|
A colleague recently shared a story with me that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. He had been working with a small coastal city, facilitating a department head retreat. The city manager was relatively new — about one year into the role — and instead of launching sweeping changes or bold initiatives, he focused on culture. His goal was to break down silos and build a “one-team” mindset.
His approach was simple but powerful. He spent weeks listening: meeting one-on-one with department heads and division managers, riding along with field staff and casually joining employees in the lunchroom to learn more about their day-to-day experiences. He didn’t make grand declarations. He just showed up consistently and made it clear he cared.
Over time, things began to shift. Employees spoke up more in meetings. Collaboration across departments increased. One supervisor said, “It feels like I work for a completely different organization.” And yet, structurally, very little had changed. The transformation came from the environment: its tone, trust and blossoming culture.
That’s the power of intentional leadership. That’s the transformation healthy culture can make.
In local government, culture isn’t just a talking point. It is foundational work that determines direction. It shapes how decisions are made, how teams collaborate and how communities experience their government. When culture is healthy, it naturally turns compliance into heartfelt commitment where people go beyond what’s required. In thriving culture, employees stop just checking boxes and start solving problems, innovating and serving with heart simply because they feel valued and connected to something meaningful.
A strong culture doesn’t just boost morale. It builds alignment, fuels creativity and makes local government a place where people want to stay and grow.
Of course, culture doesn’t magically appear overnight. It starts with leadership, but must be embedded throughout the organization: in meetings, in employee onboarding, in how feedback is shared and in how values are modeled. It shows up in programs like mentoring, training and wellness offerings, all of which signal to employees that they matter.
Culture is also reinforced when the mission is simple, clear and repeated, more often than you think is even necessary. (One city I know gives each employee a beautifully designed 3×5 card with the organization’s mission and values to keep at their desk. Another posts the mission in highly visible spots throughout its facilities). Culture is communicated constantly, in both big decisions and small, routine moments.
At Tripepi Smith Talent Solutions, we help local governments build cultures that reflect their values and purpose. Our Culture Curation process supports leaders in creating environments where people thrive and public service shines.
If you’re ready to focus inward to strengthen your organization, we’d love to work with you.
|
