Urban Management Assistants of North Texas

1. Back to the Basics Leadership Urban Management Assistants of North Texas Shana Yelverton, City Manager, City of Southlake Bill Lindley, Town Administrator, Town of Highland Park April 23, 2010 – Southlake DPS Headquarters, Southlake, Texas

2. The Journey of Leadership Bill Shana

3. Opportunity Abounds! Friends Recreation Church School Leading Projects Complaints P T A Volunteerism Supervision Committees Professional Associations Events

4. A bit of “spit & whittle” by Shana • “Everyone knows you run the place…” Yikes! • “Shana, can you come to my office? I need to talk with you,” said Mayor Wambsganss • Crisis of ridiculous proportions • Window of opportunity • Change management…and the price • Leading leaders • Momentum

5. A bit of “spit & whittle” by Bill • Sternly suggested that I allow a voter to absentee vote after hours on • the last day of early voting. • As the new manager, I was told to fire the police • chief even though there was no written evidence • supporting a termination. • Taking the lead role opposing the location of • NASCAR locating a new track would mean • my being “the fall guy” for any public opinion. • Manager was berating staff for allowing employees to • goof off during a required city wide training session, all the while • with the manager present but not taking any action himself. • Mayor threatened my employment if I continued recognizing • candidates during a series of community meetings. • Several co-workers would see me as a “suck-up” for promoting a new • initiative the manager was trying to gain staff support for.

6. Types of leaders • Trait Theory • Some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadership roles. • President Franklin Delano Roosevelt • President Ronald Reagan • Great Events Theory • A crisis or important event may cause a person to rise to the occasion, which brings out extraordinary leadership qualities in ordinary people. • Mayor Rudy Giuliani • Prime Minister Winston Churchill • Transformation Theory • People can choose to become leaders and learn leadership skills. • The breeding ground for most leaders!

7. And you want to be a leader The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. Kenneth Blanchard

8. Lead or managing, it depends • Managing is about coping with complexity: • planning and budgeting • organizing and staffing • controlling and problem solving • Leadership is about coping with challenges: • setting direction • aligning people • motivating and inspiring • risk taking Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall. Stephen R. Covey

9. Is it stacked against you • Early identification of a leader may be problematic: • excel at getting noticed, • love the spotlight, • have a good story to tell, or • appear more mainstream, etc. • Identification of “emerging leaders” may eliminate those who: • work for a challenging city or supervisor, • are not given any real responsibility for being entry level, or • eliminates late bloomers, etc. • Those ‘chosen’ start getting extra attention and mentoring from day one of being identified, so the traits that gain their notoriety may get stronger.

10. What is often looked for Patience – Good leadership is about waiting as much as acting. Vision – While everyone is cleaning the deck and preparing the sails, somebody has to be looking where the ship is going. Adaptability and Flexibility – Be able to cope with negative change, and also be able to quickly grab opportunities as soon as they appear. Empathy – Putting yourself in the shoes of your employees allows you to make decisions that will enthuse and motivate your staff.

11. What is often looked for Ability to Delegate/Listen – Give subordinates the real responsibility and confidence to be able to make their own decisions. Calmness/Confidence – Confidence flows through a team just like cheerfulness or a hardworking attitude. Passion and Motivation – Whatever your role, people will respect the fact that you take pride in your work, you enjoy it. Trustworthiness – Nobody will obey, follow, or be inspired by someone they distrust. Ethical – Ability to establish a corporate culture of integrity and accountability.

12. It can happen anywhere You don’t have to lead to be a leader!

13. Training just for you • UMANT has entered into a collaborative initiative with • the NCTCOG and SGR to provide a Leadership Series • as a part of The Institute for Leadership and Change • Management. Monthly brownbag topics include: • Staffing Effectiveness ( 3 sessions) • Policy Facilitation (2 sessions) • Functional and Operational Expertise and Planning (2 sessions) • Citizen Service • Performance Measurement/Management and Quality Assurance • Initiative, Risk Taking, Vision, Creativity, and Innovation • Technological Literacy • Democratic Advocacy and Citizen Participation • Cost per session is $22 for UMANT members and $72 for non-members

14. Our to read books The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,by John Maxwell Principle Centered Leadership,by Stephen Covey Results Based Leadership,by David Ulrich On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis Leading Leaders, by Jeswald W. Salacuse Speed of Trust, by Stephen M.R. Covey Good to Great, by Jim Collins Leading Change, by John P. Kotter

15. Our take-away for you • Recognize opportunities • Inspire a shared vision • Challenge the process • Enable others to act • Encourage the heart • Model the way “I attended the leadership conference. Now I am following everything they recommended.”

16. Interactive Leadership “Pick a Quote” • Select the quote that will serve as your leadership mantra for the coming year; • Share the quote you’ve selected with your group, explain why it was chosen; • Using the quote as your guide, complete the “After Session Action Plan” • Select a partner and calendar follow ups

17. Thank You Shana Yelverton I City Manager I City of Southlake 817.748.8001 I Syelverton@ci.southlake.tx.us Bill Lindley ITown Administrator I Town of Highland Park 214.559.9300 I Blindley@hptx.org