The Seven Habits of Highly Dysfunctional Leaders
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AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION | December 2018 | www.apwa.net The Seven Habits of Highly Dysfunctional Leaders Also inside: APWA Public Works Compensation Report and Salary Calculator See Page 6 educate explore Indiana Convention Center engage March 5–8, 2019 Indianapolis, IN Sessions begin March 5 Exhibit hall open March 6–8 800-441-6832 worktruckshow.com Brought to you by The APWA Reporter, the official magazine of the American Public Works Association, covers all facets of public works for APWA members December 2018 Vol. 85, No. 12 including industry news, legislative actions, / management issues and emerging technologies. LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT ISSUE INSIDE APWA 2 President’s Message 4 Public Works: A Partner and First Responder 6 APWA Public Works Compensation Report and Salary Calculator offers new member benefit 10 Technical Committee News 12 33rd Annual National Snow Roadeo 15 Continuity of Success: Second year of the Young Professionals Committee 12 17 Public Works gets the job done in Music City 19 Meet your APWA National Committee for Diversity & Inclusion 23 Reasonable Means Reasonable 25 APWA announces newly credentialed agencies and professionals 27 In and Around APWA COLUMNS 28 Washington Insight 30 GAC Insight 32 Spotlight on Canada 43 Media Insight 45 Imagination to Innovation 53 46 Open Your Winter Toolbox 48 Leading from the Frontlines 50 International Idea Exchange FEATURES 56 The Seven Habits of Highly Defective Leaders • Habit #1: Refusing to Make a Decision 58 • Habit #2: Not Doing What You Say You Will Do 60 • Habit #3: Not Doing What You Know You Should Be Doing 64 • Habit #4: “It Is Not My Job” 66 • Habit #5: Passive-Aggressive Behavior 68 • Habit #6: Avoiding Blame 70 70 • Habit #7: Résumé Building WORKZONE 73 WorkZone: Your Connection to Public Works Careers MARKETPLACE 76 Products in the News 78 Professional Directory CALENDARS 75 Education Calendar 77 80 World of Public Works Calendar 80 Index of Advertisers Original cover artwork by www.apwa.net December 2018 APWA Reporter 1 Kelly Meyer, APWA. / / The leader who matters the most: you David L. Lawry, P.E. Official Magazine of the APWA President American Public Works Association PUBLISHER American Public Works Association ne of the great things about members of the association. Fleet One Kansas City Place 1200 Main Street, Suite 1400 the field of public works is managers have very different demands Kansas City, MO 64105 its tremendous and inher- on them than stormwater coordinators (800) 848-APWA (Member Services Hotline) (816) 472-6100 (Kansas City metro area) ent variety. For most local or collection system supervisors. And FAX (816) 472-1610 O e-mail: [email protected] governments, from city to street cleaning section chiefs often pay city, the operational departments are attention to very different things than Website: www.apwa.net EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR fairly homogenous. If you’ve seen one the typical public works director. But Scott D. Grayson police department, you’ve seen them there is one thing that speaks across all EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER all. Oftentimes, the only difference the wonderful variety of responsibili- R. Kevin Clark Julie Smith between fire departments across the ties entrusted to public works agencies: ADVERTISING SALES: FOX ASSOCIATES country is the color of the trucks. leadership. Every single one of our Chicago (312) 644-3888 New York (212) 725-2106 workplaces requires good leadership Los Angeles (805) 522-0501 But, there are tens of thousands of because of all the people working in Detroit (248) 626-0511 Phoenix (480) 538-5021 public works agencies across the United every public works department. States and Canada and there’s no two APWA WASHINGTON OFFICE 1275 K Street NW, Suite 750 of them alike. Some have streets, some That's the common connection Washington, D.C. 20005-4083 have sewers, some have airports and between all our workplaces: us, the (202) 408-9541 FAX (202) 408-9542 transit systems, while others have parks, people in the workplace. 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Maybe Association, One Kansas City Place, 1200 Main Street, through the chapters of the accredita- you even work by yourself, supervising Suite 1400, Kansas City, MO 64105. Subscription tion manual show off the incredible rate is $226 for nonmembers and $25 for chapter- no one else. We are the common ingre- sponsored students. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas variety of things different public works dient. Every workplace has people in it. City, MO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: departments are tasked with. Send address changes to the APWA Reporter, One Kansas City Place, 1200 Main Street, Suite 1400, Many of us in the public works indus- Kansas City, MO 64105. Canada returns to: P.O. Box Part of the challenge of an association try do not think of ourselves as “lead- 2600, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A8. like APWA is to bring value to their ers.” That’s always someone else: the Reprints and Permissions: Information is available at members. So, we have Technical Com- director, the manager, the supervisor. www.apwa.net/Publications/Reporter/guidelines.asp. mittees to define and refine the leading But if you interact with people in any © 2018 by American Public Works Association trends of the industry and educational way, even if you are an office of one or Address Change? To alert us of a change to your membership record, resources to share our lessons learned at the humblest height of a hierarchy, contact an APWA Membership Specialist at (800) 848- from our peer experts to the rest of you are a leader. And this issue of the APWA or [email protected]. the association. But it’s hard to find APWA Reporter is for you. All of you. The APWA Reporter is printed by Royle Printing, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. one thing that’s of interest to all the 2 APWA Reporter / December 2018 / www.apwa.net The collection of articles at the heart essary part of improving how we work of this month’s issue is a take-off from and how we better lead our workplaces The seven habits start that self-help blockbuster, The Seven and our communities. Habits of Highly Effective People, but out as a tongue-in- The seven habits start out as a tongue- with a humorous twist: The Seven Hab- in-cheek way to get us to start thinking its of Highly Dysfunctional Leaders. cheek way to get us to about our own habits by pointing first Chances are, as soon as you saw the at those in others that we may not have start thinking about title of the series, you had a particular remembered fondly. person come to mind—perhaps a boss our own habits. A key part of the examination of each of from your past. Hopefully not your the habits is learning how to recognize present! But that first thought—“I behaviors for what they are, in yourself I think you’ll find each of the articles know someone who fits that descrip- and others. Just having a name to put a helpful tool for managing not only tion”—comes easily to mind because to that bad behavior is helpful to begin your interactions with vexing people, of our own natural ability to find fault curbing it, not just in yourself, but but also useful for helping ensure you in other people first. It’s just part of also in others. If you don’t know what are not yourself turning into someone human nature. passive-aggressive behavior looks like, else’s idea of a dysfunctional leader. But I’d like to invite you to take a you can’t recognize it when shows up. While the business of public works is closer look at the leader most easily There’s also some tips and suggestions serious work, let’s not take ourselves examined but so frequently over- for how to deal with these bad habits, looked—yourself. Self-reflection, too seriously. Take some time to enjoy again, in yourself and in others. There especially of the critical kind, does not this issue and the articles in it and see are ways to deal with each of these come easily to many of the types of how they apply to the leader who mat- habits that treat everyone with dignity people who find themselves in service ters the most: you. and respect while remaining assertive to the public—we get enough criticism and proactive. in our daily work, right? But it’s a nec- AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION Mission Statement: The American Public Works Association supports those who operate, improve and maintain public works and infrastructure through Your Comprehensive Public Works Resource advocacy, education & member engagement. BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADVISORY COUNCIL PRESIDENT DIRECTOR, REGION IV DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE, (Past APWA Presidents) James J.