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ft The Manager's Role in .,.�-y. Practice Building a Highly Effective more we should be doing to improve o .. s�. T01 ' Continuous Council leadership performance and to ensure Personal • Focus the council on leadership quality future for our community?" ' �� Learning and achieving a quality future for As Jack Ethredge observes: "The entire and Development as a the community. process has helped Thornton's council to Leader • Select a time and place to conduct identify the issues that are essential to a facilitated discussion about fac- achieving our community's goals and to Leaders read, attend workshops, and tors affecting the council's effec- building collaborative relationships with constantly seek information, under- tiveness. It is recommended that citizens and with staff to agree about the standing, and insight. Highly effective the manager be involved in this goals. Thornton now is a community of councils are composed of members who discussion. partnerships, all focusing on a vision and honestly know they don't know it all. • Invite the council to assess can- using our combined resources to become They take advantage of the myriad of didly and objectively its perfor- the city we want to be in the future.There opportunities to learn and to perfect mance relative to the 10 habits of has been a real breakthrough in the their skills by reading,going to state and highly effective councils included amount of creative energy that is moving national municipal league workshops, in this article and other effective- Thornton forward." and attending every forum that can ex- ness indicators that councilmem- The last, and probably most impor- pand their skills to lead and govern well. bers feel are appropriate. tant, point: Keep your sense of humor. A highly effective council also learns • Have the council identity where Governance is a serious business dealing as a council. It works closely with the significant gains in effectiveness with the vital issues affecting our coin- manager to improve its leadership skills are desired. munities and the quality of life we expe- and the council-manager relationship, • Develop specific strategies and op- rience within them. But humor reduces assessing objectively its performance on portunities with the council to Friction and stress, lets others know that each of the 10 habits. This assessment achieve desired goals. we and they are human, and brings a should include the observations of coun- • Schedule specific skill-building pause that refreshes our insight and cilmembers,manager,department heads, workshops for the council. Include commitment. It is essential to forgin� and selected members of the community key staff members when the focus is and maintaining good relationships. who have occasion to work and interact on council-staff relationship issues. Every community deserves nothing with councilmembers. The effective • Establish a process with the coun- less than a highly effective council that council should decide where gains can be cil to evaluate gains that have been embraces accountability for the commu- made, then set up the opportunity made and to target new opportu- nity's performance in creating its future through council workshops to learn the aides for improvement. and in effectively addressing, in the pre- skills needed to make these gains. • Remember:peak performers con- sent, those challenges vital to attaining In 1990, Mayor Margaret Carpenter stantiy seek to improve their per- that future. That is what is at stake: our and City Manager Jack Ethredge of formance.They know they are on communities' future. With few excep- Thornton, Colorado, began a process an endless journey of growth, tions, every council can be highly effec- with Thornton's council to increase the performance effectiveness, and tive and can provide strong leadership, council's leadership skills and effective- achievement. but to become effective will require a ness that incorporated the 10 habits de- good governance model and disciplined scribed in this article. adherence to the fundamental habits of First, the council conducted a careful performance and sense of partnership. effectiveness.C 1 reexamination of the city's mission and Now, the council holds multiple ad- the role that it had to assume to ensure vances each year to define and validate its Carl Neu,Jr., is executive vice president of fulfillment of that mission. Then, in dis- strategic perspective and policy leader- Neu and Company, Lakewood. Colorado. cussions with the city manager, coun- ship. Skill development workshops ac- All rights are reserved to Neu and Com- cilmembers made a commitment to lead- company these advances and focus on pony and the Center for the Future of ership innovation and excellence that defined needs that are identified by coup- Local Governance, 1997. focused on long-term and strategic issues cilmembers. Specific "time-outs" are vital to the community's future.The pro- taken to evaluate how the council is func- Contribute to the cess involved advances, close attention to cloning as a team, as well as how it func- community feedback through focus tions with staff and with the community. ICMA Endowment Fund I 411) groups and surveys, and frequent self- The continuous quest for effectiveness al- Call 202/962-3648 evaluation of both council's and staff's ways begins with the question "Is there PUBLIC MANAGEMENT 9