The Elected Official: Understanding your Roles and Responsibilities Colorado Municipal League Presented by: Kathie Novak Center for Local and Regional Communities Buechner Institute for Governance School of Public Affairs University of Colorado Denver
As leaders in the community, elected and appointed officials must be able to work together to build the community they envision. Objectives: Understand the challenges in the council-manager-staff relationship. Understand the new roles that elected officials are undertaking and why. Clarify the roles and responsibilities of the mayor, council, manager, and key staff. Understand how council protocols can be effective in developing a positive partnership. Articulate what mayors, council members, and staff expect from each other.
Greatest Challenges in Working with Elected Officials Managers say: Keeping communication going Developing and focusing on goals and priorities through year Understanding that council is singular, not plural Hidden agendas Getting council to work as a team and be civil Lack of experience & knowledge on how to lead large complex organization of highly skilled professionals
Greatest Challenges in Working with Managers Elected Officials say: Failure to communicate Private meetings with some council members Disrespect Lack of clearly defined, shared vision of city s future Manager has too much control Manger entrenched in ways of doing things Lack of clarity as to whole council s goals Inability to cut to the chase - too diplomatic We already tried that
What do I want to get out of this session Topics or issues I hope we will address
Membership and Group Formation Terms of Office and Council Life-cycle Political-Administrative Relationship Authority and Power Relationships Operating Procedures and Problem Solving Environment Schwarz, Consulting to Council-Manager Groups, PAQ, Winter, 1991
Three characteristics common to the highly effective city council: 1. The willingness to address difficult issues - often those that deal with the "big-picture" problems in a city 2. The ability or capacity of the council as a team to deal with these issues 3. An effective relationship with professional staff (John Nalbandian, 1999)
Obstacles that are often underestimated by councils and staff: 1. Difficult, big-picture issues that raise questions of competing values, which many people are inclined to avoid because of the potential conflict involved
Politics involves the art of recognizing and balancing legitimate, conflicting values. Questions of values really are no right answer problems, and they almost always involve difficult choices, which lead to conflict. Natural incentives to avoid these conflicts, especially when smaller, more manageable issues are available to deal with. Easier to be effective helping citizens deal with their individual problems on an ad hoc basis, than to build and maintain a sense of community by addressing big-picture issues.
Obstacles that are often underestimated by councils and staff: 2. Governing bodies operate under a set of conditions that impede the hard work it takes to focus on the big picture; and
Membership and Group Formation Terms of Office and Council Life-cycle Political-Administrative Relationship Authority and Power Relationships Operating Procedures and Problem Solving Environment Schwarz, Consulting to Council-Manager Groups, PAQ, Winter, 1991
Obstacles that are often underestimated by councils and staff: 3. Elected officials and professional staff bring fundamentally different perspectives to their work. If not understood, these perspectives can foster distrust.
Perception People only see what they are prepared to see. Ralph Waldo Emerson
We tend to perceive what we expect to perceive.
Perception Drives Behavior
Representatives vs. Experts Problem-solving Approaches Playing the game vs. solving the problem Story-telling vs. Reports: What do you hear? vs. What do you know? Role of city manager as translator Conflict, compromise, change vs. harmony, cooperation, continuity (Nalbandian, 1999)
Vision and strategic thinking Clarify roles and expectations Develop and hold to protocols and practices Build the capacity of the group Communicate (Conversations) Establishing and maintaining trust
Focus on the goal: My responsibility is to get my 25 guys playing for the name on the front of the shirt and not the one on the back. Tommy Lasorda, Former Manager, Los Angeles Dodgers
Focus on the goal Work that matters (30,000 ft. level) do-or-die issues central to the organization s success driven by results that are linked to defined timetables clear measures of success engagement of the organization s internal and external constituencies
The foundation for a sound Council-Manager-Staff relationship begins with a clearly defined long-range vision and strategic direction for the organization. Legacy value of big-picture focus
Vision and strategic thinking Clarify roles and expectations Develop and hold to protocols and practices Build the capacity of the group Communicate (Conversations) Establishing and maintaining trust
Research indicates that the primary cause of dysfunction in boards (and the board/staff relationship) is a lack of clarity in roles, goals and expectations
Council Roles: (Policy) Representational Governance Supervisory Other Manager and Staff Roles: (Administration)
Determine purpose, scope of services, tax level, constitution issues Where to Draw the Line Council s Sphere Mission Advise (what city can do may influence what it should do); analyze conditions and trends Pass ordinances; approve new projects an programs; ratify budget Make implementing decisions (e.g., site selection); handle complaints; oversee administration Policy Administration Make recommendations on all decisions; formulate budget; determine service distribution formula Establish practices and procedures and make decisions for implementing policy Suggest management changes to manager; review organization s performance in manager s appraisal Management Manager s Sphere Control the human, material & informational resources of organization to support policy and administrative functions Source: Jim Svara, Dichotomy and Duality: Reconceptualizing the Relationship between Policy and Administration in Council-Manager Cities, Public Administration Review, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp 221 232)
Lawmakers Policy makers Consensus builders Political entrepreneurs Civic catalysts System linkers Leaders Institution builders Power brokers Overseers Financiers Negotiators Enablers Facilitators Communicators Decision makers Translators Ombudsman Regional actors Full-Time
Team-builder Community builders Enablers of democracy Facilitative leaders Partnership builders Consensus builders Customer Service Rep Change Agent and Leader Entrepreneur Innovator Coach Networker Coordinator Connector Policy formulator Implementer Evaluator Educator Information Source Persuader Inspirational Problem Solver Policy Analyst Translators
What council expects of the Mayor and the other council members. What they are willing to give to each other. What council expect of staff. What they are willing to give to staff. What staff expects of council. What they are willing to give to council.
