Otis White

The skills and strategies of civic leadership

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The Loneliness of the Courageous Leader

June 8, 2016 By Otis White 1 Comment

Courage provides the strength to say and do the right things. It’s also what separates the best of us from the crowd.

The Temperament of Great Leaders

November 11, 2015 By Otis White 1 Comment

Criticism and occasional nastiness aren’t flaws in our politics; they’re features. So how do you handle the insults that come with public life? Techniques can help. But great leaders draw on something deeper, which is temperament.

What I’ve Learned about Leadership from Reading Obituaries

January 11, 2012 By Otis White 2 Comments

Super-civic leaders – those whose deaths make front-page news – have something to teach the rest of us about bringing valuable resources to civic work, putting in the time, and being authentic.

Dealing with a Crisis

December 13, 2011 By Otis White 1 Comment

What are the secrets to dealing with a crisis? First, you have to understand what a crisis is, and how it affects decision making. Second, you have to respond in a short-term and long-term way. And, finally, you must seek information and advice deliberately and intelligently.

What Leaders Can Learn from Consumer Reports

July 20, 2010 By Otis White Leave a Comment

Consumer Reports built its reputation for fairness and reliability over a 74-year period. But you can borrow parts of the magazine’s formula in making tough decisions in your community.

Recent Posts

  • What Smart Mayors Can Learn from the Turnaround of Central Park
  • How Communities Can Thrive in a Post-Newspaper World
  • Seven Habits of Highly Successful Civic Projects
  • When Bad Things Happen to Good Governments
  • How Citizen Engagement Could Save State Politics
  • How Odd Couples, Complementary Needs, and Chance Can Change Cities
  • A Better Way to Teach Civic Leadership
  • The Worst Management Idea of the 20th Century
  • How to Deal with a Demagogue
  • What Government Is Good At
  • Return to Sender
  • The Loneliness of the Courageous Leader
  • A Better Way of Judging Candidates
  • How to Build an Army of Supporters
  • A Beginner’s Guide to Facilitation
  • The Temperament of Great Leaders
  • Units of Civic Progress
  • Leadership as “a Kind of Genius”
  • How to Read a Flawed Book About Cities
  • A Mayor’s Test for Good Decisions
  • How to Manage a Crisis Before It Happens
  • Lesson Seven: Process and Results
  • Lesson Six: The Secret of Government Success
  • The Magicians of Main Street
  • Lesson Five: Vision and Demographics

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About Otis White

Otis White is president of Civic Strategies, Inc., a collaborative and strategic planning firm for local governments and civic organizations. He has written about cities and their leaders for more than 30 years. For more information about Otis and his work, please visit www.civic-strategies.com.

The Great Project

Otis White's multimedia book, "The Great Project," is available on Apple iTunes for reading on an iPad. The book is about how a single civic project changed a city and offers important lessons for civic leaders considering their own "great projects" . . . and for students in college planning and political science programs.

For more information about the book, please visit the iTunes Great Project page.

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You can find Otis White's urban issues updates by searching for @OtisWhite. And you can "like" us on Facebook.

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