A few weeks ago I experienced the joy of speaking at #SILGA on the topics of local government discourse, and role clarity for local elected officials. Timely topics, hosted in Kamloops.
This was my second year in a row delivering two sessions to packed rooms of engaged councillors, board directors, chairs, and mayors. I feel pretty fortunate to get to work in this field. Connecting with well-intentioned, dedicated folks in local government always leaves me more inspired and committed to the sector. In addition to all of the elected officials in the room, I also got to reconnect with so many talented, hard-working CAO's.
Some central points:
- trust is the single greatest barrier to, or amplifier for, local government success on almost any topic.
- communications and engagement, in as proactive and strategic a manner possible, are essential to building trust.
- elected officials who either cannot or will not ethically lead from an appropriate policy-level portfolio are eroding relationships up, down, and across their communities.
- there are things we can do to mitigate the situation, and there are tools to build strong, trusting relationships moving forward.
Please reach out if you want to discuss these points, or if you want to explore options for building ethical, successful local government teams!
Now, off to another conference tomorrow!
It's so important!