In my opinion, collaboration is the quintessential summer topic for a local government magazine. Weather-related storms can mean regional and resident cooperation afterwards. Summertime fairs and festivals can mean lots of teamwork and partnerships to prepare for them (and clean up). Even swimming, biking, and other outdoor activities in communities involve relationships to ensure that the fun and entertaining parts are safe for the participants.

            Coincidentally, the August PM cover story, “Contemplating Collaboration,” shows that collaboration has proven to be an effective tool for helping local governments achieve goals and deliver services that they may not have been able to accomplish on their own. Covering the A to Zs of collaboration, the article provides seven characteristics to help determine if a collaborative arrangement is likely to succeed.and explains the three common forms of collaborative service delivery.

             A staff colleague once commented that just the word narcissism grabs attention, and I hope this is true for the August issue’s “Dealing With Selfies” article. There seems to be recent interest in this subject, along with incivility, and narcissism can be the label for situations that local government managers face all the time—working with leaders who are preoccupied with their own power. Perhaps this article will be helpful in opening up new ways of thinking about how to handle this personality disorder.

            The article covers how to recognize narcissists, what distinguishes good from bad narcissism, and strategies on how to deal with narcissistic behavior. A series of fictional vignettes helps vividly portray the messages the author wants to communicate to managers.

            If you prefer to look through all parts of the August issue, I hope you do because there are more quintessential local government magazine topics: strategies for jobseekers, how five cities inspired employees to achieve innovative goals, 10 tips on how to exit a job like a professional, how to respond when someone you know experiences a traumatic event, and making the most of council turnovers. 

            Online-only articles at PM’s website can help readers find an answer to the question: So why can’t you seem to get your career moving forward? And find out what local governments are doing to achieve cost effective fleet management.

            Let me take this opportunity to note that ICMA’s 2014 Annual Conference is being held in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, September 14–17, where local government managers have the opportunity to learn more about the dynamic collaborative partnerships that are taking place around the world. The resulting exchange of meaningful management information at the conference is always intense! I hope to see you there!