Good Enough for Government Work

Why Does Your Public Organization Exist?  Over the course of the past six weeks, we have talked about great leaders in the public sector - some very recognizable names and even a few obscure individuals, perhaps not widely known outside of their communities. There are many leadership lessons we can learn from each of these individuals, but a few characteristics stand out in each one of the examples.   Clear purpose Passion Trust All of the leaders discussed thus far had clear objectives in mind as they took on their leadership roles. Captain Abrashoff was committed to "running the best damn ship in the Navy." Mayor Rudy Giuliani's initial mission was to clean up the crime in New York City and return it to the great cities in America. His follow-up purpose following 9/11 was to recover, rebuild and restore New Yorker's sense that nothing or no one could kill its spirit. Rick Baker had a purpose which became the official slogan, "Make St. Petersburg...

A Lesson in Leadership from the South Pole.  I recently read Great by Choice  by Jim Collins, the follow-up to his mega-successful Good to Great (2001) .  This newest book examines a number of companies in an attempt to understand why they achieve and maintain extraordinary levels of success despite an environment of change and uncertainty – even chaos. This is in fact, the world we currently inhabit. In the public sector world, we are facing partisanship, polarization, lack of public confidence, and distrust of everything government.  What are we, as public sector leaders, to do if we wish to turn the tide of negativity? This blog has examined but a few examples of great public leaders and the turnarounds they accomplished in their own organizations or communities. Each had a mix of talents, traits, skills, and behaviors they employed to inspire followers to reach for and achieve their vision of a better community. This week’s blog will depart slightly from...

The Seamless City   In keeping with the week’s long theme of highlighting successful public sector leaders and their leadership styles, this post introduces another city mayor, Rick Baker of St. Petersburg, Florida. Baker is not as well-known as Rudy Giuliani and certainly did not run a cosmopolitan metropolis the size of New York, but Rick Baker is a visionary leader who has been recognized as the Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine and one of America’s greatest mayors for his approach to urban revitalization and neighborhood inclusiveness. Rick Baker, a corporate lawyer and a staunch conservative, was elected Mayor of St. Petersburg in 2001 with no experience running a local government. In his previous positions he had led a medium-sized law firm and was president of the local Chamber of Commerce. In his words, nothing had prepared him for 3,000 employees in 34 departments which included police, fire, water and sewer, sanitation, parks, and roads. Whe...

Love him or hate him, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani literally wrote the book on Leadership (well… he wrote A book on leadership). There is no doubt Giuliani is divisive and polarizing. He has said some truly outrageous things in the media in the last few years and has made some serious political blunders. Despite his controversy, there is also no doubt the man can lead. He became the face and voice of America following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Under his leadership, the city of New York healed, recovered, and bounced back to its former glory. So too did America, following the lead of Mayor Giuliani. Less well-known (and certainly overshadowed by his 9/11 leadership) is the transformation he created in the City of New York when he took office nearly 8 years before the attacks. Continuing to highlight exemplary leaders in the public sector, this week’s blog entry will tell the story of Rudy Giuliani and the type of leadership he employed as the chief ...