While we have been busy these past few months preparing the new Center for Management Strategies for full operation, you may not be aware that the official launch of the Center will occur at ICMA's Annual Conference in Phoenix in October.
The Center will have a strong presence at the conference, offering a variety of educational sessions, workshops and forums on its leading practice topics. The Center will also have a large presence in the Exhibit Hall and we encourage you to stop by and learn a little more about the Center and its operations and we can assist you in implementing leading practices in your organization.
The Center's service providers (The Center for Priority Based Budgeting and the Commonwealth Centers for High Performance Organizations) will be offering free "mini assessments" in the Exhibit Hall. Stop by, make an appointment, and receive a free assessment on your organization's readiness to implement the leading practice areas of Priority Based Budgeting and High Performance Organization strategies.
The following educational sessions, workshops and forums are being offered by the Center and/or its partners on its leading practice areas:
Fiscal Distress
Saturday, October 6, 8:00AM-12:00PM
Communities today struggle to develop meaningful and fiscally prudent budgets under financial pressures previously unknown. Most organizations believe that the responses they have made to the current financial crisis represent a permanent change in the way they will approach their budgeting processes. This session will explore innovative and proven tools and techniques needed to achieve both short-term relief and long-term sustainability through a unique and creative process called priority-based budgeting. Traditional responses such as across-the-board cuts, tax increases, sales of assets, pay freezes, and furloughs have not provided adequate solutions to address an organization's fiscal distress, but the question remains: what is the solution? This session will discuss how local governments across the country have turned to priority-based budgeting to help align budgets and resources with the goals of their communities. This holistic approach to better inform budget decisions will ensure that a community identifies and preserves those programs and services that are highly valued and makes budget decisions in accordance with its findings. Priority-based budgeting has already helped 30 local governments from coast to coast deal with their fiscal realities through a step-by-step process that clearly aligns an organization's goals with the way it allocates its resources. This process was described in a 2010 Government Finance Officers Association white paper, "Anatomy of a Priority-Based Budget Process." This session will present case studies from Chandler, Arizona; Boulder, Colorado; Christiansburg, Virginia; Douglas County, Nevada; Grand Island, Nebraska; and Monterey, San José, and Walnut Creek in California, to illustrate how the process has been successfully used to address a community's unique budgetary issues. Practice Groups 10 (Budgeting) and 11 (Financial Analysis) 4 AICP-CM credits.
Workshop Leaders: Chris Fabian and Jon Johnson, Cofounders, Center for Priority-Based Budgeting, Denver, Colorado
Moving Your Organization toward Higher Performance
Saturday, October 6, 8:00AM-12:00PM
Saturday, October 6, 1:00PM-5:00PM
Regardless of the size or location of our organizations, we are all challenged by the same types of issues: increased demands for services, reduced revenues, negative perceptions of government, and disengaged workers. This workshop will challenge you to think differently about how your organization can work. Key concepts of the High-Performance Organization Model to be discussed are "Developing the New Government Employee," "Doing the Work of Leadership at All Levels of the Organization," "Deciding Your Leadership Philosophy," "Focusing on Both the Vision and the Culture of Your Organization," and "Building Capacity through Employee Teams." The program will afford participants opportunities for small group discussion and encourage thinking about next steps for moving their organizations toward higher performance. Practice Groups 1 (Staff Effectiveness) and 6 (Initiative, Risk Taking, Vision, Creativity, and Innovation) 4 AICP-CM credits
Workshop Leaders: Anton Gardner, leadership development faculty, University of Virginia-Cooper Center for Public Service, Charlottesville, Virginia; Cheryl Hilvert, director, Center for Management Strategies, ICMA, Washington, D.C.; and John Pickering, president, Commonwealth Center for High Performance Organizations, Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia
Do You Have on Your Rose-Colored Management Glasses?
Sunday, October 7, 12:45PM-2:45PM
Do you work in Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon, where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average"? Where, in your mind, your local government organization’s performance is exceptional, all your services are viewed by end users as perfect, and all your employees are rock stars? Regardless of where we work, we all tend to see our organizations through "rose-colored management glasses," which can affect our willingness and ability to see areas for improvement. This forum will discuss the use of diagnostic tools that can identify opportunities for improvement and help you design strategies--whether through important leadership work, the capacity-building development of our workforces, enhanced processes for fiscal health and wellness, or collaboration with others--to improve the performance of your organization. Join us for some ideas on how your organization can become exceptional to everyone in your community, not just you with those beautiful rose-colored glasses! Practice Groups 1 (Staff Effectiveness) and 3 (Functional and Operational Expertise and Planning) 2 AICP-CM credits.
Forum Leaders: Cheryl Hilvert, director, ICMA Center for Management Strategies, Washington, D.C.; James Svara, professor and director, Center for Urban Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona; Karen Thoreson, president/chief operating officer, Alliance for Innovation, Phoenix, Arizona
News Flash: You Don’t Have to Have All the Answers or Solve All Your Community’s Problems!
Tuesday, October 9, 11:00AM-12:15PM
One of the more liberating truths we can learn as local government professionals is that we don't have to have all the answers or solve all our community's problems. And despite lots of rumors to the contrary, city hall is not the "epicenter" of the community, at least not to our citizens. As traditional resources wane and problems become more difficult to solve, our jobs get harder, so maximizing the contribution of residents is truly the key to a successful community. "Harvest the experience dividend" that exists in your community through the engagement of individual citizens, community groups, and neighborhood associations to get the help you need to solve problems, address issues, and build community. Practice Groups 4, 8, 14 1 AICP-CM credit.
Connected Communities: Government as a Partner in Citizen Engagement and Community Building
Wednesday, October 10, 8:15AM-10:15AM
This forum shows participants how local governments can achieve a higher level of citizen engagement. Engaging residents in problem solving and high-profile projects is the key ingredient in high-performing communities. The Alliance for Innovation tracks the best practices of cities throughout the country. Learn strategies that your local government can use to connect effectively with the community. Practice Groups 1 (Staff Effectiveness), 4 (Citizen Service), and 8 (Democratic Advocacy and Citizen Participation) 2 AICP-CM credits.
Forum Leaders: James H. Svara, professor and director, Center for Urban Innovation, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona; and Karen R. Thoreson, president/chief operating officer, Alliance for Innovation, Phoenix, Arizona
Don't forget that Friday, September 7th is the last day to register and receive a discount on your conference fees.
We look forward to seeing you at the conference in October!!