5.8. SR 02-24-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Municipal Strategic Planning By Carl Neu ocal government operations affect our daily existence, experi- ences and the quality of life we have within our communities. No local government deserves, nor should its citizens tolerate, a council or governing body that isn't effective and competent in leading the conm~unity toward a better and more productive future. Thomas Cronin, a recogTUzed author- ity on public policy, defines leadership as, "making thin~ happen that might not other,vise happen, and preventing things fi-om happening that ordinarily might happen. It is a process of getting people together to achieve common goals and aspirations. Leadership is a process that helps people transform intentions into positive action, visions into reality"--a process that beans with a powerful vision, sound strate~c think- ing, a solid corrm2tment to the future, and the will and skills to achieve the future in partnership with the entire community. A council's primary responsibility is notjust to make policy or rule on agenda items at public meetings. It is to determine and achieve citizens' desires for the community's future. Municipal leaders help to shape the future of the comrnunity by identifying and meeting the challenges that must be addressed through decisive leadership and goals. A strate~c leader always envisions the future and takes a community "back to the future" from the present. This leadership adventure starts with vision, and evolves to defining the stra- teac issues that must be mastered to achieve the vision. The next step is the development of long-range goals that address these strate~c issues and which provide decision-making and budgetary focus for the successful implementation of these goals. Living from one annual budget to another, and from one coun- cil meeting to the next, condemns your community and its future to happen- stance and the type of thinking that befuddles governance and policy. Thinking and acting strate~cally relates to the following four elements: A powe~d vision. Leaders focus on the future. The means by which they engage a community's comnmment to that future is through creating a picture or vision of what they are striving to achieve. This vision captures imagina- tion and conmzitment by providing a general direction for change, motivat- ing people to take action to bring about those changes, and coordinating the actions of all sectors of the commu- nity to ~vork to fulfill that vision. Vision is a sensible and appealing picture of the future that rivets the entire com- munity's attention and enables it to put the priorities of the future over the demands of the present as the basis for decision-making and resource allocation. Sound strategic thinking. Vision is not enough. Without a feasible and well thought out approach to achieving the vision, it is nothing more than a pipe dream or a hollow aspiration. Strategy and related goals provide the logic and detail that show how a vision wLtl be accomplished over rime. One of the most critical strategies that must be defined is how the vision will be communicated throughout the entire cormnunity so it is understood and embraced. Commitment to tke future. Com- mitment arises from communication and understanding. Major change is difficult to accomplish and results from strong community-based coalitions and' teams comrmtted to achieving the vision. The comn'~tment to the future is exemplified by four characteristics: · Ensunng that key players throughout the community are on board so they can propel, rather than block pro~ess. · Developing the levels of expertise and insight necessary to carry out the strategies and achieve the goals through informed decision-making and focused resource allocation. · Maintaining credibility in the vision and the people cornnfitted to its attainment. Powerful visions are achieved in part because leaders are able to maintain people's faith in the importance of the vision and its benefits to the community's future. · Ensuring the communi~'s leaders work in partnership with each other and the entire community in pursuit of the vision. The will and skills to ad, ieee tie future. Leadership can be defined as having two essential elements: wish- bone and backbone. It's relatively easy to create a vision, strate~es, and goals, and communicate all of these through- out the community. But the backbone comes from creating the will and hav- ing the skills to carry out the strate~es and goals necessary for achieving the vision. Will starts with commitment and is sustained through undaunting courage and faith in the power of the vision. The s ~kills required are many, including visioning and goal-setting, team build- ing and establishing working partner- ships with numerous groups through- out the community. Leaders must also be skilled in conflict resolution and willing to take risks. Leaders sometimes have to help their community over- come a sense of scarcity by sharing resources to create abund,'mce. The process of stratego planning involves the entire comrnunity because successful communities are the result of people thin-king, dreaming, and work- ing together. ~- Carl Neu, a former focal t~i'cial, is a mana£ement consultant specializing in strengthenir~ municipal leadership. AUGUST 2000 MINNESOTA C~T~S 13