Assignment: Government Agency Environments

Qualities of a City Manager
Student’s name
Institution affiliation
Qualities of a City Manager
Studies indicate that more than 49% of cities in the US operate in the council-manager form of government with another 370 county governments using the same structure. This shows that over 90 million Americans live in cities that operate under the council-manager structure where a city manager is in charge of the daily operations of the municipality. The operations include public safety, land use, engineering of water, sewer and refuse removal, community services and internal functions that include budgeting, finance, human resources. 2 out of 6 Americans depend on the services provided by entities managed by city managers daily. The fact that 3500 non-elected administrators are in charge of the public services that impact on every aspect of the public life many Americans makes the position of a city manager vital even in attracting high profile investors and companies to the city (Bae & Feiock, 2013). The following paper, therefore, focusses on obtaining a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to be a competent city manager in pursuit to lead change in a city.
Little attention has been paid to one of the most critical relationships in democratic governments which is the relationship between civil servants and politicians. Politicians make policies while the civil servants are involved in the implementation. A good working relationship between politicians and the administration is essential for a successful government as the success of politicians is very much dependent on the quality of the civil servants.

However, there are several potential tensions between them. The civil service should provide state of the art information and remain strictly neutral in preparation and execution of policies. Politicians on the other hand aim at achieving electoral success and hence the two groups differ in this aspect leading to a strained relationship.
To meet the city council’s objectives, the city manager requires the leading change as the ability to bring forth strategic changes both internally and externally as defined by OPM through the six competencies under leading changes (Anderson, 2016). The manager needs to be innovative and creative whereby he develops insights into situations and encourage new ideas. He can supplement his skills In the midst of a steadily changing environment through attending Local Government Training Institute and Alliance for Innovation. Also, it is essential that the manager keeps updated on the external awareness whereby he is up to date with policies and trends that affect his city. It results through interaction with other managers from other cities as well as staying in tune with the community. There are different methods that they may apply to stay updated with what is happening in the community such as speaking to members of the council in a regular basis, through reading newspapers every day or attending and speaking at functions held by a variety of groups within the community. Thirdly, the managers need to be flexible such that they are open to change, new information and rapidly adapt to new conditions and unexpected obstacles.
Fourthly, the managers act as a catalyst to change within the city through building on the vision of the administration and orientation of the organization towards the community. They take the long-term interests and create a shared vision with others in the council. Engaging citizens early in the decision-making process is essential as relationships are developed between the local government and the constituents in the pursuit to meet the evolving needs of the community. In this case, the manager is responsible for developing effective and efficient strategies for carrying out the council’s goals and objectives and regularly update the council and citizens on progress made in regards to the strategic plan. The city managers should be strategic thinkers where they are needed to think, act and influence the council members, the citizens, and the executive management in ways that will promote the enduring success of the organization.
The managers coordinate the strategic planning process to assist the council in its policy-making capacity as well as a tool that the city manager will use in the orientation of the organization towards receiving meaningful input during the policy-making process where objectives and priorities of the council are formulated. A city manager needs to be resilient to deal with pressure both internally and externally, be persistent and fast recovery from setbacks and diversity. There are instances where activities will not go according to plan, especially in a fast-paced environment. The manager may come up with a resilience strategy for prevention and problem solving through the understanding and clarifying roles, goals, expectations, and priorities and experiment with new ways of working.
In conclusion, an individual suitable to fill a city manager’s position requires more than just academic qualifications. A city manager must be able to lead in a collaborative manner, facilitate economic development while appreciating the historical preservation of a town. Other desirable qualities include being an excellent communicator, an outgoing personality with natural community involvement while maintaining a friendly and understanding atmosphere for existing and prospective businesses and exhibit ethical and moral behavior with a strong work ethic.

References
Anderson, D. L. (2016). Organization development: The process of leading organizational change. Sage Publications.
Bae, J., & Feiock, R. (2013). Forms of government and climate change policies in US cities. Urban Studies, 50(4), 776-788.