ICMA provides resources for people at all stages of their local government career, but first-time administrators have unique challenges as well as new opportunities. In continuing our blog series on first-time administrators, we look at some of the practical resources that ICMA provides its members who are new administrators.   

For members of ICMA, the first resource to read is the First-time Administrators Handbook (member exclusive resource). This e-book looks at all aspects of the job, including before a person begins a position and the common challenges that a manager or administrator faces in the first six months on the job.

A key change for them is their relationship with elected officials. Local government councils and commissions can be complex organizations that require a new administrator to spend a lot of time and effort fostering a successful relationship. To help support members, ICMA offers an e-book specifically on the relationship between a manager and the elected officials he or she works with. This publication was created with all members in mind, but it is an extremely good resource for first-time administrators.

Being a first-time administrator means learning and growing as a leader. One resource that is useful in the area of leadership is an ICMA webinar called "Leading by Example," which focuses on developing leadership values. This webinar also focuses on the big ideas of leadership and is intended for people at all career stages, which makes it a good opening webinar for first-time administrators to expand their leadership skills.

With resources like these, ICMA can help address the challenges these newcomers face and provide them with the support they need to succeed in their new positions. If you are an experienced manager and have ideas or advice for those new to the profession, leave them in the comments section. We will incorporate them into a future blog post.

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