My Meeting With PAR

This morning I met with Karl Nollenberger, Vice-President of The PAR Group (the organization running the search for a new City Manager). Karl spent yesterday and today meeting with each member of the Oshkosh Common Council, city department heads, and others. When our talk started, Karl handed me an "Executive Search Recruitment Profile Discussion Outline." I am sure the same outline will be distributed to community members at the March 3 and 4 meetings. The outline requests information about the following:

• The unique aspects of the community.
• Experience & training requirements for the position.
• Management style/personal traits & characteristics desired in a new city manager.
• Short term goals, challenges, opportunities (first 6 months to a year): internal/organizational and external.
• Longer term goals, challenges, and opportunities (2 to 5 plus years): internal/organizational and external.

If you plan to come to the March 3 or 4 meeting, I strongly urge you to come prepared to respond to those items.

I was not provided the outline in advance of the meeting, so I did not end up addressing every item in as much depth as I would have liked. Essentially, I told Karl the following:

I would prefer that we directly elect our executive, but if we cannot do that then we need appointed executive level leadership that is innovative, understands that we cannot continue to keep doing business the way we have and expect the city to progress to its potential, and runs a government that is transparent and accountable. I told Karl that some specific qualities I would like to see from a chief executive include:

• an understanding of sustainable development and the ability to take the lead on "greening" the city.
• transparency and accountability as core elements of his or her leadership style.
• actively taking on the role of change agent in the organization (even if that ruffles feathers with bureaucrats, the council, and the public at-large).
• respect for collective bargaining and active engagement in negotiations wit the city's represented employees.
• someone who will be a strong, articulate advocate for the need to support public sector services.
• a "town/gown" orientation that engages and invites members of the university community to become active participants in formulating and evaluating public policy options.
• an ability not only to take critical feedback, but to solicit it actively.
• setting clear expectations for subordinates and demanding accountability from department heads.
• someone who takes responsibility for his or her actions and does not "pass the buck" to the council, the bureaucrats, the press, or the public.

If you cannot make the March 3 and/or 4 meetings, please do contact all of the councilors and let them know what qualities you want to see in potential executives.