Leadership Lessons

Fear of losing your job can quietly change the way you lead. Chris Mann explores why city managers should prepare for transition, protect their independence, and have the courage to lead boldly.

City management can be demanding, lonely, and deeply personal. Chris Mann reflects on its costs, its quiet impact, and why the opportunity to serve still makes the profession worth pursuing.

After nearly seven years as a city manager, I reflect on the lessons no job description prepares you for—about leadership, relationships, integrity, and purpose. This post shares seven hard-earned insights for those leading, or aspiring to lead, in local government.