THE NEXT GENERATION INITIATIVE A Collection of Articles from PM Magazine 2003—2014 What Are ICMA’s Next Generation Initiatives? ICMA’s Next Generation Initiatives were created to attract a wide and diverse group of people into the local government management profession, including students, early and mid-career professionals, and individuals from other fields. ICMA’s activities under this initiative fall under four strategies: • Promoting awareness of the local government management profession and encouraging individuals to con- sider careers in the field. • Helping new and early careerists land their first jobs in local government. • Engaging local government management professionals in ICMA early in their careers. • Building the leadership pipeline by engaging and developing promising individuals so that they are prepared to step into leadership roles, both in their local governments and in ICMA. Learn more about these initiatives at ICMA’s Career Network Web site (icma.org/careers). What’s the big deal? Quiet crisis. Retirement tidal wave. Workforce retention and recruitment. Next generation. Succession planning, pipeline, coaching. If you haven’t been hearing these terms, now is a good time to tune in. The local government management profession is approaching a crossroads as baby boomers that make up the majority of local government managers approach retirement at a quickening pace, and statistics indicate that the greatest numbers of retirees will come from the managerial ranks. The problem? A much smaller group of young and career-changing professionals are in line and prepared to fill their shoes. There just aren’t enough people. Many candidates are unaware of or choose to ignore the potential career satisfaction that can come from leading a local government through times of innovation and change. At the same time, few current public managers consider that they are also responsible for the critical job of developing young and mid-career talent. What are we doing? ICMA, in partnership with a number of affiliate organizations, has developed programs to help local governments educate, attract, develop, and retain individuals of all ages, from school-age children to mid- career assistants and department heads, to professionals from other disciplines. You might ask: What do I need to do as a member of ICMA to help sustain and grow the profession? Explore the articles here, and contact us if you have any questions, comments or ideas. Contact Information Rob Carty, [email protected], 202-962-3560 Remember, intern ads are free in ICMA’s JobCenter! Contact [email protected] Contents Introduction: CMA’s Next Generation Initiatives 1 Frank Benest Navigating the Job Search Process 3 Martha Perego, 2014 What Pointers Would You Give Recent Graduates on Finding Their First Job in Local Government? 5 Louie Chapman, Jr., 2014 Top 10 Interview Blunders 7 Heidi Voorhees, 2014 Council Relations: Next-Gen Elected Leadership 9 Mike Conduff, 2013 Commentary: Getting to Know Generation Y 11 Garin Giacomarro, 2013 Commentary: Reflections of an Early Career Professional 13 Raymond Lee III, 2013 What’s the most important interview question you ask when hiring staff (and why)? 17 2013 SPECIAL REPORT: Leadership and the Profession: Where to From Here 19 Bob O’Neill, 2013 Ethics Matter! The ICMA Code of Ethics: Values for the Next Century 25 Martha Perego, 2013 Baby Boomers Meet XYZ 27 William Morris, AICP, 2012 Lessons from the Past for Leaders of the Future 29 Aden Hogan, Jr., 2012 What’s the Best Advice You’ve Ever Received? 33 2012 Learn from the Chicken Lady 35 Julie Ayers, 2012 Next Generation Initiatives Anthology 2003–2014 | ICMA iii Can’t Afford to Hire New Talent This Year? Wrong! 37 Bethany Rubin Henderson, 2012 How I Spent My Summer Vacation 39 Corey Schmidt and G. Chris Artung, 2011 Management Minute 43 Carl Stenberg, 2011 What Will Help Next Generation Leaders Advance? 47 Patricia Martel, Shawnna Maltbie, and Joanne Bond, 2011 Hiring 2 0: 23 Creative Ways to Recruit and Keep Great Staff 49 Jan Perkins, 2011 Network Like It’s Your Job 53 Maribeth Kuzmeski, 2010 Q&A with Manager Scott Pingel: What’s My Inspiration? 57 2010 The Long Reach of Military Experience 61 Steve Vinezeano, 2010 A Manager’s Creative Side 65 2010 From the Frying Pan to the Fryer: Practical Tips on Career Advancement from a Recent Graduate 67 J. Scott Sellers, 2010 Aspire to Be an Administrator: Views from Those Who’ve Been There 71 Franklin Wu, 2009 The First 10 Years after an Unpaid Internship 75 Joshua Smith, 2009 Wittenberg Local Government Management Internship Program: An Organizational Stimulus Plan for Your Local Government 79 Rob Baker, 2009 Climbing the Mountain: Seeking and Succeeding in Your Next Position 83 Charlie Bush, Tansy Hayward, and Noah Simon, 2009 iv Next Generation Initiatives Anthology 2003–2014 | ICMA Volunteer Internships Benefit Local Governments and Students 87 Robin Popik, 2009 A Blueprint for Building the Leadership Pipeline 91 Theodore Voorhees, Stacey Poston, and Vickie Atkinson, 2007 Sabbaticals Really