Closing out the last general session of the 2024 ICMA Annual Conference was Lindsay Shookus, a seven-time Emmy award-winning producer at Saturday Night Live. Having worked for two decades on one of America’s most beloved television shows, Shookus shared fascinating behind-the-scenes tales along with personal insight into how she established herself as a leader.

It wasn’t by accident that Shookus spent 20 years at the show, not only booking and managing celebrity hosts and musical guests, but also leading the talent department and scouting rising stars to join the cast. Her leadership helped engineer the show’s success, and key to that was her ability to connect with others in a way that established trust. She shared her Leadership Corners of Connection — credibility, vulnerability, and adaptability — three strengths that make you not only an effective leader, but a good human. 

Credibility

In the simplest terms, credibility is the power of inspiring belief. Her advice for establishing credibility when you first meet someone is to remember small details. They matter. What distinguishes us from the person next to us are the small details. “It’s an artform and a skill set that everyone in this room needs,” she said. When someone remembers a small detail about us, it makes us feel important and significant to that person. And people never forget how you make them feel. She mentioned that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson texted her a few days before her wedding to wish her well. They hadn’t spoken in half a year, but he remembered her wedding date and took the time to reach out.   

What’s the best way to learn these small details about a person? Ask good questions. For instance, if someone mentions their hometown, ask them what’s the most surprising thing about their hometown that most people don’t know. Approach conversations with a sense of curiosity. Then Shookus added, “But you have to remember to listen to the answer, and then treat it like it’s treasure.” She suggested adding these little tidbits to your phone in the notes section of their contact info. “It takes two seconds and it’s worth taking that extra time to make someone feel special. It will make you stand out and it will make people feel inspired to believe in you.” 

Vulnerability

Shookus told the audience that she considers vulnerability her superpower, but that wasn’t always the case. When she was pregnant with her daughter and approaching her due date, she felt like she had to put on a brave face and feign perfection. Then as a new mother, she felt pressure to quickly return to work, lose the baby weight, and bounce back to her former self. “And when you feel that much pressure,” she said, “you start to crack.”

In her first week back at SNL, Melissa McCarthy was hosting and asked Shookus about her life as a new mom. She decided to let her guard down and admit that she was “struggling a bit,” and what happened next changed everything. “Melissa was so kind and opened up about her own struggles with parenthood, and it evolved into this deep, meaningful conversation.” When Vince Vaughn hosted the following week, he and Shookus had a similar conversation about their shared anxieties as new parents. She said, “It was surprise vulnerability, and it completely revolutionized the way I build relationships.” Giving someone that small relatable dose of something real is worth far more than “I’m fine. How are you?” 

She said, “It’s uncomfortable when you’re first starting out, but it’s worth it. And it gets easier the more you do it.” When your conversations become transformational instead of merely transactional, you’re building a relationship that pays off down the line. You’re gaining the trust and respect of others. 

Adaptability

If the only constant in life is change, then those who are most successful have learned how to adapt and pivot in the face of change. Shookus explained the importance of being coachable. As a leader, we need to be open to feedback. “It can be hard, but nothing emanates strength and confidence more than when you’re able to hear something difficult.” 

She’s often asked about her favorite hosts to work with during her time at SNL. Her answer: athletes. “They’re great at getting feedback because they’ve spent their whole lives hearing what they’re doing wrong. Instead of getting upset, they learned to use it as fuel to become champions.” And of all the athletes, her favorite was Peyton Manning “because he was always looking for ways to improve,” she said. “He would say, ‘Is this ok? How should I do this differently?’ and he would try his lines over and over again in different ways.” He told her that she was a great coach — high praise from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time — and after each rehearsal, he would ask, “Where can I get better?” Shookus told the audience to imagine if you looked to others and said, ‘Where can I get better?’ "What if you looked at something challenging as an opportunity to improve and evolve?”

Working so closely with an ever-changing literal cast of characters in a fast-paced environment, Shookus said it all came down to trust. In a time when city/county managers are working harder than ever to preserve public trust in local government, her message hit home for attendees. Being an effective leader is about taking the time to connect with others, whether it’s with your staff or residents in your community, or with someone who’s about to go on stage and say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”

Stay tuned for a special Q&A with Lindsay Shookus in the November issue of PM magazine. 

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