Nate Geinzer
After formally joining the city management profession in 2007 as the management assistant for City of Farmington Hills, it did not take long to find MLGMA (MME) as an asset to my career. By 2010, I found myself active on the Professional Development Committee (PDC), including a stretch as chair, a founding member of the NextGen Committee (I still like this name better), including a stretch as vice chair, and serving a term as a board member. One of my proudest activities was leading the PDC’s revamp of the scholarship program. In its development, we knew we did not capture all the programs that could provide value to our members. I have since found a new program that provided me an exceptional professional development experience. As a scholarship recipient, I share the following reflection with my colleagues.
Prior to the pandemic on a site visit to the City of Plymouth, City Manager Paul Sincock provided me with a copy of the book 13 Ways to Kill Your Community by Doug Griffiths. Not being as avid a reader as I should be, I appreciated the length, but more importantly the style and tone. It was my kind of book. I connected with the author and introduced him to the broader MME membership thanks to the support of Giffels Webster. Not only did we have Doug present to our members his 13 Ways presentation at our virtual conference, but his messaging resonated so much that we invited him back for a virtual Q & A, moderated by Jill Bahm from Giffels Webster.
I appreciated the messaging and wanted more. Hence, I signed up for the first 13 Ways Community Leaders Camp as soon as I learned about it. I can say hands down, it was one of the most valuable experiences I have participated in. Below, I offer a glimpse into my experience and why I plan to be back in 2023.
An Unbelievable Venue
The 13 Ways Community Leaders Camp was held at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, in Jasper, Alberta, Canada. As the mountains came into view on my drive from the Edmonton airport, I knew this conference would be different. Sure, traveling to an urban center for ICMA is kind of cool, but I will take nature and mountains over Milwaukee, Boston, Nashville, etc. any day. The natural environment and lack of noise put me in a mental state ready to focus, not just on the event, but on myself, which was needed at the time. Options for recreation and exploration are increadible. First lesson, give yourself more time on the front and/or back end of the conference if you attend. This area of Alberta is amazing.
Diverse and Intimate
The camp experience allowed me to immerse with a small (41) and diverse group of individuals. Elected and administrative officers engaged and learned from each other. Candor was valued and respected. Moreover, attendees included economic development professionals, a public safety officer, chamber of commerce director, and others. I even had the opportunity over dinner to talk with an attendee about life living under a Mideast dictator with the backdrop of the then-recent invasion of Ukraine. Hearing her firsthand account was enlightening. Joining us that evening at dinner included Canadian immigrants from Botswana as well. The diversity of the group was refreshing and brought added value to the experience.
Quality Speakers and Topics
This may be more information than you might find in a typical blog. Nevertheless, as a scholarship recipient, I felt it important to share enough detail so the MME membership could fully appreciate the experience I had, and the impact of MME’s investment in my professional development.
Speakers at the Leadership Camp included:
Doug Griffiths, 13 Ways INC: 13 Pathways to Success
Griffiths walked the group through his prescription to counter the 13 Ways to Kill Your Community (sounds like another book may be coming). What this session did for me, knowing I was leaving my current community, was to affirm we were doing many of the things he was outlining as pathways to success, and those we hadn’t fully integrated, we were attempting to. The discussion encouraged me not to let my passion for communities evaporate with the departure I was still working to accept at the time.
Chief Randy Ermineskin, Ermineskin Cree Nation and Mayor Tyler Gandam, City of Wetaskwin: Indigenous Partnerships
Never has a presenter left me feeling so humbled with tears in the corners of my eyes due to the vividly described atrocities he personally experienced and witnessed. Keep in mind the context. Chief Ermineskin’s presentation came not long after the bodies of 54 more children were found on the grounds of two residential schools in Saskatchewan ran by the Catholic Church. Further, Chiefs of the First Nations across Canada were preparing for a visit by Pope Francis where he was to address this sad and brutal history. Yet, despite such atrocities, there remained hope and an invitation to engage. He encouraged those willing to participate not to worry about saying the wrong thing, but to be willing to ask questions and be willing to hear the answers, to get over yourself, and to be genuine. In summary, results and broader cross-cultural community building would only come through partnerships. I reflected on how broadly these lessons could be applied.
