Fundamentals for Municipal Leadership

Who Should Attend

West Virginia municipal and staff and professionals interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of municipal service, governance practices, and leadership fundamentals.

Certificate

Upon successful completion of the course, participants receive a certificate recognizing their commitment to effective and responsible municipal governance.

Registration Fee and Payment Methods

$3,900. Payment due prior to course start by credit card, personal ECheck, organization or City PO or credit card. Upon successful completion payors may apply for partial reimbursement.

Municipal Governance Overview

Roles and Functions — Introduces fundamentals of municipal governance including Human Resources, Services, Planning and Zoning, Taxation, Local Business Support, Collaboration between communities and in the larger region, and accessing and using county. state and federal governments programs and services.

Municipal Governance Why? — Service as Purpose — A service model for municipal governance depends on recognizing the needs of residents, taxpayers, and visitors, and crafting valued services and products to meet them. Services are defined in terms of the customer experience or service output and have a value proposition and strategic value. A municipal governance service model requires responsiveness, valuing customers, and being adaptable and results oriented.

Personal Effectiveness Foundations

What is your Why? — Personal effectiveness depends, in part, on What you do (your mission) and How you do it (your principles and values); but personal success depends on knowing your Why and aligning your actions to that Why. Having a clear sense of purpose contributes to personal well-being and service to others.

Self-awareness & Self-Management — Accountability and responsibility begin with self-awareness, positive self-regard, and discipline. Meeting deadlines and commitments are central to personal success and service.

Behavioral Styles and Preferences — Self-assessment and understanding the DiSC behavioral styles for tasks and relationships helps individuals get what they need and want. Building skills in recognizing and flexing behavioral style also improves relationships with others by giving them what they need and want.

Mindsets and Motivation — Mindsets influence motivation and set the stage for how we act. A motivated mindset is required for personal effectiveness and requires strength, positivity, courage, confidence, and self discipline, and habits that are reflected in grit, resilience, and abundance thinking.

Working with Others

Communication — Strong communication skills can enhance trust and build relationships with co-workers, partners, citizens, and other stakeholders which in turn encourages engagement. Key communication skills of listening, empathy, perspective taking, and providing information and guidance across multiple media are central to effective municipal governance.

Teamwork — Teamwork requires creating cooperation, coordination, and mutual support to work together toward a common goal. Principles and practices for collective effort leverage individual skills, knowledge, and effort. Team members need to feel heard and valued, understand their roles and responsibilities in the larger group, and be accountable for individual tasks to achieve the goal.

Collaboration — Collaboration allows people with different ideas to work together and commit to creating something new. This partnership requires active engagement in a group sharing a common purpose. To share responsibilities in a free-flowing, non-hierarchical manner involves advanced problem solving and strong interpersonal skills.

Culture – Belonging, Diversity, Engagement — A municipality’s culture is identified by rituals, norms, values, symbols, language, artifacts. Culture influences our views, values, priorities, and decisions. Our cultural lens or frames shape how we interpret and act on events. High-performing municipalities build cultures that promote belonging, diversity, and engagement.

Building a Values-Based Municipality

Ethics Light and Shadow — Ethical lights play a crucial role in a values-based culture. Promoting public welfare, efficient delivery of essential services, upholding principles, and fostering social justice and civic engagement contribute to creating a positive environment. Ethical shadows cast doubt on the integrity of municipal government and must be guarded against.

Values — Values that align with the mission and vision of a municipality guide decisions and actions and advance engagement. Building a values-based municipality calls for modeling, communicating, embedding values in processes, and fostering inclusion to support employees’ empowerment to live the values.

Teachable Point of View (Ideas, Values, Edge & Energy) — Developing a teachable point of view is a means of laying the foundation for building a values based municipality. A TOPV identifies ideas about how to deliver results as a high-performing
municipality, the values that guide now to act and make judgments, the emotional energy to stimulate, and displays the willingness and ability to face reality and make tough decision. Communicating the TPOV requires effective storytelling that is engaging and impactful.

Community Image/Reputation/Brand — Image and reputation influence how people see and interact with a municipality. A community’s image is subjective and affects how people feel about the community. A community’s reputation is perceptions of the community’s services and how the community and its employees operate. A community’s brand as a place captures the essence of the community and can help attract investment and retain a talent pool.

Quality and Process Improvement

Defining Quality — Applying quality management within the service model for municipalities requires understanding the Voice of the Customer, Customer Satisfaction, and Creating Public Value.

Process Improvement — Quality improvement calls for a process mindset and a DMAIC methodology (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control). Tools such as the Fishbone, Flowchart, Process Map, Check Sheet, Run Chart, and Pareto Chart facilitate problem solving for process improvement.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Sarah E. Hess
Certification Coordinator
sarahhess@ucwv.edu
828-612-8729

Register for the Fundamentals for Municipal Leadership Certificate