RECRUITING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
One of CAMA’s goals is to ensure that we are providing new and existing municipal administrators with information and a network, that assists them in their role; encourages the next generation of leaders; and, promotes the importance of the Professional Municipal Administrator.
CAMA’S NEXT GENERATION PROJECT
CAMA is also pleased to launch its “Cultivating Leadership: A Guide for the Next Generation in Local Government” project.
Considerable research and a survey of the membership was undertaken to guide the development of our new Strategic Plan which was launched in April 2016. From that information, it was determined that a number of trends are emerging that could impact local government in the future. Over the next five years, municipal senior management and elected officials should therefore expect to operate in a context of radical, ongoing, and accelerating change, which will require strong leadership. On the other hand, it is a unique opportunity to attract and retain talented people, committed to the mission of local government and ready to embrace a change.
There is a demographic shift happening in CAMA’s membership which will likely also result in different expectations. Given the impending retirement of a significant number of municipal administrators, municipalities have an opportunity to promote the positive rewards of having a career in local government.
This project was designed in recognition of the importance of providing useful career advice to the next generation of local government leaders, and to provide an opportunity for our more experienced CAMA members to give back to the profession. It is our hope that it will help CAMA members at different stages of their career, students considering a career in local government, and potential future CAMA members. This is also a great resource to share with direct reports and managers throughout your organization.
“What Advice Would You Give to the Next Generation of Municipal Leaders?” We posed this question to experienced CAOs from across the country to get their guidance on what it takes to make it in this profession. We asked them to share their accomplishments, challenges faced, some of the most important lessons learned, and the key competencies and skill sets required now and in the future to be great leaders.
It wouldn’t have been possible to produce this document without the leadership of our Chair Marc Landry (CAMA Second Vice-President and Representative for Alberta and the Northwest Territories), CAMA Staff, and the following nine CAMA members/mentors who have provided their great words of wisdom and advice:
- Janice Baker, Retired CAO, ON
- Gail Stephens, Retired CAO, BC
- Rhonda Stewart, CAO, Town of Virden, MB
- Jim Toye, Retired CAO, SK
- Chris MacPherson, Retired CAO, NB
- Mike Pinsent, Retired CAO, NL
- Robert Cotterill, Retired CAO, AB
- Duncan Campbell, Retired CAO, QC
- Glen Davies, Retired CAO, ON
Here are some short video clips of some of our mentors offering their advice:
It is our hope that this wealth of information will assist all of us to create stronger municipalities and communities. We want the next generation of leaders to be ready!
