HaltingWinter

What happens when your commitment to excellence starts getting in the way of leading well?

That's at the heart of Episode 392 of The HaltingWinter Podcast with Meredith Reynolds, Deputy City Manager for the City of Long Beach, California.

Meredith is a self-described gold-star, straight-A person. But as her responsibilities have grown, she's had to learn one of the hardest lessons for high-achieving leaders:

Not everything requires an A.

Sometimes leadership means knowing what deserves your very best and what simply needs to be good enough to move forward.

It doesn't mean lowering your standards. It means recognizing that your time, energy, and attention are limited, and leadership requires deciding where they matter most.

It's a great conversation about perfectionism, career growth, vulnerability, boundaries, and learning to let go without caring less.

Episode 392: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-meredith-reynolds/
Heading to ICMA Long Beach? Meredith will also be presenting an education session, “Don’t Ask Alice: Advice from Leaders Who Have Learned to Let Go and Not Give AF.”
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
The goal isn't more technology. It's giving good people better tools to do their work. See how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments create capacity through practical, secure AI at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

When Excellence Becomes the Problem Halting Winter

One of the most interesting transitions in local government leadership happens when your job stops being primarily about doing the work.

Makenzie Lyons experienced that when she moved from City Secretary to City Administrator. The work became less linear, and the answers weren’t always sitting in a task list waiting to be completed.

Now it was about relationships. Strategy. Influence. Bringing people with her.

That transition can be difficult for high-performing people because doing something yourself is often faster. You see the answer. You know what needs to happen. You can get it done. But executive leadership asks something different of you.

Can you slow down enough to ask the question?
Can you create space for someone else’s perspective?
Can you bring people with you instead of simply arriving first?

That part of my conversation with Makenzie really stood out.

If you’re making the transition from department head to executive leadership, or from being a great “doer” to leading an organization, there’s a lot in this episode for you.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/o9vdSr2ulyw?si=AHW5BJv_lNfHDDtD
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Sponsored by Tyler Technologies, Inc.
Learn how communities are using AI to reduce repetitive work at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

391: Makenzie Lyons: When Your Strengths Become Your Weaknesses Makenzie Lyons: When Your Strengths Become Your WeaknessesEpisode ...

What happens when the strengths that helped you succeed start getting in the way of your leadership?

That’s at the heart of Episode 391 of The HaltingWinter Podcast with Makenzie Lyons, City Administrator of Winnsboro, Texas.

Makenzie’s story is one of resilience, independence, and determination. But as her responsibilities grew, she discovered that leadership required more than relying on the behaviors that had always worked for her.

Sometimes growth means recognizing what you need to learn.
Sometimes it means recognizing what you need to unlearn.

Episode 391: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-makenzie-lyons/
And if you’re headed to ICMA Long Beach, Makenzie will dig even deeper during her Skill-Building Workshop: “Control + ALT + Delete: Leadership Reboot.”
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
There's plenty of hype around AI. But where can it actually make the work of local government better? Explore practical AI resources built specifically for the public sector at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

When Your Strengths Become Your Weaknesses Halting Winter

MLDC Book of the Week: “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer

Have you ever had a conversation go sideways with a colleague and you couldn't quite explain why?

It's rarely a personality clash. It's usually a culture clash, and in local government, these aren’t rare anomalies. Career staff and political appointees. Departments with entirely different norms. Residents who expect to be heard their way, not yours.

This week, MLDC members are working through five specific takeaways from Erin Meyer's “The Culture Map,” giving you insights translated for the municipal world you live in.

Read it here: https://haltingwinter.com/mldc-the-culture-map/
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Applications for the 2027 MLDC Masterminds are Open: haltingwinter.com/mldc

When Two Good Leaders Just Can't Connect Halting Winter

Local government is full of good reasons for doing things the way they've always been done.

But every once in a while, someone needs to ask:

Who says we have to do it that way?

That question runs throughout my conversation with Marketa Oliver, City Administrator of Bondurant, Iowa.

We talk about what happens when leaders give their teams permission to experiment, why mistakes are part of innovation, how Bondurant is using creative economic development to navigate tremendous growth, and why local government leaders need to pay attention to tools like AI rather than fear them.