Council s Expectations of Staff Don t cause us embarrassment Be non-political in a partisan sense Help make our job easier Give us accurate and current data Leave personal bias out of reports; arguments should stand on own merits Provide guidance when requested Provide short, well-written reports Provide several options when suggesting possible solutions to a problem
Present requested information in a timely manner Show us how to avoid known pitfalls of recurring issues Be accessible Council s Expectations of Staff (cont.) Be respectful regardless of how you feel personally Keep us equally informed; do not show favoritism Provide historical continuity where appropriate
Staff s Expectations of Council Be fair in dealing with us- don t automatically assume citizen is right and staff is wrong Read the material we have proposed Ask questions Examine all the facts and make the best possible decision Give criticism privately when appropriate Give public praise when and where appropriate If you make a decision based on politics, help us understand
What s working? What do we do well? What s not working? What could we do better? What s missing? What needs action?
City Staff and Elected Officials
Vision and strategic thinking Clarify roles and expectations Develop and hold to protocols and practices Build the capacity of the group Communicate (Conversations) Establishing and maintaining trust
Formal Practices and Procedures that Can Minimize Conflict Protocols ground rules on how to work together Have clearly written and approved procedures for evaluating the chief Have regular board training sessions Celebrate accomplishments.
Protocols should answer: How do you want to be treated? How do you think you should treat others? How do others think you want to be treated? How will we resolve conflicts?
Develop and invoke a set of ground rules to build trust Protocols may include: Overview of Roles and Responsibilities Policies and Protocol Related to Conduct Council Conduct with One Another Council Conduct with City Staff Council Conduct with the Public Council Conduct with Other Public Agencies Council Conduct with Boards and Commissions Council Conduct with the Media Leadership Selection Process Committees and Appointments Agenda Setting Process Sanctions
What s working? What do we do well? What exists both formally and informally? What s not working? What could we do better? What s missing? What needs action?
Vision and strategic thinking Clarify roles and expectations Develop and hold to protocols and practices Build the capacity of the group Communicate (Conversations) Establishing and maintaining trust
Staff training and development Council training and development Periodic reflection/discussion What s working and not? What s missing? What needs action? Steps? Resources?
Vision and strategic thinking Clarify roles and expectations Develop and hold to protocols and practices Build the capacity of the group Communicate (Conversations) Establishing and maintaining trust
Power Needs - US Navy Political Irrationality versus Technical Rigidity Different Perspectives Part-time versus Full-time Technical expertise versus Citizens Formal Proceedings
Professional conduct (no surprises) Remember perception drives behavior Listen for understanding Avoid sniping and personal attacks Manager and Council members should meet on a regular basis Manager: Don t take sides or go through one member to get to the group; Communicate with all consistently, equally at the same time Council: Don't bypass the chain of command
Manager Evaluations Council Evaluation Discussion: What s working? What do we do well? What s not working? What could we do better? What s missing? What needs action?
True communication is the response you get.
What s working? What do we do well? What exists both formally and informally? What s not working? What could we do better? What s missing? What needs action?
Vision and strategic thinking Clarify roles and expectations Develop and hold to protocols and practices Build the capacity of the group Communicate (Conversations) Establishing and maintaining trust
Strategies for Creating Trust The very best way to repair a broken bond of trust is to not let it be broken in the first place. If that is no longer an option, you have a long road ahead of you, winning people back to your confidence. The only way we know is to keep slogging. Tell the truth. Keep your promises. Be reliable. Rebuild your account using regular, small deposits. From The New Why Teams Don t Work, Harvey Robbins, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001.
Strategies for Creating Trust As a prerequisite for building trust, team leaders and members must: 1. Have clear, consistent goals 2. Be open, fair, and willing to listen 3. Be decisive and decide how to decide 4. Support all other team members 5. Take responsibility for team action 6. Give credit to team members 7. Be sensitive to the needs of team members 8. Respect the opinions of others From The New Why Teams Don t Work, Harvey Robbins, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2001.
What s working? What do we do well? What exists both formally and informally? What s not working? What could we do better? What s missing? What needs action?
Vision and strategic thinking Clarify roles and expectations Develop and hold to protocols and practices Build the capacity of the group Communicate (Conversations) Establishing and maintaining trust
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