was blessed to be raised by such wonderful parents. They taught us the values of hard work, community, compassion, civic responsibility, family connections and doing what is right, regardless of the situation. My mother taught primary school in the City of Buffalo for ~30 years. Like many teachers, she was not transactional and she was not what I would call a “job description follower.”  Bringing in my old Legos so the kids could have something to play with at recess? On her own. Taking my lightly used but still really nice clothes in to provide kids who didn’t have much?  On her own. Teaching some of the children basic manners and basic life skills, beyond the classroom?  On her own. The lesson here for the public administrator - that “others duties as assigned” section of your job description? That’s the part where you are tested to show your empathy and whether you’re a good manager or a great leader. Show it.

Who is in the class?

When I was in graduate school, my class was full of people in the government space and non profit sector. It was an MPA program after all and the vast majority were state and local government, some federal government and then non-profit. One of my professors, the great Bob McEvoy, told us a story once about his time working on civic affairs and local government matters in Romania, while participating in an academic-exchange type program. He noted that journalists from the newspapers in Romania were taking the MPA courses there. He inquired about it, and these students noted that it was a requirement of their employers that they ingrain themselves in the subject matter about which they will be reporting on (local government, in this case) and, thus, they were soaking in as much as they could via actual MPA courses.

I was reminded of this story this week when a network connection in the private sector reached out about my consulting firm’s coaching/training/professional development experiences. I guessed he might be looking to make the transition to public administration. Instead, he was looking to upskill, learn, grow and be coached individually and specifically in the intricacies of public administration, specifically local government particulars, given that he was wanting to know his (primarily public sector and majority local government) client base that much more in the hopes of servicing their needs as a client even better. I found this fascinating and I wonder if more private sector people and contractors/vendors will consider actions like this in the future. To me, it will be a business separator and value-added benefit.

On Being Planful

Two situations happened recently that reminded me how much I value—and rely on—planning. Both experiences revolved around personalities and preparation.

First, I was working on an application for a program I’m personally participating in. A gentleman who had already been through the process generously walked me through it. He shared insights I never would have discovered on my own: important timelines, the unspoken “gotchas,” who to contact, and what to anticipate. His guidance illuminated blind spots I didn’t even know I had.

Second, I was serving as the emcee for a fundraising event. I wasn’t sure how the flow of the evening would go, but to my surprise (and relief), the organizers had already mapped out every detail on a sheet for me—complete with transitions, cues, and contingency notes. I felt completely supported and ready to deliver. (And we had a blast!)

In both situations, those offering help didn’t know that I’m someone who thrives on being prepared. Having structure and foresight isn’t just nice for m, it’s essential and imperative. It’s how I do my best work.

These moments reminded me that while some people can “wing it,” (and I can too, when called upon) others—like me— often find strength in being planful. And perhaps more importantly, that thoughtful planning can be a powerful act of kindness. You may not know someone’s preferences or personality type, but when you go the extra mile to think ahead and communicate clearly, you create a safety net for others to succeed.

The lesson? Whether you're leading, supporting, or just showing up—plan as if someone else needs it, because they just might.

Sometimes, it’s the person.

In the world of city/county management, there is often a default setting that the professional network gravitates to in situations where the manager is in a tumultuous situation. A nasty public back and forth with the municipality, a firing, a contract dispute, relations with the governing body turning sour - and so forth. The auto-defense mechanisms of the brethren kick in, and I fall into this myself, and there is almost blind loyalty. I think sometimes we forget that sometimes it’s the person.

With every profession there are people that just aren’t a good fit, managers that screw up, administrators that can’t read the room, CAOs full of hubris and lacking humility, the list goes on. Frankly, not everybody is cut out to be a city/county manager. It’s a special, and tough, business. Let’s stop pretending everyone is destined to be successful.

Managers in the Classroom

Having a practitioner involved in teaching in your MPA program matters. Frankly, it’s why I am in the profession of local government management, because I took a class from an adjunct faculty member, who was a former County Manager. There’s something uniquely powerful about stepping into a classroom—not just with theory, but with lived experience.

As a public administration practitioner, teaching isn’t just about sharing what’s in the textbook. It’s about bringing real-world challenges, hard-earned lessons, and the nuance of day-to-day governance into the learning space. And yes, the occasional “war story”  - just don’t overdo it!

Students benefit from stories that aren’t hypothetical. They hear what happens when policy meets politics, when budgets get tight, and when leadership is tested. And we, as practitioners, benefit too—it sharpens our thinking, keeps us curious, and reminds us why we do this work in the first place. It’s also genuinely fun and engaging and invigorating to work with the next generation of leaders. Lastly, it’s an opportunity to build further connections and to pay it forward via post-class mentorship and advising.  Bridging practice and academia builds stronger public servants—and that benefits everyone.

