A slide from Macomb County Deputy Executive Pam Lavers’ presentation on community relations.
SEMCOG works with elected officials and administrators from all over Southeast Michigan. While there is great diversity among Southeast Michigan communities – we have urban areas, small towns, and people with all kinds of backgrounds – we see leaders from all of these places coming together to collaborate and agree on solutions to regional issues.
When I think about what these different leaders have in common, I have two questions:
- What is a leader?
- Are public sector leaders any different from other types?
We think of leaders as people who have a vision that they can communicate to others and inspire action. We expect them to have skills – such as initiative, delegation, risk-taking, financial and project management. And we expect them to get things done. Public sector leaders need to have all of these skills, plus they need additional skills to lead and create quality and inclusive communities.
Recently, SEMCOG hosted a workshop on Putting Leadership into Practice. We asked leaders from around the region to tell us about the skills that have helped them improve their communities, connect with constituents and partners, and create stronger government systems.
Steve Tobocman, former State Representative from Southwest Detroit, community activist, and current Co-Chair of the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) at Michigan State University, advised leaders to be bold, smart, of service to the public, collaborative, and to work to create stronger governing systems. Reflecting on his time as a state representative, he talked about working across the aisle; trying to see others’ perspectives; being courteous, sincere, and focused; and having the courage to vote according to the merits of an issue. This helped him advance during his three terms in the legislature, ending as Majority Floor Leader. He now helps train people interested in becoming public sector leaders through the MPLP program.
Leading during a Time of Change
View slides from Mayor Barnett’s presentation
Bryan Barnett, Mayor of the City of Rochester Hills and Vice President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors talked about leading during a time of change. As a new mayor in 2006, he had to navigate the community through extreme fiscal challenges during the Great Recession. This reinforced his belief in three constants: death, taxes, and change. The pace of change is accelerating as a result of technology. With more information and opinions going around, expectations are rising for responses, service delivery, and action. Mayor Barnett says success depends on creating a culture that embraces change, innovation, inclusion; leverages relationships and partnerships; and stays informed and ahead of the competition. Cultivating this type of culture provides residents with quality experiences characterized by more transparency as well as faster and broader access to information and services.
Board Relations
View slides from Clerk Sedlak’s presentation
For Michael Sedlak, Clerk of Green Oak Township in Livingston County, establishing excellent board relations has been key to community success. The township has become a place where respect, trust, communication, and preparation are the foundation for all decisions. Each year, the township board has a combined meeting with the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals to set goals, hear from all members, and encourage citizen input. Each new board member makes time to get to know the others on a personal level to understand different perspectives.
Ultimately it is about the interpersonal relationships, expectations, and goal setting…You don’t have to be friends but you need to be friendly.
– Michael Sedlak
Engaging the Community
View slides from Deputy Executive Lavers’ presentation
Pamela Lavers, Deputy County Executive in Macomb County, knows all about community engagement in a changing community. Macomb County’s population has gone from less than five percent people of color in 1990 to a place where 20 percent of the county is made up of persons of color and 100 different languages are spoken. There are 90,000 foreign-born residents in the county. As the lead for the One Macomb initiative, Lavers spends much of her time connecting with people and organizations such as ethnic chambers of commerce, colleges, universities, and employers to embrace, share, and celebrate the county and its people through naturalization ceremonies, honoring minority businesses, and creating a welcoming environment. She also supports the arts in the county recognizing their impact on quality of life and the economy. There are more than 500 creative companies providing nearly 9,000 jobs in the county.
Leadership in the public sector can take many forms, but the underlying skills are:
- Collaboration
- Respect
- Building relationships – internally and externally
- Transparency
- Customer focus
- Recognizing and welcoming change.
We are lucky to have these leaders – as well as many others – in our region. We salute your commitment, time, and talent to making Southeast Michigan the type of region we can be proud of.
SEMCOG has resources to help our leaders! Amy Malmer, SEMCOG’s Membership Manager, presented information on data, maps, apps, as well as regional trends and plans that can help leaders with decision making and leveraging community assets. We encourage our members to share what you are doing to create a stronger community and region.
Leave a Reply