Interview of Jan Perkins by Samantha (Sam) Ferrigno, Membership & Marketing Manager, ICMA
Recently I was reading PM magazine searching for leadership articles or quick tips that I chould share on this blog, and I thumbed across ‘Building Career Resiliency: Hone Your Ability to Grow from Adversity.’ The article includes great takeaways and common traits and practices that encourage resiliency in everyone. What makes the article even more intriguing are the people who wrote it: Pat Martel and Jan Perkins. As an employee of ICMA, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Pat’s story through events such as the Annual Conference and our board meetings at our D.C. office.
I’ll be honest when I say that I’d never heard of Jan Perkins before (I know what you are thinking) but when I finished the article, I knew I had to learn more about her story. Luckily, Ms. Perkins graciously agreed to answer my 10 questions on her career, motivations, goals, and greatest challenges. While my profession is not in local government per say, I felt like everything she was saying is something I have encountered both in my career and as a woman, and her tips on how to build career resiliency are tips I’ll take with me forever. I hope by reading this, you can too.
Here’s my interview:
Q1: It’s mentioned in the beginning of “Building Career Resiliency,” which you co-wrote with Pat Martel, that everyone who pursues a fulfilling career will eventually encounter challenges. What challenges have you faced that has helped define your career?
JP response: Throughout my career, whenever I saw an opportunity to take on something new, regardless of whether I knew anything about it or not, I did. Not only did it invariably turn out to be interesting, I learned, stretched myself, got to know new people and built my confidence. Since I was always on the young side as I moved into executive level positions, I typically was supervising people much more senior than myself and with tremendous expertise in their fields. I looked at those situations as opportunities to learn as well as develop partnerships. When as a deputy or assistant city manager I was supervising long-tenured people, I actively sought to learn about their goals and form effective working relationships. My approach has always been about working collaboratively and respectfully with others to get things done, do what I say I will do, and not think I need to “know it all” before taking on something new.
It’s also mentioned in the article that there are common traits and practices that encourages resiliency on everyone. I’d like to go through each one with you and talk about your experiences – so readers can see how cultivating them can help them personally and professionally.
Q2: We’ve all had those good, bad and ugly experiences in our job. What’s the greatest lesson you ever learned as a result of practicing self-awareness?
JP response: Listen carefully to what I hear, both what is said and unsaid. Openly ask for feedback, including from subordinates, and not punish the messenger. I try to convey that I consider direct and honest feedback as a gift. My attitude is that people are thinking something, and it is a gift to be able to hear it and address it. People will only share their concerns if have confidence and trust in the relationship.
This article originally appeared on the Leadership {RE}imagined blog on ICMA.org on March 22, 2016.
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Jan Perkins is a former city manager of two California cities — Fremont and Morgan Hill. She started her career in Michigan serving the cities of Grand Rapids and Adrian. She served as assistant city manager in Santa Ana, CA. Jan is currently a Senior Partner with Management Partners, a local government consulting firm. She serves as ICMA Liaison, and is on the board of ICMA’s Women Leading Government. She has an MPA from the University of Kansas and is an ICMA Credentialed Manager.
Want to learn more on building career resiliency in local government? Register for this free ICMA Summit Workshop with Women Leading Government: You Have What It Takes to Be a Resilient Leader.
