Paving a better way is already part of a city manager’s job. So is bringing people together, finding resources, and helping a community move toward a shared goal. Those responsibilities also reveal something that local government professionals may not recognize: they are already innovators.

“Who you are is how you lead and innovate,” said Leigh-Ann Buchanan, president and CEO of the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority.

At the 2026 ICMA Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, Buchanan invited local government leaders to reflect on their personalities and discover how their natural strengths can help them improve quality of life for residents. Buchanan presented innovation as a leadership competency that takes different forms and becomes more effective when leaders understand their own approach.

Discover How You Naturally Innovate

Buchanan’s framework identifies four innovator styles: disruptors, connectors, distributors, and influencers. Each offers a distinct contribution to the work of leadership.

Disruptors see opportunities to redesign systems and processes. They imagine what could work differently and challenge limiting assumptions. Their strength is vision, though they may underestimate the work required to bring an ambitious idea to life. Of the conference attendees who took the quiz, this was the most popular outcome.

Connectors build relationships and bring them together. They help people establish trust, collaborate across departments, and work through friction. Their networks can open doors to partners and solutions an organization might otherwise miss.

Distributors find ways to make resources accessible. Whether the need is funding, staff time, or another form of support, they recognize opportunities to put available assets to work.

Influencers understand how to bring people along. They communicate ideas, build support, and help others see their place in a shared effort.

Buchanan encouraged participants to consider how those traits shape their leadership and where complementary strengths could help their teams. Someone who readily envisions a new approach may benefit from a colleague who can secure resources or build the relationships needed to carry it forward.

Recognizing those differences gives managers a practical way to support collaboration and create conditions in which more employees can contribute.

Connect Innovation to Residents’ Experience

For Buchanan, understanding innovation style serves a larger purpose: helping leaders translate their commitment to public service into improvements for their community.

She explained, “The public good tells us why government exists, but it’s not actually a standard for how well government performs.”

That distinction brings innovation to everyday responsibilities, from permitting and procurement to utility billing. Each interaction then offers an opportunity to strengthen resident confidence in their local government.

“Trust is a measure of performance for local government,” Buchanan said.

She acknowledged the conditions managers navigate, including public scrutiny, limited opportunities to test new approaches, and approval structures that can complicate change. Building an innovative culture means creating room to learn within those challenges.

Put Your Innovation Style to Work

Buchanan offers three questions to guide an improvement effort: How can this be better? Why should it be better? Who benefits if it improves?

Those questions help teams identify needs and develop testable solutions. They also enable different innovation styles to contribute.

As Buchanan said, most people don’t consider themselves to be innovators. But she challenges that notion and invites local government leaders to look inward to recognize their capacity to innovate. She points out that professionals are already making innovation happen in their work.

“You are the innovators that you’ve been waiting for,” Buchanan said.

Follow along with ICMAtv to see more from the 2026 ICMA Annual Conference!

Hear Leigh-Ann's thoughts on innovation for economic mobility and opportunity: