How to Inject Innovation Into Local Government

Governments are in business — in the business of public service. Whether in lean times or flush times, playing it safe is no longer playing it smart. Dramatic change is necessary today and, through the use of a series of vitamins instead of the traditional pain killers, leaders can inject innovation and a maverick-like approach into their organizational mindset of problem solving. 

The source for innovative ideas that are necessary to positively impact today’s public policy issues of confronting municipalities resides in the minds of existing elected and appointed officials, along with members of their work force. The key to unhooking the straight jacket and unleashing leaders and their employees to engage in real talk about real innovation is introducing a maverick approach that disrupts the status quo way of thinking, reflected in the “we’ve always done it that way” refrain too often repeated in city halls everywhere. A maverick approach, or “maverickism,” is all about smart risk-taking that is crucial to addressing today’s unprecedented challenges.

Leaders today must be effective catalysts and translate the forces for change into better local government. They recognize “doing things different and doing different things” as a prerequisite for innovation and create a climate that seeks to permeate the traditional risk-averse culture, which limits maverick thinking that's desperately needed today.

If your city does things the way everybody else does them, why do you think you’re going to do any better? Maverick leaders realize that slashing budgets as a cutback measure is the equivalent of a person who decides to eat less — the person may lose weight, but doesn’t necessarily improve his or her health. They contend that traditional innovation gives way to duplication and makes an organization less distinctive. Consequently, these leaders recognize their city has a host of competitors in the service delivery business and adopt a “next practice” approach over the best practice approach. 

Mavericks understand their city organizations need talented people more than talented people need their city organizations. Public service is about having a positive impact on the world around us, where every day matters. Skilled, passionate people don’t simply want a job, they want to work for a cause and local government is at its core, forging an emotional connection with residents to enable government to improve the quality of life. Mavericks foster a work environment so dynamic that most employees would be hard-pressed to find a similar environment somewhere else. 

Maverick leaders think differently about the business of continuous improvement and invariably talk about it differently as well. Conversations are the oxygen of priorities and if an organization truly wants to adopt and practice a more maverick-like approach to their organization, they begin by inserting new words into daily discussions and steer people into a new way of thinking.

Maverick leaders embrace originality as the test for better government and want employees to be idea entrepreneurs and flourish in a work environment that provides them room to maneuver. Ultimately, mavericks understand that we’re only limited by our imagination in solving today’s unprecedented challenges.

Details: Ibarra will lead the Leadership Training Institute seminar L17, entitled “How to Inject Innovation Into Local Government,” on Wednesday, November 11 from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to register for Leadership Training Institute seminars, visit www.nlc.org.

Patrick Ibarra is a partner in The Mejorando Group.