Senior Moments

”Seniors Moments”  is a new advice column where the innocent and the guilty shall remain nameless.  Send your real or imagined, funny or tragic, but always educational problems to the Seniors team, composed of anonymous ICMA Senior Advisors (who shall also remain nameless to protect their reputations ).

Dear Seniors,

I am a new manager.  What things should I keep in mind as I make the leap from department director to manager?  Any tips on things I should keep in mind?  Pitfalls to avoid?

Sincerely,

Excited and Anxious

Dear Excited and Anxious,

First of all, congratulations! For a variety of reasons, you career path has brought you to this new role. You have been selected by a governing body, made up of individuals who come at their roles with different perspectives, which is no small thing. That group of elected officials has placed their faith in you to lead the organization and to advise them, and there is no doubt that they had good reasons to do so. 

Take time to gather information. Listen to your governing body, your staff, the citizens. When meeting with citizens, the most important thing is to listen and respect their concerns and their perspectives. They are, after all, the folks who give purpose and meaning to what you do.

It is not clear how recently you became the manager, but I would suggest setting aside significant amounts of time in your first few weeks to meet with the members of your governing body one-on-one. They may enjoy taking you on a tour of their districts and will most certainly appreciate that you want to get to know them as individuals and understand their priorities. You may be surprised how gaining an understanding of a Board member’s priorities and why they wanted to serve in the first place can later help you understand their position on a given issue. Put some effort into understanding the expectations of the governing body as a whole.

Do the exact same thing with your direct reports. Meet with each of them one-on-one, preferably in their work area, and meet their staff. They want you to get to know them and to understand their work environment and their challenges. They rely on your support to provide the resources they need to do a good job. You will need and want to rely on their expertise in their respective fields. Make sure that you communicate your expectations clearly to them and that they feel trusted and valued.

Communicate with your staff and the governing body, in a variety of ways. With the governing body, the golden rule is to make sure that whatever information is provided to one member of the governing body by you or your staff is provided to all of them. A significant part of your role is to provide the information they need to make good decisions. With regard to staff, no one likes to feel like they are operating in the dark. Have regular meetings with them, both as a group and individually. Keep them informed about the big picture and seek their input about upcoming issues, initiatives, challenges, and changes.

While you certainly may have taken the whole community and the organization into consideration in making decisions while running your department, you now have the responsibility to do so in all decisions. In any given moment for any given issue, you will want to consider the perspectives and needs of the governing body, the staff, and the citizens. Take the time you need to consider all of those groups before leaping too quickly to a decision or recommendation.

Be aware that your selection may not be appreciated by everyone. Staff is always a little uneasy in transition, and that is normal and expected. They may be unsure of you who you are, what you want, how you will see them, and whether you have the skill set they believe is required. There may be others in the organization who applied for the job but were not selected. If you are younger than some of your direct reports or a female with a male report who has never reported to a female, for example, you may get some actual resistance. There will be citizens who see you as the wrong selection for whatever reason. Move forward and make good decisions without letting these folks worry or undermine you. Just prove them all wrong by your actions and how you conduct yourself. Genuine trust and respect are earned over time.

Deal with personnel issues as soon as they arise. This aspect of your role is probably the hardest and takes a toll, as the decisions you make impact people’s lives. Putting effort into communicating your expectations up front will head off many problems before they occur. However, when a problem does arise, delay will make it worse. So consider all the facts, decide what is fair and appropriate within policy and legal constraints, consult with your Human Resources Director and legal counsel if needed, and deal with the issue. Morale in that department, and in many cases throughout the entire organization, can deteriorate rapidly due to personnel issues that are not addressed and resolved.

Finally, make sure that you make time to take care of yourself. This position will absorb as much of your time as you let it. Take your annual leave, spend time with your family and friends, take care of your physical and mental health, enjoy your hobbies, and ensure that you have good rest and down time. You are of no use to anyone – at work or at home – if you run yourself into the ground.

Remember that you will make mistakes and you will need help. Don’t be afraid to admit when you make a mistake and to ask for help when you need it. An individual who believes he never makes mistakes or who thinks she should never ask for help or admit not knowing something has no business being in a leadership role. Be you – genuinely and honestly.

Good luck. Keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times and enjoy the ride.  We hope you really love roller coasters!

Fondly,

Seniors

p.s.  If this response seems lacking or raises further questions, feel free to reach out and contact a Senior Advisor directly.  We are here to assist you navigate your local government management career and enjoy paying back the support that helped us through our careers.

The full list of Senior Advisors with contact information is available here.