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Posts for Leadership and Management

Building Trust: Effective Tools for Local Government

August 12, 2024  by  Linda Gallagher
Category:  Leadership and Management ,  Inclusive Communities ,  Public Participation

Building trust with community members can be accomplished in many ways, and Washington local governments have implemented innovative strategies to increase transparency, build relationships with diverse communities, and demonstrate responsiveness to community needs. 

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Tapping the Power of Emerging Leaders for Climate Resilience

April 19, 2022  by  Kif Scheuer ,  Mackenzie Bolger
Category:  Guest Author ,  Leadership and Management ,  Climate Change

CivicSpark is a service program that pairs talented young adult Fellows with local governments, state agencies, Tribes, and nonprofits to tackle climate-related projects, research, and programs. It is expanding to Washington State and accepting applications for the 2022-23 year. 

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Don’t Do That! Part Two

February 1, 2017  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Leadership and Management

Part 2 of this 2-part series on the “worst” leadership habits identifies at least one, agreed-upon bad habit that leaders everywhere should avoid at all costs.

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Don’t Do That! Part One

January 25, 2017  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Leadership and Management

There's plenty of space devoted to what makes a good leader but the habits and characteristics of poor leaders are equally compelling.  This post, 1 of a 2-part series, summarizes what various observers identify as the habits and practices most leaders should take care to avoid.  

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Local Leadership: When the Professional and the Personal Collide

October 17, 2016  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Leadership and Management

Government leaders who live and work in their community can enjoy a host of benefits, such as enhanced relationships with constituents, but what happens when the line between the public persona and the private one blurs? Using his own experiences as a city administrator, Lynn Norby discusses the lessons he learned in trying to balance the personal with the professional.

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Is Leadership Overrated?

June 11, 2015  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Leadership and Management

Sometimes true leadership means being a good follower.

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3d render of top ten chart on white background

The Ultimate Leadership Top Ten List

July 15, 2014  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Leadership and Management

We’re good at making lists. Any time spent on one of the Internet search engine home pages will reveal at least one “Top Ten This”  or “15 Things That” of one kind or another, every day. Recently, looking...

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Off With His Head!

June 5, 2014  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Leadership and Management

Should you fire a person who makes a mistake? Perhaps it depends, but this article argues that exposing and correcting the mistake fits right into the Lean management cycle and provides an opportunity to improve.

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Leadership: An Inherent or an Acquired Skill?

February 28, 2014  by  Stan Finkelstein
Category:  Guest Author ,  Leadership and Management

In the November 2013 issue of the Council/Commission Advisor, I acknowledged that the citizenry expects its elected officials to possess strong and effective leadership skills.

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R-E-S-P-E-C-T

February 19, 2014  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Leadership and Management

With the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl win this year, much has been written about the successful coaching style of Pete Carroll. Indeed, from a leadership perspective, there are few, if any, better examples of effective leadership than...

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What Every Project Needs to Succeed

January 31, 2014  by  Eric Svaren
Category:  Guest Author ,  Leadership and Management

At a large public institution, a high-profile team is on the verge of implosion. Morale is abysmal. The team has broken into factions. Because this team deals with the most complicated, high stakes situations in the institution, the team's problems have pushed people's level of stress through the roof. Gossip is rampant. People are afraid of being attacked. Some team members won't talk to one...

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