Passion Matters
October 21st, 2009 | 
Author: I am passionate about working with local government managers. Why?
Because they are some of the most passionate professionals I know of when it comes to the work they do. And they provide an example that passion matters, particularly in tough times.
Who are they?
“Local government managers” are professional non-elected public managers who touch your life on a daily basis through the roads you drive on, the parks you play in, the police and fire protection you receive, and the water you drink. They are appointed by your elected city council, county commission, or township board. They serve at the will of these elected “boards” to manage the people and processes that keep your locality running smoothly. I encourage you to look at the website for the city, county or township you live in and note the array of services your local government provides to you.
Local government managers have titles such as “City Manager”, “County Administrator” or “Township Supervisor”. I am continually astounded at the breadth of knowledge and responsibility it takes to do their job well. The work they manage/lead directly affects the quality of life for millions.
What makes their job so tough?
Local government managers have one of the most difficult jobs around. On contract to an elected council, they must remain non-political. They lead organizations (“city hall” or “township hall”) that are responsible for assuring the daily services you receive in your city, village, township or county. They are subject to the harsh scrutiny of the public because they are spending tax dollars. They are closely observed closely by their employees and unions, their council, the newspaper, radio, T.V., neighborhood groups, watchdog groups, activists, and more. They can, very publicly, take the heat for their council, employees or contractors. The pay is generally lower than a manager would receive for similar responsibility in the private sector.
The shear amount of leadership required to maintain and balance good relationships with infinite local interests boggles the mind. They do not work side by side with peers or people they can regularly talk things out with. And yet, this group does their job invisibly, quietly, and passionately. They serve so that you and I can have a better life in the places where we live, work and play. Most answer their own phones, return calls promptly, smile, and have an inner fire for what they do; making the world better, one city, village, township and county at a time. The word “community” runs in their veins.
And why does passion matter?
Yet, even the best local government managers get burned out; the hours are long and irregular, complaints abound, and any expression of appreciation for their work is sporadic, at best. This recession has been particularly tough. High foreclosure rates, lowered home values, and significant decreases in revenue sharing are all making significant dents in their budgets. They are dealing with layoffs and furloughs without pay.
Yet I`ve seen these leaders, time and again, pick themselves up, remember the passion for what they do and the impact they make. And therein lays the secret. When we are passionate about the work we do, the obstacles can be hurdled, the work can flow, and despite great odds, we can continue to make an impact.
It is a joy for me to work with these fine servants. My own passion for helping them to make an impact on the lives of others is rekindled every time I have the opportunity to work with them.
What are you passionate about? How does it affect the work you do?
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18 Responses to “Passion Matters”
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This is very interesting, Mary Jo. I’m going to be very honest here with my first reaction, so please forgive me. Do you ever hear any pushback from the fact that taxpayer dollars are paying for the coaching these people get? Honestly, I’m not sure I am comfortable with that. These people make BIG salaries, so my assumption would be they got their coaching before they took these high paying jobs.
Please correct my thinking on this!!
Bret
Bret, to jump in the conversation, my assumption would be that these folks DON’T have high paying jobs, relatively speaking, compared to their counterparts in the private sector. They may be able to make more money elsewhere, but they are passionate and concerned about making a difference in their communities. I am thrilled that Mary Jo has a chance to help them excel at what they do.
Mary Jo, I hope that some of the local government workers you support will read this post and be encouraged by how highly you esteem them. This will be a much needed boost, I’m sure.
Hi Bret.
Great question. The short answer is no. The longer answer:
I am brought in to provide them with extensive, confidential feedback (360 degree), which is required to maintain their professional credential. Not coaching.
The local gov’t mgr. requests spending approval from their council (who are the proxy for taxpayers) before the work starts.
Becky, you are correct. Although there may be a few examples of big salaries out there, the salaries for these people are quite modest, especially in comparison to what they could make for less accountability/responsibility in the private sector.
You got the point of the post quite well. In my experience, these people do the job for less than they could make elsewhere because of their passion for public management.
An excellent post about an under-appreciated group of managers, Mary Jo. It’s as good an example as I know of intrinsic rewards. These people are doing work that they want to do. That’s where the passion comes from. And that passion provides the psychic energy to see massive difficulties as challenges to be met.
Thanks Wally for bottom lining the way passion can help to surmount (sometimes great) obstacles.
I knew my comment would not be popular, but I’m sorry, I just don’t buy the sentiment. Our Reno City Manager was making $270K in Jan of this year and looking for a raise when city workers and city services were being cut. He left for a higher paying job, $275, in San Bernadino http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_N_nmanager20.cdf5d0.html Maybe I am out of touch, but I think that is a VERY high salary.
We have WONDERFUL servants in our city and state governments – heck, I am one of them. Many make ridiculously low wages (think teachers) and never make the spotlight.
Mary Jo, you know I luv ya, but I’m finding it hard to swallow. I work with people that have lost their jobs due to public funding cuts. I’ve seen the tears in their eyes of being forced out after 20 years of service and being a few short of retirement. I know public school teachers that burn the candle at both ends and then dig into their own pockets to buy classroom supplies for their kids. My heart is with the passion of these folks, not the top dogs.
Bret, I can see you won’t change your mind on this one!
We can always find examples of individuals such as the one you cite. For every one of those, if we look hard enough, we can also find many other leaders (not “top dogs”) who are good people, with the right motives. They are the ones you don’t hear about, and the ones that don’t make the paper. I have the good fortune of knowing a few, and I stand by my comments, and my experience, for that reason.
We agree on more points than you realize. My heart is also with those losing their jobs and struggling; I have several in my own family and amongst my own friends (including teachers). Many are passionate, many are not. Just like local government managers.
