By Mike Conduff, ICMA-CM

A young manager taking his first chief administrator job after a series of increasingly responsible positions in excellent communities called me to seek advice on how to use good governance principles with the council.

He, of course, had that bond of “hiring council and hired manager” we call the honeymoon to build upon, and he wanted to use it to create a platform of reinforcing the underlying principles of local government management: ethical achievement of long-term council outcomes free from interference in the daily activities of the organization.

My colleague was indeed starting from a position of strength. He was extraordinarily well prepared having worked for a number of the best in our business. His council had selected him from an exceptionally strong pool of candidates.

The community was financially strong. There had been appropriate retirements during the interim manager’s tenure that allowed room for hiring or promoting the new manager’s own senior team.

With the exception of the rocky retirement of the previous manager and an impending council election with a couple of the incumbents likely not running, it was almost a textbook example of the way a good handoff should go.

With so many assets we agreed that starting out with the behaviors that he wanted to inculcate in the council and in the staff made great sense. As we talked, these five key themes emerged:

1. Communicate relentlessly. In this age of instantaneous communication methodologies and tech-savvy councilmembers, it clearly behooves the manager to use multiple techniques to keep the council “in the know.” This steady stream of timely information feeds the elected officials’ need to be in the loop, while by no means inviting them into staff business.

At the same time, I advised the manager not to over rely on the technology. Voice-to-voice and face-to-face time plays to his personal strengths of eloquence and charisma. Trust is built in person.

2. Set a high standard with both council and staff. Again, my colleague was fortunate in that the council had previously adopted a council process manual but was, in some instances, not following it as faithfully as one would hope.

I encouraged him to either convene the group to review and rededicate or to have a series of individual conversations with the elected officials to remind them of their agreements and get their commitment to behaving appropriately. The concomitant assurance that he could offer was that he would in turn hold staff to a similar standard.

Obviously, only the council can control its own behaviors so it is especially important for the manager to allow no tolerance for misbehavior within the staff ranks. Especially in his early tenure the manager must set and enforce the tone.

3. Inculcate long-term processes immediately. In the face of council elections so soon after being appointed, the temptation might be to lay low during the process. Instead, I encouraged the manager to behave in the first one just as he would over time.

We discussed: calling each candidate within 24 hours of their filing to introduce himself and offer fact-checking assistance, conducting a candidate orientation after filing closed to reinforce the council-manager plan, facilitating a council orientation shortly after the election to shorten the learning curve and reinforce good behaviors for the new electeds, and arranging for a council retreat within sixty days of the election to discuss long-term priorities and outcomes.

4. Be visible and engaged. While not so much a governance issue, I also encouraged the manager to capitalize on his personal strengths and showcase his commitment to the community, the organization, and the profession by being appropriately involved in the life of the town.

Civic clubs, chamber of commerce, and nonprofit leadership are all ways to be seen and appreciated without usurping or upstaging elected officials. The goal is to demonstrate the manager’s genuine desire for the community to be healthy in all aspects, not just at the community office building, and the ancillary benefit is that the manager’s—and the organization’s—reputation is enhanced in the process.

5. Seek and develop a mastermind group. Again, this colleague is exceptionally well connected in the profession and has a cadre of mentors to lean on for advice on city management, and didn’t need any networking assistance from me.

I did, however, encourage the active seeking of similar types of individuals from within the community who could advise him on issues and personalities unique to that environment. The ancillary benefit of this kitchen-cabinet group is that it can be a great source of moral support during any difficulties that almost inevitably arise.

If, like our young colleague, you find yourself just starting out in a community these themes may resonate with you as well. If, on the other hand, you find yourself struggling in any of these areas, it is never too late to see your situation with the same new eyes you had when you started and to begin using these five themes appropriately.