LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Tapping into the Wisdom of Your Fellow Local Government Leaders Communities big and small can learn so much from one another BY MARC OTT
The 2021 ICMA Annual Conference just wrapped
Jessica Wilkus, Lindsay Jacques, and Maddison Powers at the 2021 ICMA Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon.
a singular focus: to protect our people, our residents, up, and for so many of us, it was an adrenaline boost. It was our staffs. What we are continuing to learn from each thrilling to be back in person connecting with, learning from, other is how we adapted. There is immense wisdom to and most importantly, supporting each other. No one knows be uncovered from each experience—each mistake and better than a manager what it’s like to confront the challenges each victory. That wisdom is just as likely to come from of this profession better than another manager. It is impossible a colleague in Timisoara, Romania, as it is to come from to find that unique brand of empathy anywhere else. Rib Mountain, Wisconsin. Those heartfelt connections can happen on the phone While we managers crave predictability and certainty and over Zoom, but they are so much deeper in person over of outcomes, we have learned that there are now more coffee or a beer. For chief administrators variables than ever that we must consider. in small towns and rural communities, Yes, we need to “ruthlessly prioritize” as There is immense the ICMA staff and I know and appreciate keynote speaker Claire Haidar noted, but wisdom to be how essential these connections are we must not be so quick to act that we uncovered from and that the professional development miss the lessons inherent in addressing each experience, opportunities, best practices, and novel problems. I appreciated the image and that wisdom is resources offered by ICMA are vital. she shared of pilots “taking a 360” until More than a third of those in service they feel confident enough to land. just as likely to come to local government attending this year’s It seems to apply across the range of from a colleague in conference, whether in person or virtually, challenges we face—whether returning Timisoara, Romania, came from communities with populations in-person to city hall or allowing small as it is from Rib under 20,000. A conference track was businesses to keep their outdoor Mountain, Wisconsin. structures. The lessons we are learning targeted directly to small communities, but as I reflect on the conference content, and sharing are as valuable as they have especially this year as we come through been painful. a crisis of global magnitude, I found the key messages to be Before turning these lessons into operating strategies more universal than ever before. for the future, take a breath. If there is one thing made To be sure, there are expectations that residents of small eminently clear in the past two years, it is that we as communities have of their leaders that don’t happen in leaders need to strengthen our flexibility muscle given a large city, as Ann Marie Townshend, city manager of the pace of change in our communities. Now is a good Lewes, Delaware, pointed out in her session on managing time to circle the runway and assess what is working (and MARC OTT the tangled web of relationships. In this issue of PM, Mark most importantly, what is not) before landing on a path is executive Ryckman talks about one potential solution to the unique forward. And as always, the ICMA Executive Board, the director of ICMA, Washington, D.C. problem of the lack of broadband in rural areas. But members staff, and I remain committed to your success. across communities of all sizes found new insights from conference topics ranging from the “downtownification” of Contribute Your Ideas for Content for Small Communities suburbs to post-pandemic technology and work life. • Submit your best practices or lessons learned in the form of As I took in all that was shared by panelists, speakers, and an ICMA blog post or PM article. members over the course of four days, the term new normal • Tell us what kinds of resources for small communities you struck me as obsolete. In the first few months of the pandemic, would like ICMA to provide its members. managers of every community, regardless of whether the Visit icma.org/writeforus or contact us at pm@icma.org. population was five hundred or five million, were driven by
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