Top 5 Tips for Building a Positive Council-Manager Relationship
Navigating the sometimes-turbulent waters of the municipal board-manager relationship can be tricky. Personality conflicts, power dynamics, and… well… politics can quickly knock you off course.
Whether you are in a borough, township or city, it’s essential that your board/council is working in lockstep with your manager. If that relationship breaks down, it can spell catastrophe for your municipality.
Think of governing as a three-legged race. If the two, bound-together partners do not cooperate, they collapse.
To truly succeed, the council and manager need to think of themselves NOT as employer/employee but as partners sharing the same mission. It is a team effort, with every team member bringing different abilities and experiences that can be useful to the organization.
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If you are experiencing some disfunction between council and manager, restoring the relationship will not be easy. But all is not lost.
With the following Top 5 tips for building a positive relationship between council and the manager, it is possible to turn things around.
Tip #1: Know the Code
Both board/council members and managers have roles to play, and they are defined in the municipal code.
Board members are the ultimate decision-makers for municipal business, while day-to-day operational decisions are delegated to the manager. It is important for both council and the manager to agree on responsibilities and to set clearly defined expectations, which should be reviewed regularly to ensure accountability.
Tip #2: Don’t Micromanage
The dictionary defines micromanaging as: Controlling every part, however small, of an enterprise or activity… often in a way that may not be necessary or effective.
This can have a devastating effect on morale in the workplace. Many employees view it as a lack of trust and loss of freedom.
Staying focused on Tip #1 can help avoid the slippery slope of micromanagement. But there’s also another way to help calm the urge to micromanage. Just follow…
Tip #3: Communicate
It may sound trite, but communication is key to a healthy relationship.
Managers should be in the habit of updating council members regularly. Have a conversation with board members about preference for communications. Maybe it is better to text or call, rather than email. Are you drowning them in details or leaving them asking questions? Learn the right way to tailor your communications to ensure your message is breaking through.
Making the effort shows you care about keeping them informed.
Tip #4: Respect
Managers and board members do not need to like each other, but mutual respect is essential. The goal is to have a productive working relationship, and that starts with respecting one another.
Everyone should feel all points of view are being heard and valued. You should leave a meeting feeling informed and inspired. It has been said in democratic decision-making, the minority must have its say, and the majority must have its way. In other words, all voices matter.
Cultivate a culture that invites varying positions and opinions to the table. Not only does this help to keep tensions from boiling over, but it builds a culture of trust and mutual respect that fosters positive relationship-building.
And finally….
Tip #5: Seek Continuous Improvement
Take time from the routine business of government to learn about best practices and new innovations. Even better, commit to getting better as a group.
Leverage the resources that are available through associations – including the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs, Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the Pennsylvania Municipal League, and the Association for Pennsylvania Municipal Management. Take advantage of classes and training when they are offered.
Many professions participate in continuing education. Local government should be no different.
In the end, the goal is to build a cohesive team with shared values. While it’s true that you may never reach the mountaintop to achieve Zen in the manager-council relationship, you CAN actually save it from going off course.
As the old saying goes, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. In other words, it all starts with taking the first steps in the right direction.
Chad Saylor is Executive Director of Keystone Municipal Solutions, which offers a range of services customized to fit the needs of municipalities – including temporary or interim manager services, recruitment, training, professional development and mentoring services, among others. Learn more at KeystoneMunicipalSolutions.com.
