Improving Team Decision-Making in Local Government: Insights from Perla of Brownsville, Texas

Effective decision-making is crucial for any organization, and this is especially true in local government. In a recent episode of the LeaderGov Podcast, we had the privilege of hearing from Perla, the Director of Organizational Development and Human Resources for the City of Brownsville, Texas. With nearly a decade of experience in HR and organizational development, Perla shared valuable insights on how leaders can make better decisions that benefit their teams, organizations, and the communities they serve.

Learning from Mistakes: The Power of Reflection in Leadership

When asked about the toughest decision she’s made, Perla was open about the challenges she faced in the past. She recalled times when the pressure to fill vacant positions led her to make rushed hiring decisions. These quick decisions, made with the best of intentions to support her team, ultimately resulted in hiring...

Ethics and integrity aren’t just buzzwords in local government—they’re the foundation of public trust, team cohesion, and long-term success. When leaders prioritize ethical behavior, they create a culture where employees feel accountable, engaged, and proud of their work. But fostering this kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intentional effort and strong leadership.

In a recent LeaderGov workshop, government leaders from across the country came together to explore practical strategies for promoting ethics and integrity in their organizations. Through insightful discussions and real-world examples, they uncovered key approaches to strengthening ethical standards within their teams.

Why Ethics Matter in Local Government

As William Whitson, a seasoned local government professional, put it, “working in local government is like "living in a fishbowl." Every decision, policy, and action is under public scrutiny. When integrity is compromised, the consequences ripple...

In local government, an engaged team isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity. When employees feel connected, valued, and motivated, productivity increases, collaboration thrives, and the organization better serves the community. Yet, many leaders struggle with engagement, facing challenges such as remote work, communication barriers, and team members who are resistant to change.

In a recent LeaderGov podcast episode, host Bill Stark sat down with Stan Wilson, Director of Health and Human Services and Community Development for Fulton County, Georgia. With extensive leadership experience across multiple local government agencies, Stan shared invaluable insights on how leaders can build engaged, high-performing teams. His practical approach, developed over years of leading diverse teams, provides a roadmap for any leader looking to foster a culture of engagement.

Understanding the State of Engagement

Before improving engagement, it’s crucial to assess where your team currently...

In today’s workplace, it’s common to see multiple generations working side by side. From Baby Boomers to Gen Z, each generation brings unique experiences, strengths, and—let’s face it—quirks. However, these differences can sometimes create friction, especially in local government settings where Baby Boomers are often overrepresented compared to the private sector. Instead of letting these differences create conflict, forward-thinking leaders can leverage them to build high-performing teams.

Navigating a multigenerational workplace can feel challenging, but it’s also a unique opportunity to strengthen teams by leveraging diverse strengths. To transform generational differences from sources of conflict into drivers of collaboration, leaders can focus on six key strategies:

1. Understand Generational Dynamics – Recognize the strengths and quirks of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.
2. Foster Mentorship – Bridge gaps by encouraging knowledge-sharing between experienced leaders...

In a recent LeaderGov workshop on Emotional Intelligence, leaders shared their perspective and best practices on effectively addressing their own emotions as well as emotional situations on their teams. 

Underlying the leaders’ answers was a desire to improve their skill and the skills of their teams to address tension and emotion.   LeaderGov recommended several tools to learn and grow EI for their teams including:

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Book Club
• Ted Talks
• LeaderGov’s EI Team Workshop
• LeaderGov’s Team EI Survey
• Team Discussion about EI
• Have individuals complete the free IHHP Assessment & MindTools EI Assessment

The workshop started by asking the local government leaders why they or their leadership teams sometimes do not lean into emotional situations at work.  Leaders responded with the following ideas.

1. Fear of conflict or confrontation.
2. Lack of confidence in handling emotional situations effectively.
3. Concern about making a situation worse.
4. Belief that staying
...

Enhancing Communication in Local Government: Insights from Our Expert Webinar

Effective communication is crucial for the success of any organization, and local government is no exception. In a recent webinar, LeaderGov gathered over 150 leaders to discuss the challenges and best practices in team communication within local government settings. The insights shared provide a comprehensive look at where communication often breaks down, the typical communication cadence in departments, how information flows up and down the management line, and the impact of body language and tone on productive conversations.

Where Team Communication Usually Breaks Down

Leaders shared the following about communication breakdowns:

• Listening and Engagement: A significant number of participants highlighted issues with not actively listening or engaging in conversations. This lack of engagement can lead to misunderstandings and a breakdown in communication. Notably, over 50% of respondents mentioned that
...

At LeaderGov's June 2024 Summit Leadership Workshop, the spotlight was on innovation. Dozens of local government leaders from across the country came together to share their insights, challenges, and strategies for fostering innovation within their teams. Here's a summary of the workshop discussions and feedback from these dedicated leaders.

Barriers to Innovation

Leaders identified several factors that hinder their teams from being more innovative:

• Fear of mistakes and lack of courage.
• Complacency and comfort with the status quo.
• Time constraints and heavy workloads.
• Resistance to change and lack of capacity.
• Poor communication and lack of initiative.
• Rules, regulations, and red tape.
• Budget constraints and lack of consensus.
• Cultural barriers between what's innovative and what's allowable.

Defining a Growth Mindset

When discussing a growth mindset, leaders highlighted the importance of:

• Openness to new ideas and willingness to share and consider them.
• Proactive be
...

On Friday, May 17, 2024, LeaderGov hosted a workshop for Local Government leaders on Inspiration and Motivation. Highlighted below is a summary of their insights into how they approach motivation and inspiration for their teams.  

If you’d like training for your local government team on this or other leadership topics, email us at [email protected].

LeaderGov published a poll on LinkedIN recently about how to best build trust on teams.   We provided four answer options as to how to build trust.  Two answers of the four were far and away the most valued.   The chart below shows the results of the poll. 

Listen to their concerns / ideas

The largest poll response on building trust had to do with listening to employees' concerns and ideas.   Here are some examples and ideas on that important topic. 

Listening to employees' concerns is an important aspect of being an effective leader. When employees feel that their concerns are heard and valued, it can lead to increased job satisfaction, higher trust, better performance, and improved retention rates. 

Here are some tips on how to listen to employees' concerns as a leader:

1. Create an open-door policy: In staff meetings or other venues, ensure your team knows that you are available to listen to their concerns, feedback, and suggestions. Encourage them to approach you and assur...

In local governments and in private business, having a toxic boss can be a difficult and stressful experience for any employee. Toxic bosses can cause a lot of harm to an employee's career, as well as their emotional and mental well-being. However, sometimes leaving a job or getting the toxic boss fired is not an option. In this post, we will explore ways that employees can work successfully with a toxic boss.

Understand Your Boss's Behavior

The first step in dealing with a toxic boss is to understand their behavior. Recognize that their behavior is not about you, but rather a reflection of their own personal issues. By understanding this, you can avoid taking their behavior personally.  It's also important to have an open and compassionate mind.  Their behavior may be temporary and driven by some crisis outside work that you are not aware of. 

Set Boundaries

One of the best ways to deal with a toxic boss is to set boundaries. You can do this by being clear about your work hours, r...