One of the fundamental truths about local government is that the profession requires a lot of night meetings.  I mean a lot. Because most of our governing bodies are volunteers with full-time day jobs, most of the policy making occurs between 7:00 and 10:00 p.m.

A “typical” town manager in our state attends select board meetings twice per month.  In the long budget season (sometimes December to May) the manager could attend at least two or three Finance Committee meetings every month.  If he or she is overseeing a large capital project, there will be public building committee and planning board meetings to cover.  Add to that mix any special board meetings and the annual and special town meetings and you start to get a sense of the time commitment.  And that list does not include any civic or charitable events, or the admirable goal of attending at least one meeting of key boards every year.  Most managers are out twice a week, and three times is fairly common. 

In my research about the careers of local government managers, I asked many seasoned managers why we have to work this many hours.  I hypothesized that the managers coming after us will simply not be willing to work the number of hours we do.  Not surprisingly, the later-stage career managers don’t see a path for change, while younger managers can imagine a different structure somewhere in the murky future.  Aspiring managers wholeheartedly agree with my hypothesis.

Especially in smaller communities, where the manager is also the HR Director and the Finance director, say, the notion of not working the traditional 40 hours as well as nights is hard to fathom, managers say.  Moreover, working 40 – 60 hours per week is the norm for any CEO. “In many ways this is the job and why we are paid the salaries we receive,” said a colleague.

A common theme is that some of the workload is self-imposed.  “We are successful as managers when we develop strong and supporting working relationships with our boards,” said one manager, noting that “part of that success, at our own peril, is being indispensable.”  Another manager of our seafaring state added, “You have different constituents and the like who expect you to be available at different times.  They add up.  And the ‘to do’ list never gets shorter.  You tend to accumulate responsibilities like barnacles especially when there is no one else who can do it (as much as we’d like to delegate).”

It was suggested that new managers need to accept the reality of long hours at least in the first few years of their careers as a CEO.  After they build relationships and credibility, they can delegate more.  While many seasoned managers have a hard time envisioning a different future, they are conflicted.  “I’m not 100% sure I agree with the initial premise” said one manager.  “However I will concede that may be a challenge in attracting qualified people to fill all the vacancies we are experiencing.”

If change is inevitable given the needs and wants of the next generation, what can be done?  One option is for local government to become more outcome-focused rather than input-focused.  Boards and committees would have to evaluate managers more on achievement of goals rather than the number of hours spent in meetings.  Delegation is another option, although most managers are protective of their staff and are reluctant to burden them further. If you can delegate, perhaps take the time to explain to the board or committee chair exactly why you are dividing up the work.  Catch up with committee chairs during the day when possible for coffee after watching their meetings on cable television. 

In the words of one manager, “We have a maximum amount of time we can bring to the job simply because of energy, logistics and other commitments.”  As a profession, we need to figure out how to get more done without meetings, use technology to shape the workplace structure, and spread the workload among department managers in our organizations. 

On a positive note, jobs that have the most night meetings tend to have a corresponding amount of flexibility.  Use it.  Exercise in the morning.  Have breakfast with your aging parents.  Go to school plays. One colleague notes “I’m not sure there is a solution to this problem, or that it is a problem.  The nature of the job is that it is 24/7. The best advice to managers is to maintain their own schedules and use slow times to add some extra time off.”  Well said. 

Finally, when taking a new job, the manager should set expectations with governing boards about the night meeting commitment.  Setting limits now will benefit those who come after us.  Local government CEOs have to be available 24/7 but the structure of that work will inevitably have to change, or manager candidates simply won’t take the jobs.

Local government managers and aspiring managers – can you imagine a different structure?  Do you have any tips for managing your time?  Will brick and mortar city and town halls remaining open every day be a thing of the past?

Let’s practice.

A few months ago, the Assistant Town Manager and I were talking about the stressful nature of New England Town Meeting – working late nights for weeks on end while also keeping up with daily responsibilities.  I asked him why department managers felt obligated to come in early or even schedule early meetings the day after a Town Meeting that everyone knows will end after 11:00 p.m.  “Because you said they should.”  “When did I say that?”  “2007.” We looked at each other and burst out laughing. And so, the “Ask Again” movement began. 

One drawback to being the leader of an organization for a long time (about 18 years in my case) is that decisions made without the benefit of age and experience can take on Magna Carta-like proportions.  In 2007, I was 12 years younger than I am now and had one child still in middle school.  That person should not be relied upon for enduring pronouncements. 

We relayed this story to our Leadership Team and encouraged them to “Ask Again” when confronted with outdated policies. Needless to say, they were enthusiastic, thinking of many onerous tasks that they would love to shed, and practices that needed updating.

I even announced that all decisions of my predecessor (a mentor and all-around amazing manager) were fair game.  After all, he left Town when many of our rising stars were themselves in middle school.

People starting asking whether they had to go to certain meetings – whether meetings needed to be held at all.  They asked if hiring and pay policies could be modernized, and expense reimbursement practices streamlined Conversations are happening all around Town about modernizing our approach to work. For example, after years of trepidation, we found a way to allow most employees to work a modified schedule during the summer months. What seems like the norm in some towns is innovation in others.

What would “Ask Again” look like in your organization?  Are you willing to challenge leaders to make new decisions in 2019?  If you are the leader, do you have sacred cows (like modified summer hours) that you have been unwilling to reconsider?  Let our community know what you decide to confront!

It’s time for innovation and longevity to rumble. Let’s practice.

I’m not drowning with New Year’s Resolutions, but I’m certainly dong a pretty serious job of treading water with them. 

I have so many new ideas from the 100 Podcasts I started listening to (sorry NPR).  Even trickier, I have all these new journals for starting today, resetting my mind, practicing gratitude, being my best self, and acquiring high performance habits.  

Since January, I have been trying to do all of them at once with a predictable result – and I am overwhelmed and paralyzed.  All I can manage to accomplish is writing random goals and thoughts on an old loose leaf notebook with no cover that is probably a high school reject from one of my (now) adult kids.

I seem to be afraid of ruining the journals with the wrong goals, starting and then stopping, wasting pages, and just plain “doing it wrong.”  Plus, who really wants to have a journal listing the things you really need to change and improve?  And actually be honest about it?  What if someone sees it?  Does this mean I have to finally start working on these goals??

I recently heard an interview with Shauna Nyquist on one of the aforementioned podcasts (they really are a rabbit hole).  Her ingenious idea is to write her prayers, fears, and embarrassing goals on those small notepads that you acquire at trade shows and hotel rooms.  Once you writes them down they are real, and then you can throw them out.

Usually by April 1, all of the resolutions are out the window.  I’m committing to one journal at a time for the next three months, with some paper scraps thrown in for the hard stuff. 

How about you?  Have you mastered journaling?  Have you ever bought a new journal and don’t use it because you might do it wrong?  Try the hotel notepad hack and let me know if it works!

Relentless Practice is for sharing ideas and connecting people who want to make their busy lives easier, happier and maybe even fulfilling.  I will share what I have learned from a lifetime in local government, and I hope to learn from your life experiences too.

Let’s practice.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton