A professor left an Ivy League university to work in city government. What he learned in city hall was important, but what he missed was even more important.
Lesson Five: Vision and Demographics
By design or by chance, cities are headed somewhere. But where? And if there’s a vision for your city, how do you know if it can succeed? The answer lies in demographics.
Civic Work and the Importance of Relationships
Civic work runs on relationships. But because communities are diverse and power so diffuse, it takes connections that are both broad and deep to be effective. This, in turn, requires we approach relationship building differently in civic work than in other activities. Here’s a key to success: Learning to ask people to do things for you.
Quality of Life as Community Glue
Quality of life is the glue that keeps people in communities, even when their life circumstances or the city itself changes. That’s why, in the end, every successful community is a sticky one.
What Glengarry Glen Ross Teaches Us about Change
The best leaders are connectors of people, ideas, and resources. And to be a connector, you have to be a relationship builder.