On the Value of Mentors

When I was interviewing for what was my first job interview in local government, I reached out to my mentor. I said, how should I prepare? Let’s just say there was internet, yes, but the dings and the pings of the AOL dial-up were still a thing. He said he would call the City's former City Manager, who was a friend. He did and he reached out with one piece of advice. He said the ex City Manager, gone some 10+ years from working there, used to always use a particular book for interview questions, a very popular HR book at the time and he guessed that they might still use it. I said thanks, went to the library (yes, the physical library) and, wallah, found the book and read the sample interview questions and techniques in the book. Lots of typical interview questions and then some very unique ones, example “if I was to be in your apartment, what would I find on our coffee table?”  

Fast forward to the interview - and this interview team used 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙢 the questions from the text, including the coffee table question. I aced the interview, and got offered the job. For those wondering, I ended up placing in advance of the interview, the local newspaper and ICMA’s PM magazine on my coffee table, and my answer was something like “Well, 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬, I have PM magazine here and I was just reading about…”  

The moral of the story is...have connected mentors? :) 

Why Public Administration Part II

I happen to be speaking to two different groups of students in two different academic programs I am affiliated with, both this week. The subjects are the same - local government as a career path. Local government is calling, and it’s exciting and it’s an excellent career path for students to consider! Why?

• You can make a real impact. You’re making a difference in serving the public.

• There are also diverse roles for every degree – from engineering and planning to communications, HR, IT, to the trades and more.

• Internships, grad programs, and entry-level roles are out there and obtainable. These are good quick-starts to the path ahead.

• The government check always cashes (well, 99.9% of the time). You can have career stability with purpose – that is a main benefit of public sector work

Why Public Administration

There are a lot of challenges these days to the work of those involved with public administration, mainly at the Federal level with DOGE but also creeping down into states and perhaps localities. This is not a post about the Federal government workforce, but the “why” of public administration. Take the local level, where I spent the majority of my career. Our collective why in our county workforce - “because we can make a meaningful impact on our community.” Other common answers - “to make a difference,” “to serve my neighbors and friends,” “to make a lasting impact for generations,” and so on. We could see every day the tangible impacts of our civic-minded, resident-focused work. Services rendered, care taken, safety maintained, order sustained, the rules of law upheld, and smiles produced (not always, of course). Infrastructure, parks, trails, yes - but also services for those kids needing special attentive care, and palliative/Hospice care for our most vulnerable, dying residents. Our why answers were diverse, but they were, and are today, centered on compassionate service.

Three Lenses

In my coaching engagements, I often find myself commenting to my clients about the three-lenses of public administration, when talking about a leader. The personal, the professional and the organizational. Personally, you have issues you deal with like everyone. Home life, family stress, the kid going away to college, the aging parent. Professionally, it’s the camaraderie with others, the networking, the profession of the job you hold. Organizationally, it’s the innards of wherever you are, the community and entity you serve, co-workers and culture. There is inherent difficulty in working in public administration with these lens conflicts. One of the very small actions I recommend, in the realm of habit stacking, is to recognize and acknowledge each area/lens (and provide an entry for each perhaps) in your daily journaling (e.g., gratitude journaling).  Expressing appreciation for something in each realm of life is a good way to both recognize that there are indeed these different areas that need distinct and individualized attention.

Embrace the Present

Embrace the present is a phrase we hear a lot.  Embrace to me signifies a hug.  Hold is another common definition when embrace is used this way.  The other definition is to accept or welcome.  Hugging and holding connotate affection, perhaps love.  Gripping tight with one’s might, and emotion, the present moment.  That works too. Accept leads me to think contentment.  Adequacy.  Perhaps, even championing or something stronger.  That works too.

Whatever your duality of definition path you choose for embracing the present, know that years of science, mental health work, and psychological study dictates that those of us who find the muscle and mettle to deal with life’s challenges as they come and to not dwell/ruminate and not forecast/fascinate, will be better off from an emotional resilience standpoint.

Lost Arts

Conversations.  Looking people in the eye.  Intentional commentary.  Purposeful thought.  Responses that display an active ear.  Listening.   Have we lost the art of being a conversationalist? 

I would argue many have.  I recently went to an event to welcome a new President to a large, public sector organization.  Fanfare.  Snacks and wine.  The President working the room.  Went well.  Meaningful conversations.  Listened.  Mutual interests shared.  Well-wishes expressed.  I went to another more recently.  Hello and a quick exit to something else.  No eye contact.  Odd comments.  No depth of conversation.  I also think people are not as well-versed in a variety of subjects.  Do Democrats only know what is in the New York Times?  GOP’ers and the WSJ?   Younger folks - do they know the classics (by that I mean the Stones).   What about movies, books, sports, culture, and not just the Netflix binge?  History?  Civics? Local affairs?

DOGE and Running Government Like a Business

This line invariably comes up.  At the coffee shop.  On Fox News and MSNBC.  In tweets and in local papers.  Usually, this is when some thing goes awry.  Taxes go up.  An infrastructure project extends it’s project timeline and thus costs.  A local government official conducts some nefarious activity.   Now, at the Federal level - we see it with DOGE and the (somewhat tired term, frankly), “waste, fraud and abuse.”