Marketa is one of those leaders who seems to constantly be asking, “What could this become?”

And I think we need more of that thinking in local government.

Watch Episode 389:

389: Marketa Oliver: Who Says We Have to Do It That Way? Marketa Oliver: Who Says We Have to Do It That Way?Episode 389 of ...

“Who says we have to do it that way?”

It’s a question more local government leaders may need to ask.

On the newest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Marketa Oliver, City Administrator of Bondurant, Iowa, joins Seth Winterhalter to talk about creativity, growth, innovation, technology, and building a culture where people have permission to try something new.

Because sometimes serving a community better starts with being willing to question the way it’s always been done.

Episode 389 is Live: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-marketa-oliver/
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
AI is moving fast, and local government doesn’t need more hype. It needs tools that actually help people do their jobs better. Explore Tyler Technologies’ practical AI resources at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Who Says We Have to Do It That Way? Halting Winter

You can know exactly what needs to be done and still fail to bring people with you.

That’s one of the lessons Mark Jackson has learned during more than three decades as City Administrator of Story City, Iowa.

In the newest episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Mark and Seth talk about why local government leadership requires more than technical expertise. It takes communication, judgment, strong relationships, humility, and the willingness to make decisions even when you don’t have perfect information.

Episode 388 is Live: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-mark-jackson/
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
The goal isn't more technology. It's giving good people better tools to do their work. See how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments create capacity through practical, secure AI at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

You Can Be Right and Still Get It Wrong Halting Winter

Ever close out a genuinely good year…budget gaps closed, positions filled, a tense council relationship finally stable…and still feel like you're behind?

You're not imagining it, and it's not about work ethic. This week's MLDC Book of the Week, “The Gap and the Gain” by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy, explains why local government leaders rarely feel "caught up,” even when they're doing everything right.

We've got the full breakdown on the blog. But the real work…five days of insights applied directly to council dynamics, budget cycles, and the day-to-day weight of this job, plus a conversation guide built for your next leadership meeting…that's inside MLDC.

Read the Blog: https://haltingwinter.com/mldc-gap-and-the-gain/
Join the MLDC now for 2027 and unlock the rest of 2026's content as a Bonus: haltingwinter.com/mldc

Why Winning Doesn't Feel Like Winning Halting Winter

One of the smallest things a local government leader can do might completely change the trajectory of someone's career.

The crazy idea: Let them follow you around for a day.

That's essentially how Katie Beemer discovered city management.

She reached out to a local manager, Christine Burns, and asked if she could job shadow her. No elaborate internship program. No months-long commitment.

Just one day.

That experience helped Katie discover a profession she didn't even know existed and eventually led her to becoming City Administrator of Fennville, Michigan.

We spend a lot of time talking about the local government workforce crisis. We need internships, fellowships, recruiting strategies, and better pipelines.

But maybe we also need more leaders willing to simply open the door.

There could be a future city manager sitting in a college classroom right now who has absolutely no idea this profession exists.

Katie and Seth talk about that journey and much more on Episode 386 of The HaltingWinter Podcast.

📺 Watch Here: https://youtu.be/NcmrEec5EQo?si=lnvZaEIqXTxKhzHL
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
The goal isn't more technology. It's giving good people better tools to do their work. See how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments create capacity through practical, secure AI at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

386: Katie Beemer: Stop Waiting for Someone Else to Solve It Katie Beemer: Stop Waiting for Someone Else to Solve ItEpisode 386...

Some of the biggest challenges facing our communities don't come with easy answers.

On Episode 386 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Katie Beemer, City Administrator of Fennville, Michigan, shares what she's learned about creating momentum when a community gets stuck.

Her approach? Keep asking questions. Find the people who can help. Use the resources around you. And don't wait for someone else to solve the problem.

It's a conversation about persistence, relationships, community leadership, and the incredible impact of local government.

Listen Here: https://haltingwinter.com/hwp-katie-beemer/
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Sponsor Highlight: Tyler Technologies, Inc.
Less time buried in repetitive tasks. More time serving people. Explore how Tyler Technologies is helping local governments put AI to work where it can actually make a difference at TylerTech.com/WINTER.

Stop Waiting for Someone Else to Solve It Halting Winter