Mayor Gandam had a tough act to follow, but he shared his experiences and effort to partner with Canada’s First Nations. I left wanting to go back to my Native American History class in college (I think I still have one or two of my books).
Mike Derricott, Chief Administrative Office, City of Cochrane: Innovation Creation
We often have opportunities to learn from our peers at state and national conferences. Derricott led the group in a discussion on a municipal edition of the Innovators Dilemma. I left thinking more about creating cultures of innovation versus innovating for the sake of innovating. We talked about the role of empowerment and where organizational culture fits. Sidenote, Derricott emceed the camp and kept everyone on their toes and engaged. Another subtlety that differentiated my experience at the camp versus other programs.
Lisa Holmes, Chief of Staff to Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, City of Edmonton: Municipal Leadership
Here was one of my favorite sessions. Holmes hit the nail on the head with this slide:
Prior to this presentation, I had never really thought about leadership in the sense of systems. I left this session with some memorable quotes that affirmed my continued development as a leader was on a good track. However, learning more about systems leadership would bring value to me and the communities I serve in the future. One of the most impactful quotes of the presentation: “The antithesis of leadership, is our own ego.”
Ryan Jespersen, Host of Real Talk: Communicating to Your Audience
In summary: Tell the Truth! Make it Matter! Never be Boring! What I wouldn’t give for more truth in this world I am living in and trying to raise my family. Much of the conversation was about communication strategies that build trust and reaching your audience.
Puneeta McBryan, Executive Director, Edmonton Downtown Business Association: In it Together, Activating Your Community & Building Your Economy
“As community leaders, we are MOST effective when we can empower & support our community members in identifying and meeting their own needs and goals.” Here is an exceptional example of the prior quote and social entrepreneurialism! Maybe an extreme example, but it got me thinking about how models such as Fogo Island, as demonstrated by Zita Cobb, can be scaled. Lastly, again that word ego showed up as an inhibiter to community activation.
Imagine for a second, every community initiative or relationship you have been involved in that was inhibited by your own or another’s ego. Reflect for a moment, if you will, the conditions that surround your example(s). Can you identify any triggers where self-awareness may help you move forward? Can you identify strategies to counter the egos of others to help you move forward? These are some of my thoughts as I refamiliarized myself with McBryan’s s talk and for future reflection.
Todd Hirsch, Vice President and Chief Economist, ATB Financial: Changing the Narrative, New Ways to Think About the Economy in 2022
Although Hirsch’s presentation focused largely on Alberta’s economic outlook, his perspectives were informative and different from others I had heard. Leaving me with interest in further study.
Golnaz Azimi, Owner & Director, Azimi Consulting Limited: Cooperation, Collaboration, & Risk Mitigation
Azimi’s presentation on risk management and collaboration presented a systematic approach to assessing risk. She outlined a collaborative process to identify the potential consequences and likelihood of various risks. At first blush, I found her recommendations for such an in-depth stakeholder heavy process to be overwhelming. However, by the end of the presentation, I saw the benefits. Given the numerous and complex risks, and potential consequences our communities face, a systematic and engaging risk assessment process can help create common language around risk. Such a common understanding could improve acceptance and buy in into the mitigation strategies and investments ultimately required. Of particular interest was her strategies of working through climate resiliency and associated risks. You can argue the politics of climate change, but what you cannot argue against is the reality of more frequent 50- and 100-year storm events, or extended periods of drought for example.
Heather Thomson, Executive Director, Centre for Cities & Communities, University of Alberta, & 13 Ways Inc: Consumer Power Hour
Thomson walked participants through 12 current and emerging consumer trends. With the important roles our downtowns and commercial districts play in community building, these trends helped identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats relating to the community I was serving. Moreover, it affirmed the direction we were heading and the findings of the city’s most recent market analysis. I had also learned about trends that I have not heard articulated in such a way by other experts. One of my primary takeaways? The demand is there in many respects for downtown retail, but existing footprints are too large (maybe a bit dated now but check out Big Box Swindle and Big Box Reuse). We need smaller spaces for specialized businesses. This got me thinking about shared retail spaces and models such as The Nest I learned about while doing a small project in Mount Clemens.