The cries then come up “If we ran government like a business….”   The politicians running for local, state or federal government office come out and decry the situation and lament that business-like principles of corporate America are not infused enough into the public sector.  I would then ask - like what company/business? Enron? Worldcom? KMart? Adelphia?

Look, there are certainly elements to emulate — efficiency, compensation strategies and technological use come to mind — of the private sector. However, their bottom line is materially different. It relates to shareholder value and profit-margins. The public sector is servicing the community with essential and vital public services. A recommended strategy: A balanced, rifle-vs-shotgun approach, understanding the nuances of government work and borrowing translatable and transferable best practices from our private sector counterparts to, yes, gain efficiencies, and yes, weed out WF&A.

Years and Days

This is a reprise of a LinkedIn post I wrote some time ago, but it has more meaning these days. The Progressive Commercials are great at ripping “parents” with really funny tropes and montages about goofy habits of ”your parents.” One of those is the Live Laugh Love type wooden signs many people have. There are other popular sayings like “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere” and “Family…” something or other. Someone on social media was listing these and included The Days are Long But The Years are short and instead of a belly laugh it stopped me dead in my tracks.

How powerful is this statement, especially for, drum roll, parents? And parents of high school seniors? Those days that you sometimes dread and maybe there is some fighting or adolescent angst or school issues or long rides of games or social nights curbed by parental duties. And in the blink of an eye, the kids are growing up or have grown up and the years seem to go by too fast. The moral of the story is - you can’t run away from any of this. Embrace the present. Live for today. Don’t blink.

Pracademically Speaking

My personal feeling is that every MPA program, in the country, in order to get NASPPAA accreditation should minimally have the following: a full-time Professor of Practice or Executive-in-Residence position and a requisite amount of adjunct hours/adjunct-delivered classes by a working professional in public administration. Not one or the other - but both.

As a long-time pracademic (hence the name), I have experienced the phenomenon of instruction of local government management classes by individuals who have never been a city or county manager. While I get it - I remain perplexed by this - there’s only so much theory without application. Guest speakers are great (I am guest lecturing in a Public Administration class tomorrow, in fact) but the full flavor of experience is not appropriately conveyed and messaged as a full-course instruction is with a professional adjunct.

I realize this might come across as selfish or built on self-aggrandizement but it is not. I do hold this profession up very high and I remain committed to building the next generation in the talent pool pipeline. Practitioners must have greater, enhanced and more nuanced presence in MPA curriculum development, instruction, full-time positions and other teaching and administrative supports for MPA programs to truly have a holistic, overarching and penetrating experience for students interested in the field of local government management. My 1.5 cents!

Henny Penny

There’s a lot of chatter in certain forums and circles these days about how bad things are for local government managers. You would think this is the worst profession to enter into. We need greater protections! There are unruly councils! We might not get reappointed! Sigh. We used to be a tough profession. A professional profession. We got through the tough stuff and weathered storms. We stayed out of the political fray and we let our good work speak for itself. I actually worked 20 years, gasp, without severance in my employment agreement. Pro-tip - it’s not that bad.

No, Henny Penny, the sky is not falling. Stop listening to the noise. Keep your nose to the grindstone, do good work, share praise, take blame, be competent, develop regularly, pay it forward, give back, get involved, take the calls, take the heat, get over yourself, hire good people and get back to public service.

The Billionaires’ Club

Being a billionaire (something I am not, I am sure has its perks.   First class travel accommodations.   Fine dining on a regular basis.   Car choices galore.  Homes in multiple locations.  Front row seats to the Buffalo Bills Super Bowl season (next year).  The list goes on and on. 

In one key, seemingly all-important measure though, the poor guy and the “regular Joe” is on the same level as the rich guy and that’s…..drum roll….time. You can’t buy more time.  You can’t go back to purchase past credits.  No frequent flier type member benefits with time passages. 

Time management therefore is critical.   But more so time appreciation.  One needs to recognize and appreciate time while in that moment, while in the present.  Such appreciation is uber-critical for a holistic mindset.  Don’t dwell and don’t ruminate. And don’t forecast too much. Just chill.  Embrace this valuable time, that set of seconds, those minutes, for what they represent to you.  And realize that they have an equitable nature in that they cost the same to you to maximize (or waste) as Jeff Bezos.

Small Business

A family friend, when contemplating to stop into a small business, said something to the effect “I am not giving them my money.” It was a coffee shop and they were going to home-brew at their house. Fair enough, I said - but you can’t have good, healthy, and vibrant downtowns without patronage, turnstiles and purchases. For those that live in small places with small, quintessential, quaint downtowns, remember that “shop small” and “buy local” themes are not necessarily personified and carried out by all residents. Promote when you can, leave a review, think about where you can buy local for something, etc. The spillover effects are tremendous. We had a local entrepreneur legend pass recently, Ralph Parker, former proprietor of the Livonia Inn for ~40 years. He donated to countless charities and fundraisers over the years. Amazon and Wal Mart and McDonalds didn’t contribute a dime. That’s why I gave him, and others like him taking the chance on small business enterprise downtown in our small community, my business and why you should too!