What to do in the first week and beyond: 

• Have an onboarding session with elected officials and another with department directors and key staff.
• Meet everyone who works for the organization.
  • Go where they work. Do not have them come to your office.
  • Be prepared to hear people out.
  • Do not promise what you cannot deliver, it will only hurt you in the long run.
  • Be prepared for inquiries on such past issues as staff asking for the raise that was promised.
  • Know how you want to respond to those inquiries.
  • For larger organizations, it will take much more time and will likely involve meeting groups of people rather than individually.
• Identify and communicate your management style and the way you process decision making (done after onboarding).
  • Do you have an “open door” policy and what does that mean?
  • Will you be making any changes right away?
  • How should people approach you and how should you be addressed? (Are you formal or informal?)
  • Identify early goals for yourself publicly and follow through on them. This will help establish your credibility by making promises and then keeping them. Again, be cautious not to make promises you cannot keep as this can be disastrous.
• Do some ride-a-longs where and when appropriate.
• Work with elected officials to have a set of goals and check in regularly.
  • Have a communication strategy for getting the plan to stakeholders before you implement. Communicate, communicate, verify, and communicate some more.
• Plan on putting in a lot of extra hours for at least six months. Others will see that you are putting in the effort to get the knowledge you will need to be effective.
• Encourage staff members to provide you input and feedback on your performance (based on established expectations).
• Be patient with your new staff. It will take them time to get comfortable with you.
• Look for early wins. Having some early successes will help establish your confidence and help others see you as a contributing member of the team.
• Do not try to change too much right away. Get to know the organization and gain the trust of the elected officials and staff before making a lot of process and program changes. Those changes will come in time. However . . .
• Deal with critical issues right away. Process changes should take time, but if a critical issue that needs immediate attention comes up, deal with it. Seek advice and communicate with the elected officials, management staff, attorney, ICMA resources, and your trusted colleagues.

Working with Elected Officials 

Our research found that the most important element for the success of new managers was their relationship with the mayor and council. The basis for a good relationship was a clear understanding of expectations, goals, and culture.

In the surveys I have conducted with elected officials to help with the onboarding of a new manager, there has never been 100 percent agreement on the directions that should be given to the new manager. In other words, the manager is at risk of being given conflicting messages right from the start.

An onboarding session with the entire elected body can clarify the issues and actions the new manager should take and how. A confidential survey is a good idea before the session to ensure all voices are heard and ideas are expressed.

These represent some of the common questions that should be addressed at the start of employment. There also are a number of community-specific questions that should be addressed:

What is expected of the manager when there is a split vote on a significant issue? The importance of having the council discuss the answer together is to establish that the manager should not be pulled in different directions or be criticized for following a directive of the majority.

Few of the councils I have worked with began with a unified voice on what the manager should do with a split decision involving a significant issue. Elected members have suggested the manager drag his or her feet, bring the item back, wait for consensus, or move ahead with the directive.

A new manager faced with this type of confusion is subject to criticism for doing his or her job as directed.

What is the responsibility of elected officials moving forward if they are on the losing side of an issue? As the new manager starts, it is an excellent time for elected officials to consider how their conduct sends messages to the staff and public. Losing a vote on a new park doesn’t mean the member needs to vote no on the bid for the new playground equipment.

This discussion can lead to the opportunity of the manager being able to engage members with differing points of view and to encourage constructive discussion while moving forward on items.

What is each member’s expectation on frequency and type of communication? Some councilmembers like text messages, others phone calls, others e-mail. Most elected officials have different definitions of what an urgent matter is and who should be included in that communication.

Is it okay to give some elected officials more face time and attention than others? This happens all the time, depending on the availability of the elected officials. Those with difficult work and family schedules can have difficulty making the regular meetings and are rarely in the manager’s office.

Others with flexible hours or who are retired can drop in at any time and stay for long periods. There are times when some councilmembers sense they are being short-changed and that others have more influence as they spend more time with the manager.

The onboarding session can help reveal the impact that the inconsistency of face time has on the new manager and other members. The discussion should also include a way for a manager to politely direct the elected member who likes to frequent city hall to give staff (manager included) uninterrupted time to finish work.

Are employees allowed to speak directly with councilmembers about work with or without the manager’s knowledge? Do councilmembers go directly to staff when they have a question or want something done? Our research found that this varies significantly from community to community. Managers who attempt to establish fundamentally healthy rules on communication without an understanding from the elected body and staff up front, found themselves at odds with the culture. This misstep leads to a loss of credibility and ability to lead.

How soon can the manager make changes? How involved do elected officials want to be? Data indicates that changes are often sought when a new manager comes in; however, the change process and timing are seldom discussed up front. Some elected officials indicate it is the manager’s job, while others express an interest in knowing all the details of change, including how and why. A clarifying discussion and understanding of expectations will help with the timing of change and implementation.