Overall, the speakers were diverse in experience and all of a high caliber, often representing voices I had not heard from in prior professional development events. Topics were practical not pie in the sky one-hit-wonders we sometimes hear about. I left with solid tools to handle real world municipal issues.
Access to Experts
We have all been to conferences with great speakers. Yet oftentimes, once the talk is done, so is the speaker who exits stage left. This camp was unique where most of the speakers stuck with the conference for the remainder of the day, or the entire camp. This extended presence offered an opportunity for participants to engage in extensive conversations of both a personal and professional nature with the speakers. In fact, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Chief Ermineskin and his wife after his very powerful talk. I felt so inspired after a day speaking with a Chief of the Ermineskin Cree Nation, one member of the Four Nations of Maskwacis in Alberta, Canada. He was passionate, patient, empathetic, welcoming, powerful, and so much more. Despite the atrocities experienced by Canada’s First Nations, the sense of hope and welcoming presence was inspirational and hard to describe in words.
Overall, we did not share this camp experience with a group of pretentious speakers, we were all a part of a network of community builders. A group of professionals who were there to lend themselves to camp participants, but to also learn and engage with those in attendance. I left with a deep feeling of belonging, energy, hope, and much more despite knowing my time was nearing an end in my current community.
The Value
Even before the exchange rate, the Community Leaders Camp delivered significant value. From room rates and included meals (OMG! The dinners!) to session content and new friends. Hands down, I felt I received significant value per dollar compared to other professional development events that I have attended. However, to be fair, I have not attended many of the other programs popular with our colleagues such as Gettysburg, Harvard, SEI, etc.
Maybe to some of our members, this blog may start to sound like a sales pitch, it’s not. We all connect differently to content, speakers, styles, formats, etc. I connected with the Community Leadership Camp and the 13 Ways Inc. Team. I left feeling a part of something bigger with accesses to a new network of people to grow relationships and harvest expertise. Honestly, this is a camp worth checking out if the content being offered in 2023 meets your interest.
Once a Community Builder, Always a Community Builder
Beyond the camp in of itself, the value continues with the quarterly engagement of the 2022 cohort. As Doug often states, “there is no more important job right now than community building.” Think about that for a moment. At the state and national level, we are literally being pulled apart. At the community level we have a tangible opportunity to have real conversations with people of differing perspectives on issues that impact our daily lives and the lives of our families and neighbors. These national and divisive arguments, largely on ideological grounds, really have no impact on making our communities better. Community building (in its broadest sense) one community at a time is how we move forward (IMHO).
I left the 2022 Community Leadership Camp able to hold on to a little hope, brought it home to plant, will nourish it, and watch it grow. It is easy to get lost in the negative noise, even on our own Listserve (I don’t have access anymore) and lose sight of why we got into this business. The Community Leaders Camp was a strong kick in the ass for me to keep at community building and to keep at it even if it looks different than in the past.
Need a Book?
If you want a copy of 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, MME members can reach out to me via LinkedIn and I will get you one. I recently chose to take a break from city management after I found my principles were no longer in line with the community I had so passionately served. It was not an easy decision to make, but a decision that became necessary for many reasons. Although I am no longer a city manager, I am here to serve as a resource to my respected colleagues serving in one of the most admirable and underappreciated professions out there.
Next Year
In 2023, the Community Leaders Camp will be held May 1 – May 3, again in Jasper, Alberta. To reserve a spot you can visit, https://13waysinc.com/camp/.
I am sure I will see many of you around in the future.
Nate Geinzer
Founder/CEO of Double Haul Solutions and Former City Manager
Nate launched his local government career in 2005 and quickly found a passion for communities. It is due to this passion and desire to support communities with diverse challenges and needs that he launched Double Haul Solutions in late 2021. In the past year, Nate has joined the staff at Oakland University to teach in its Master of Public Administration Program and has supported the City of Mount Clemens, the City of Northville, and the City of Tecumseh.
Nate has an MPA from Eastern Michigan University and has been extremely active in the city management profession serving the Michigan Municipal Executives and Michigan Municipal League in various volunteer leadership roles. Nate can be reached at nate@doublehaulsolutions.com and 248-207-5293.