There is humanity, passion and compassion anywhere you look, if you look hard enough. Even in leaders, but maybe not in “top dogs”. (I’m making the distinction between “leaders” and “top dogs” intentionally. For further discussion at a later point, perhaps).
One final question. Do you think that making good money (or a lot of money, if you will) pre-empts passion for the work one does?
My point about the Reno City manager (and many other government “servants”) is he is a professional, a hired hand. I’m sure he loves his job, may even be passionate, but his heart is not with THIS community – it is with pursuing advancement in his profession. Now don’t misunderstand me, I think that is just fine. They perform a valuable function and people that work hard should reap the rewards of their labor. But I just don’t want to caste these professionals in the same light as those home-grown folks that go off to school and then return to serve *their* communities, their friends, their neighbors. That is a different kind of passion and a different kind of community servant. Our city manager might have professional passion, but the teachers in my kids’ schools have that and real community passion. Thanks! Bret
Hi Mary Jo,
I think that this post brings up some really good points that I never really considered about how the public services sector operates under the public’s microscope. I think that too often the only thing that we hear about is the negatives of public services, such as the crooked cop or the corrupt politician. Sometimes the saying no news is good news doesn`t hold enough weight, since we need to hear the positives to offset the very few negative things that we hear. I read recently somewhere that healthy marital relationships require someone to say five positives for each negative, would you think that this is why someone like me would have not thought about the good service that are provided by public service? In a way I think that the media has brainwashed me with so much negative news about scandals and corruption that I don`t realize the good that so many people do that can be spoiled by the wrong of one person.
I don’t know about the average salary of a city manager and how Reno compares, but I think that the city manager situation is qualitatively different from the teacher situation in ways beyond pay. If you are a want to be a teacher and you want to teach in your home town, the odds are that you can, whether your hometown is NY City or Ruby, SC. For elementary school and most high school subject matter teachers, there are lots of options. But there’s only one city manager per city and not every city has a city manager. That sets up a dynamic where the primary loyalty of the city manager almost has to be to the profession and not the place. That’s reinforced by the fact that most city manager career paths involve moving up by moving on to a new city.
Bret, thanks for stopping back with your thoughts. I admit to being confused about the point you are making, and don’t think it will get through to my brain cells today. I’d love to have a conversation with you about it sometime!
Siraj, thanks for your additions to this too. And I agree. I think we get what we look for – and the news media is looking for negative stories; its what sells. I have the great advantage, in this case, of being able to see the good stories about local government that many don’t get to see. If I’ve been able to at least get you to consider that there is another side to what the media reports, that makes me very happy.
Wally, thanks. You’ve captured the dynamic succinctly.
As a municipal manager, I can tell you that very, very few of us command an annual salary in excess of $200k. If the City Manager of Reno makes $270,000 per year, he is likely one of the highest paid in our profession. In my case, I manage a municipality of 50,000 with an annual budget of $85 million and 400 full time employees. My annual salary is $150,000. I can tell you that, in the corporate world, that would be the salary of a mid-level manager. Please understand, I am not complaining. I consider myself well paid and I could have made the choice to pursue a more lucrative career. I am happy with my choice and I love my work. But, given the level of responsibility that I have and the complexity of the job, I can’t imagine that any reasonable person would suggest that I am making a BIG salary or that I am over compensated.
Mark, it’s very nice to hear from someone actually doing the work, as well as your thoughts on the issue of salary as well as passion. There is a web site with median salary for city managers in tye U.S.by years experience at http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=City_Manager/Salary. Your comments certainly bear the data out.
I’d love to hear more. How about burn out? Does your passion for what you do help to get you through these tough times?
I have been in the business of local government management for 25 years, the past 10 in my current position. I have been blessed during my career to serve elected officials who were/are, by and large, honorable, dedicated and respectful of professional staff. It is for that reason that I have not experienced any significant degree of burn out during my career and I still look forward to going to work everyday. I am also blessed to be surrounded by a team of professional staff that share my passion for public service. Their commitment and enthusiasm has helped to keep my own passion fueled. I do believe that public service is indeed a noble calling and I feel honored to be able to make a profound difference in the lives of the residents of my community. I wholeheartedly agree with you Mary Jo that the vast majority of local government managers in this country share my passion for public service and are some of the most talented and innovative business people that you will find. I sincerely appreciate your kind and thoughtful affirmation of the dedication and passion that most of the men and women who serve as local government managers possess.
Mark, thank you for stopping back and adding that additional information. You affirm what I know of the majority of individuals who choose your profession. One of my first experiences into introduction with the individuals leading our local governments was at an annual International City Manager’s Association conference. I was quite taken with the caliber of dedicated professional managers (leaders) I met there; and I continue to believe that after several years of work with people like yourself. I can see that you and your staff are the kind of people that I write of in this blog. Thanks again.
Thanks for the post, MJ! I debated about whether I should post something, but as they say, “no guts, no glory.” Having been in local government management for over 32 years, I can say that the vast majority of the individuals I have been privileged to call peers are talented, top notch professionals and leaders. We do it because we believe that public service (and we consider ourselves public servants) is a noble calling. And in reference to one of your posts, I requested a 360-degree evaluation and coaching in 2008 not because I am interested in moving to another job with a higher salary, but because I have been with my current organization for 14 years (and in the community for 25 years) and wanted to improve my performance as I continue to serve in my current capacity. I suspect others have done the same. And I agree with another post, a $280,000 salary is the exception, not the rule. I have an organization with 1,850 employees and a $165 million budget. My salary is $155,000. Thanks again for the post.
Daryl, I appreciate the guts (and you can have all the glory!). I’ve always believed that you and Mark are the “rule” rather than the exception, and it is inspiring to hear you speak of your noble calling. Thanks so much for stopping by and adding to the commentary.