By Sue McLaughlin, County Administrator - County of Bureau, IL Ok. I admit it. Back in the 80's, I used to wear those suits with the scarf bowties so that I could look professional in the working world thinking that would cover up my lack of confidence. And then as I grew older and more [...]
By Mary Jacobs, Assistant City Manager - Sierra Vista, AZ Do you ever look back and remember someone who said something that really inspired you? I remember one of my early bosses out of graduate school. She was commenting on my work product one day, and told me I had the makings of a leader [...]
By Dr. Frank Benest Dr. Benest recommends that leaders make the transition from controlling to coaching: I'm a recently appointed division manager in a large city Human Resources Department. I was promoted because I'm results-oriented and have demonstrated my ability to accomplish whatever assignment is thrown my way. As division manager, I have a lot [...]
Photo Credit of Ms. Piana: JSingletonPhoto By Melanie Piana, Ferndale, MI City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem I’ve watched my friends, women and men, prepare for a new baby with joy and excitement, and also concerned about how much time they would have to bond and physically heal before heading back to work. Like many [...]
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt By Julie Underwood, Assistant City Manager - Daly City, CA By now, many of you know that there hasn’t been many of us in the #13percent club . And I’m making an educated guess that this number is even smaller for female [...]
By Megan Roach, Marketing & Sustainability Manager - Beverly Hills, CA While pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science at Chapman University, I applied for a graduate level internship with the City Manager’s Office for the City of Laguna Niguel. I drove to the interview thinking the internship would either define my career path [...]
"Let’s stop talking about a piecemeal public policy approach to a problem best addressed by a fully stocked policy toolkit." By Ayanna Pressley, At-Large Member, Boston City Council; Beth Monaghan, CEO, InkHouse PR; and Jesse Mermell, Executive Director, Alliance for Business Leadership Right policies needed to support [...]
That’s a lot of time-sucking meetings and emails. By Kristen Bellstrom No man—or woman—is an island at the office. Indeed, new research from a trio of management experts finds that over the past 20 years, the amount of time employees are spending on collaborative tasks has surged by roughly 50%. And who is shouldering the [...]
Why we need many more voices in the civic innovation debate By Dr. Jonathan Reichental, Chief Information Officer, City of Palo Alto “In the game of life, less diversity means fewer options for change. Wild or domesticated, panda or pea, adaptation is the requirement for survival.” – Cary Fowler As a technology leader in Silicon [...]
By Zach Perron, Lieutenant - Palo Alto, CA Police Department I think it’s time to rethink the way that police agencies attempt to recruit new police officers. Police departments across the country are having tremendous difficulty filling vacancies. As a result, many agencies are “working short,” with fewer officers on the books than are authorized, [...]