Lyndon B. Johnson was famous for saying, “When the burdens of the presidency seem unusually heavy, I always remind myself it could be worse. I could be mayor.” With public trust in Washington at an all-time low, local leaders in cities, counties, and school districts are increasingly taking the lead in driving real change. We started reporting on this trend in 2013 and are pleased to see this come to fruition.

With important local government races being determined this spring in many communities, including my own, we predict that the 2020s may not be dominated by leadership inside the Beltway, but rather by those at the local level. This “Era of Local Government” has been underscored by moments of decisive local leadership, such as Mayor Bowser’s brilliant handling of the midair plane crash over the Potomac.

The Rise of Local Leadership 

In the past decade, our team at Social Impact Architects has had the pleasure of partnering with many local governments on feasibility studies, strategic plans and retreats across the country. Through these collaborations, we have observed five key leadership traits – ones that are truly not that different from those of today’s Fortune 500 CEOs or executive directors of grassroots organizations – that differentiate the best in local leaders:

• Inspire a Shared Vision – Local leaders, especially community leaders, don’t just promote their own vision; they unite communities around a shared aspiration that imagines exciting possibilities.
• Challenge the Process – Local leaders must often balance history and tradition with new opportunities to change, grow and improve.
• Model the Way – Local leaders often have to go beyond the easy sound bite to ensure that all actions align with their personal values – as well as set the example for collective community values.
• Enable Others to Act – Local leaders cannot achieve bold visions alone; they must foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and strengthen others by sharing power.
• Encourage the Heart – The best local leaders are servant leaders who recognize others’ contributions and celebrate progress toward shared goals.

Local Leaders Wear Many Hats

Many local leaders, including elected officials and appointed leaders, have been taking on these roles in the many hats they wear:

• Chief Innovation Officer – Innovation is the buzzword in local governments nationwide – not just in technology but across all aspects of government. Most importantly, innovation must ultimately lead to results and, hopefully, cost savings for citizens. Local governments  are even hiring Chief Innovation Officers, who are being tasked with championing new ideas and ushering in the era of data-driven strategies. Bloomberg Philanthropies is one of the top organizations supporting municipal innovation. Check out their solution-oriented ideas to make all our lives easier and tackle social issues, such as housing and transportation through data-driven governance.
• Chief Equity Officer – Another word frequently heard in local governments is equity. Equity for local governments is about ensuring no one is left out of important conversations in our communities. Researchers have long noted that the more diverse a group is when making decisions, the more likely the group is to make the optimal decision. To that end, the National League of Cities has pioneered “equity” as one of the key trends in making our local governments more responsive to all citizens in their “City of the Future” series. One of the leading groups focused on improving equity at the municipal level is Living Cities. Read their report on the lessons learned from five cities that have focused specifically on racial equity. Local leaders have a unique opportunity to advance town hall discussions and other online interactive exercises, so that every voice is heard and valued and can contribute to the economic vitality of their community.
• Chief Silo-busting Officer – Because elected officials often represent the entire community, they can bring people and organizations together around joint solutions. Breaking down the walls of our own siloed thinking, e.g., healthcare vs. education or nonprofit vs. business, has been recognized as a solution to our inefficiency at addressing complex, cross-cutting social problems. We have been honored to present some of our ideas at the U.S. Conference of Mayors about ecosystem mapping and how it can drive greater collaboration and alignment of resources.

Of course, geographical silos also exist. For some great ideas on how to break these down and build regional collaborations, we suggest reading a great call-to-action article in the Boston Review on “A Modern Case for Regional Collaboration.” It showcases how most of our issues do not stop at our respective city/county/school district borders and require interlocal cooperation and solutions. They call on local leaders to “bring together civic leaders across the region so they could achieve more together.”

It’s Time to Partner with Your Local Leaders

With their local influence and the wide range of roles they play, local leaders are critical to developing and implementing solutions to social problems. Now is the time for all social sector organizations to build relationships with elected officials as well as local government staff and invite them to discuss the issues facing clients and the community. These individuals are ready to innovate, break down silos, take action and serve as champions in this “Era of Local Government.” Please feel free to share examples of how your communities have taken a leadership role as we continue to chart this new trend in the social sector.

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