Ten Tips for Better Leadership from the ICMA Regional Summits

by NRC on May 11, 2016

Each year the International City County Management Association (ICMA) spreads knowledge and networking opportunities for better leadership across the country. Each of these Regional Summits allows for peers in local government to discuss issues, grow in their profession and connect with ICMA staff and other members.

National Research Center, Inc. (NRC) had the pleasure of attending a couple of these regional events and found them to be both fun and useful for local government professionals at any stage of their career.

ICMA leaders including Executive Director Bob O’Neill, Director of Leadership Development Felicia Logan and President Pat Martel facilitated workshops on topics of resiliency in leadership (with Women Leading Government), The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni, work-balance and organizational engagement.

Pictured: Local government professionals at the West Coast ICMA Summit

Ten Tips for Better Leadership

1. One must understand the difference between management and leadership in order to truly inspire their staff to action.

2. Sometimes you must step outside of your comfort zone and take a risk to land your dream job. Even if you think you are not the “whole package” right now, if you know that you can do it, apply anyway. You will never get the job if you never apply.

3. A successful organization must be both smart and healthy. A good leadership team also considers the environment and morale of their staff.

4. The best employees are “hungry, humble and smart.”

5. Having more meetings, more often can actually help to make them more focused and effective.

6. A good leader must not hesitate to “over-communicate” in order to indoctrinate that message with their staff.

7. Every meeting needs to have a “hook.” To increase engagement at the meeting, explain why the meeting is important and what conflict the meeting is going to address. Thus, the meeting becomes an interactive story.

8. Reach out to your mentors to help you grow and achieve your goals. There are lots of others in the profession who can help support you.

9. The “Leadership Team” does not necessarily have to be the “Management Team.” A good “Leadership Team” may have their own unique objectives and must be small enough to really be effective.

10. You are not alone. Others around you are facing the same challenges that you are. Take the opportunity to network and learn from your peers and resources to help you succeed and find balance in your career.

Pictured: Coast of Newport Beach, CA

The final 2016 ICMA Regional Summit in Newport Beach, California was the largest attended of these events. See the photographs on Flickr or Facebook.

If you want to assess the health of your local government organization workplace, The National Employee Survey™ may be what you’ve been looking for. This low-cost survey allows organizations to gauge work climate and engagement, ensure employee satisfaction and plan for the future. Learn More Here.

Related Articles