1 minute read
Leading Through Disruption
THE FUTURE OF WORK
The Challenges of 2020
In 2020, city managers and their staff have all been impacted by a massive challenge. Whether in London, Kentucky; London, Ohio; or London, England, city managers and their staff have all experienced similar struggles brought by COVID-19. This has generated a valuable sense of connectedness. It has also helped prepare local government leaders for the great challenge ahead of the climate emergency, which similarly is a global challenge that will be experienced locally.
Adapting in 2021
The pandemic has generated a reinvigorated sense of neighborhood and community. “There’s no place like home” has rarely been so true. Here in London, we have found that although the iconic West End has been hit hard, our more suburban neighborhoods have survived and even thrived due to their community spirit and mutual support. Local government must harness that passion for place, even as we revive our damaged economies.
Opportunity
Twelve years after the Great Recession, we must build on all that we have learned about how to support local economies and communities through a period of massive challenge. We need to develop in our organizations the skills that are essential to be effective in this context—empathy, to understand the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic and economic stress; strategic vision, to envisage reimagined downtowns, restructured economies, and the green industrial revolution; and business management, to achieve the services that communities need at a price they can afford.
Key Takeaway
There has never been a time when folks need city hall as they do today. The stakes are high. Your job has never mattered more. Look after yourself and your team.