How free should the manager be to recommend replacing people if they are not doing what they expected to do? At times, new managers are greeted upon their arrival with a problem employee or two. The council needs to have an understanding of the process and the time the new manager needs to take to address any personnel issues he or she inherits. There are also cases where the manager does address the poor performance of an individual, only to be publically chastised by a councilmember for various reasons.

How should the manager handle him- or herself during the meeting if it appears a decision by the council will be made that will have a negative impact on the community? Elected officials need to let the new manager know when and how their individual interjections at public meetings should be handled. Should the new manager sit silent on an issue or offer amendments, suggest caution, or voice outright objection?

Who should give the manager direction and when? There is often confusion as to who should be giving the new manager direction. Managers know they act on directives given by the majority of the council at public meetings; however, managers are also routinely given additional directives by individual elected officials.

Many of them want that special relationship with the manager, not realizing that their “suggestions” sound a lot like directives. This behavior needs to be discussed and defined up front so the new manager can maneuver quickly through those moments with clear authority to place items on the agenda or say no to directives with the backing of the council.

What are the top three to five priorities elected officials want the manager to work on during the first 6 to 12 months, and what will success look like? The new manager who can get clear direction on objectives from elected officials has the best chance for immediate success. Without this, the new manager is either guessing and taking chances, or waiting for clarity to come sometime in the future. This wastes time and can give the impression that the new manager is weak and ineffective.

How will the council “ordain” the new manager as its trusted partner? Councilmembers need to make it clear in no uncertain terms that they are 100 percent behind and in partnership with the new manager. Research revealed that those who go around the manager to other staff for information, or check up on the new manager with staff, undermine the new manager’s authority and make his or her new job much more difficult.

This is especially true when change is needed and there is resistance. Staff may sense they can control the manager by going to “their” councilmember. During the onboarding meeting, the council must be made aware that it can only hold the manager accountable if all members give the manager the authority to manage.

Onboarding with Staff

New managers need to be aware of the general discomfort employees feel when a new boss arrives. In every onboarding survey this author has conducted, questioned employees responded with fear that the new boss would micromanage them or handle change poorly. Onboarding with staff can eliminate a great deal of the experiential research needed by the new manager as he or she learns the new culture, needs, and expectations of new reports.

Information with the council onboarding session should be shared openly with staff. The data shared will provide clarity to staff on the manager’s support from the council and its position on managing the community. Here are some of the questions that managers should discuss at the onboarding session with staff:

What are the immediate changes you would like to see at city hall? It is important not to promise things during the discussion, but it is helpful to have perspective on what constitutes key needs. The answers here will help the new manager to assess where tension exists and to test the urgency and needed pace for changes.

New managers who are successful at implementing the changes communicate often and clearly the need for the change, the process that will be taken including timelines, and the outcomes anticipated.

What type of relationship do you expect to have with the new manager? Staff members, like the elected officials, bring a variety of personalities and expectations on relationships. Some anticipate a strictly professional relationship, others want to be friends, and others are flexible either way. Here the manager can express his or her comfort level while being mindful of the culture and the style of the previous manager.

What should you do if you disagree with me? This is an opportunity to establish communication protocols when it comes to debate. Some managers encourage open disagreement to fully vet new ideas, while others want some public restraint and subtlety. The important lesson learned by new managers here is, without this discussion, staff doesn’t know.

The self-determined and confident will speak up and the reflective-minded members may stay silent. If the new manager wants feedback, he or she needs to give staff permission as well as a process for doing so. Then, it is important to thank people for their input and perspective.

What are the organization’s espoused and lived values? It is nice to know what the organization’s culture is. Maybe it is family friendly and the staff is used to being let go early to attend a soccer game or school play. Maybe the organization talks about the “team” but doesn’t live it.

The onboarding session provides the manager with the opportunity to learn what works, where the pain is, and what the values are and how those translate to the management philosophy and expectations.

If you are not doing what is expected of you, you expect me to ______? This finish-the-sentence question places the expectation bar back on the staff. It introduces a shared sense of responsibility moving forward. The manager can take the discussion as an opportunity to express standards for performance, goals, reviews, and employee development.

Staff may also want to consider additional questions during the onboarding process, including:

• What are you most hopeful for with a new manager?
• What are your biggest concerns about having a new manager?
• What are some descriptions you would use to describe the team you would like to have?
• If you are directed by a councilmember to do work, what will you do or have you done in response?

Taking the time to develop a well-thought-out game plan for onboarding will help ensure that new managers start off on the right foot, as they endeavor to work with elected officials and staff in leading their community organizations to accomplish key objectives.

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