Are Special 95 Craig Smith, 2007 New and Valuable: University Partnerships 101 P. Michael Paules, 2007 The Myths and Realities of Succession Planning 103 Patrick Ibarra, 2007 Emerging Leaders: How to Begin Your Career in Local Government 107 Andrea Costello and Courtney Kleinert, 2006 Four Generations Learning to Work Better Together 113 Rocky White, 2006 Two Perspectives on Local Government Management Internship Programs 115 Rob Baker and Carol Granfield, 2006 If I Pass the Baton, Who Will Grab It? Creating Bench Strength in Public Management 119 Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman, 2005 Advice on My Career Path from Five Wise Men 125 Mark Israelson, 2005 Pioneering the Future: A New Generation of Local Government Professionals 129 John Nalbandian, 2005 It’s a Reality: The Shrinking Talent Pool for Local Government Managers 135 Frank Benest, 2005 Building Solid Links between Managers and Academics 141 Rex Facer II and Bradley Owens, 2005 Succession Planning: An Idea Whose Time Has Come 145 Patrick Ibarra, 2005 The Retirement Epidemic: Recruiting Young People into Public Service 151 Zachariah Friend, 2004 Next Generation Initiatives Anthology 2003–2014 | ICMA v Remember the Lorax 155 Elizabeth Kellar, 2004 39 Best Practices for Preparing the Next Generation 157 Frank Benest, 2004 Building a Workplace That Recognizes Generational Diversity 163 Glenn Southard and Jim Lewis, 2004 Our Legacy: The Next Generation 169 Bob O’Neill, 2003 The Ultimate Community Service 171 Elizabeth Kellar, 2003 Remembering Your Mentors 179 Les White, 2003 What Can Be Done? Attracting Young Adults to Careers in Local Government 183 Michele Fris, 2003 vi Next Generation Initiatives Anthology 2003–2014 | ICMA INTRODUCTION ICMA’s Next Generation Initiatives A PM Collection Frank Benest s an entire generation of baby boomers pre- I concluded that we need to confront three central pares to retire, most senior managers in local questions: government have come to realize that we 1. How do we accelerate the development of those are facing a talent crisis and “brain drain” of already in the local government pipeline? Aimmense proportions. To make matters worse, many of us are having a difficult time coming to grips with 2. How, as senior managers, can we capture existing the retirement wave and its aftermath. During these institutional knowledge and transfer it to the next terrible economic times when local governments are generation of professionals before we exit local eliminating positions and resorting to layoffs, some government? agencies are solely focusing on budget problems and 3. How do we bring young people into the local gov- not their immediate and longer-term talent issues. ernment pipeline? In fact, talent issues are even more important in tough times than in good times. First, as demands Several of the PM articles emphasize the need to increase even as we contend with fewer resources, lo- develop a succession plan that sustains our local cal governments need to attract, retain and “grow” the organizations and helps our communities survive and most talented and productive staff prosper. Progressive private sector if we are to address our challenges corporations have long used suc- now and in the future. Second, as cession planning to maintain and local governments face permanent Progressive private enhance their competitive edge. fiscal stress, local agencies will sector corporations To learn from this private sector continually restructure and resize have long used experience, we in local government and will thus require flexible and must avoid our typical reliance on ever-learning staff. succession planning classroom education; talent develop- ICMA’s Next Generation Initia- to maintain and ment (the core of succession plan- tives are all about the talent crisis enhance their ning) combines engaging emerging facing the profession and local leaders in a series of challenging job governments, and to that end competitive edge. assignments with candid coach- we have compiled a collection of ing— not book learning. related articles from PM magazine. Coaching must become a key The collection is a good starting competency for senior managers. point for senior managers who need to exert leader- It is obviously helpful for the emerging leader, who ship in the face of this new demographic reality, as learns how to get things done, to navigate an organi- well as emerging leaders who wish to take advantage zation or a community, and grow a career. Coaching of a historic opportunity. After reviewing the articles, is also beneficial for the senior manager, who receives Next Generation Initiatives Anthology 2003–2014 | ICMA 1 Introduction Finally, before we can attract young people to local government service, we must recognize that we oper- We must better fund internships, ate in a highly competitive labor market. Thirty years fellowships, and entry–level and ago, there was not such an abundance of nonprofit organizations, and IBM did not have a local govern- step–up positions within our ment consulting arm.