City Manager and County Administrator Think Tanks
Think Tanks are confidential gatherings where City Managers and County Administrators come together for professionally facilitated discussions, strategy formulation, and peer-supported growth. These gatherings happen regularly, and participants are invited to join based on their experience and diverse perspectives.
In the ever-changing world of local government, City Managers and County Administrators constantly face new challenges that demand innovative solutions. As significant events and shifts in our social landscape occur, proactive leadership and decision-making become essential.
Why Our Think Tanks?
This is the best option we can offer for The Isolated Leaders in Local Government. Our Think Tanks serve as a real-time platform where City Managers and County Administrators can engage with their peers to address challenges head-on. These exclusive professionally facilitated groups allow leaders to draw on collective experience, wisdom, and insights, fostering a supportive environment for informed decision-making and problem solving.
What Sets Our Think Tanks Apart?
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Confidentiality
Confidentiality is our top priority. Think Tanks are exclusive to approved participants, and we encourage active video participation where everyone is visible while sharing. To maintain a private atmosphere, members join from a secure location, and may use an earpiece or headset in certain environments. Participants ensure there are no unexpected visitors during the 90-minute Think Tank, including elected officials, department heads, employees, residents, or family members. In the rare event of an emergency, members inform the group before leaving the session.
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Community
Our Think Tanks foster deep and authentic connection. Members experience a unique space for vulnerability, sharing, and collective growth. This environment nurtures trust, openness, and a profound sense of belonging among diverse leaders. Through these connections, we transform challenges into collaborative solutions, enriching both individual and collective progress.
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Diversity
Think Tank members represent various geographical locations, communities and backgrounds, bringing a wealth of different perspectives to the table. This includes large, medium and smaller organizations, plus a mix of urban, suburban, coastal and rural communities from across the United States. Members represent various generations, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and have wide ranging technical acumen.
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Facilitation
The Think Tanks are different than other gatherings of City and County Managers. They are professionally facilitated deep dives into pressing topics and challenges in local government. The facilitator will be a trained facilitator with leadership experience in Local Government. Think Tank members will benefit from being able to fully participate and engage with peers without the burden of organizing, planning or facilitating the session.
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Exclusivity
Our Think Tanks are open to new or established City Managers and County Administrators. Members are dedicated to their professional growth and demonstrate a steadfast commitment to continuous improvement in local government leadership. Please Contact Us to request an invitation.
Think Tank Testimonial
“In reflecting on our meeting on Friday I can honestly say that the group discussion was very helpful to my situation. I realized that by talking about it with other people, I was also able to work through some of my own thoughts. I hadn’t been able to articulate my real concerns, nor had I acknowledged information that had already been shared with me from the employee. The group helped me separate the distracting bits of data to see what was really important. Thanks again.”
Trudy Lewis – Assistant City Manager, City of North Richland Hills, Texas
Each Think Tank contains a strong community of local government Chief Administrative Officers that come together to uncover deeper insights to present-day challenges in real time. They share perspectives to support each other’s understanding of the current situations they face. These Think Tanks enhance decision making and continually assist each other in achieving first-class results.
Our professionally facilitated Think Tanks are real time, deep dives into topics, opportunities or issues that City and County Managers face.
The Confidential Think Tank Platform
Think Tanks provide a safe forum to discuss sensitive City & County Manager issues. The highly qualified format is an avenue to dig deeper, tap into the group’s mindset and gain valuable insights from each County Administrator and City Manager.
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No public participation or recording – private and confidential meetings
- Limited to 12 members – everyone actively participates
- City Managers / County Administrators & Assistants only
- Diverse groups based on:
- Community (location, type, size, demographics, etc.)
- Individual (age, gender, race, experience, etc.)
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Meetings are once a month – 90 minutes each
New Ideas to Improve Performance
Using a predefined process, the assembled group will look beyond surface-level issues and delve into the core of any topic, challenge or opportunity. The group will use each idea to uncover new insights and, once a more profound understanding is achieved, offer guidance and suggestions from that unique vantage point.
A diverse group of City Managers and County Administrators will ask questions and offer perspectives from different viewpoints. This level of sharing benefits all members as insight is gained throughout the process. In a world where challenges are changing daily, there needs to be more than just a different method to solve a common problem from a technical perspective.
City and County Manager Think Tanks provide significant insights to grow as a leader. This will improve performance both directly and indirectly, further City or County initiatives, and advance personal career goals.
Tap Into the Group Mind On Current Issues
Under the guidance of a trained professionally trained facilitator, Think Tanks derive their value from City Manager and County Administrator participants. Unlike training sessions, everyone in the group offers questions and content as subject matter experts and professional managers in local government and many other areas.
Accountability from and to other Chief Administrative Officers is also a key component to the Think Tank. Members will hold each other accountable as professional local government managers. If a City Manager or County Administrator commits to a specific path based on a Think Tank discussion, a performance update will be expected. This type of “Peer Pressure” produces positive progress that leaders desire and will set apart those participating in City and County Manager Think Tanks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Think Tanks are scheduled monthly at a set time the same way a council/commission meeting would be. So, for example, one group meets every Third Friday at 2pm.
There are multiple groups already on a set schedule.
Your group will have both City Managers and County Administrators from various locations, creating a divergent group perspective. Each County Administrator and City Manager Think Tank is carefully cultivated to ensure diversity within the group while also ensuring quality participants.
Each City Manager and County Administrator will have the opportunity to bring forward at least one topic, opportunity or problem to discuss each year. This will ensure all members have the opportunity to gain insight on a specific item once a year.
A Think Tank member will be encouraged to continue to participate if in transition or upon securing a position that is not deemed a conflict of interest to the group.