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Navigating the Territory: Good Ideas for Leading in Complex Environments
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Volume 2, Number 1
February, 2010
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 Greetings! This issue of Navigating the Territory: Good Ideas for Leading in Complex Environments focuses primarily on the theme of public sector leadership. There's an interview with Elaine Pluta, the first woman mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, the city where I live. The subsequent book review of Leading on the Line is a must-read for any public sector leaders.
For back issues of this newsletter, you can find them in the archives:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs076/1102561682356/archive/1102700377250.html
Thanks for your interest and support.
Deborah
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An Interview with Elaine Pluta, Mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts
On January 4, 2010, Elaine Pluta was sworn in as the first
female mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, the city where I've made my home since
the early 1980s. I've known Elaine
since the mid 1990s, when I was working to integrate people with disabilities
into community organizations such as the Junior League, Knights of Columbus, and
other voluntary organizations.
Elaine was strong supporter of our work and I've always been impressed
by her tireless commitment to the civic and political sectors of the
city. I interviewed her just days
before she was sworn in. Below is
the interview.
What do you anticipate will be your biggest leadership
challenge as mayor of Holyoke?
In this financial climate, both locally and nationally, it
will be a challenge to keep the City on a stable financial footing. I am
anticipating a reduction in financial aid from the state for fiscal year 2011.
The Financial Team of my administration and I will be working to find ways to
deliver quality city services with less money. We will have to be creative and
at the same time thorough but I believe we are up to the challenge.
How will being the first female mayor of Holyoke affect how
you lead?
I hope not at all. Everyone that I meet has great faith in
me as a leader and I will do my best to live up to their expectations as well
as my own. It is a historical fact that I'm the first female mayor of Holyoke
but in the actual, practical, daily oversight of governing the city there
should be nothing obvious that would indicate that a woman is at the helm. My
priorities may be different from someone else's but not because of gender and
I'm sure we would all have the same best interest for the City at heart.
What do you see as the opportunities facing the city and
what will it take to capitalize on them?
The City of Holyoke has great opportunities such as the
Multi-Modal Center, the CanalWalk, the Green High Tech Computer Center, the
Green Communities Act, the Gateway Cities Act, the Hope VI project for
downtown, the Redevelopment Authority's plans for the South Holyoke area, the
Marina, and many more projects and grants in the process of being brought to
the level of success that the City needs to move forward. It will take oversight and marketing by
all interested parties to get the funding we need for these projects and
promote them to their fullest extent so that the City not just survives but
thrives. Attracting developers to our City will only be accomplished if we, as
a City, do our part to prepare and make the best use of our developable areas
over the next 10 years.
What's it like to be an elected official in 2010?
It has its good points and negative points. It's an exciting
time to be an elected official because of the opportunities for growth in this
day and age of big thinking and big funding. The City needs a boost to move
forward and we may have it with all the projects that are planned. On the other
hand, this is the information age and although it's supposed to make our lives
easier in reality it has encouraged everyone to expect more and faster work
from everyone that they deal with and it can burn you out faster. This is
something you have to be aware of and make sure you leave time for yourself and
your family. This is the only way you can truly do your best for the City in
the long-run. |
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| Book Review
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Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading by Ronald Heifetz & Marty Linsky, Harvard Business School Press, 2002
Review by Deborah Reidy
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Written by renowned leadership authorities Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky, Leadership on the Line is must-read work on leadership, with special relevance to leading in the public sector.
Synopsis: A main premise of this book is that the essence of leadership is to raise important questions, speak to higher values, and surface unresolved conflicts in order to address what the authors call adaptive challenges. The book clearly articulates the dangers of leading, such as marginalization, diversion, attack and seduction. Leading is dangerous, they write, because people are resistant: "When people resist adaptive work, their goal is to shut down those who exercise leadership in order to preserve what they have." The rest of the book offers practical guidance for surviving through the dangers of leading.
Review: This is a book one could read multiple times throughout a lifetime and still find new learning. I have based my own philosophy and approach to leadership on the work of these authors and continue to find their work relevant and enriching. Highly recommended.
Takeaway Idea:"Every day, in every facet of our lives, opportunities to lead call out to us...Yet often, we hesitate. For all its passion and promise, for all its excitement and rewards, leading is risky, dangerous work. Why? Because real leadership...causes pain. And when people feel threatened, they take aim at the person pushing for change. As a result, leaders often get hurt both personally and professionally."
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| What We're Up To
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| In my last newsletter, I noted that I've been spending a lot of time on Martha's Vineyard helping my parents. Well, the challenges have continued, with hospitalization for both of my parents, and my mother's eventual death. Our family faces many new challenges ahead. Throughout this time, family, friends colleagues and even strangers have been understanding and supportive. Although this has been one of the hardest times in my life, it's also been rich with unexpected blessings that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. |
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| Upcoming Events
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Virtual Training Events
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We're taking a break from offering Virtual Training Events during the winter and taking stock of how best to proceed. If you have any suggestions for topics that would appeal to you, please send me an email at deborah@reidyassociates.org
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Reidy Associates offers customized solutions that enable leaders
and their organizations to succeed in complex and uncertain environments.
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