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ICMA endeavors to support members at all stages in their careers and lives. Therefore, ICMA has developed a new set of resources to support members who are thinking of transitioning from full-time local government careers into their next life phase or those members who have recently moved into encore endeavors. Many of the resources provided below were developed by the Cal-ICMA Senior Manager/Encore Manager Initiative and are now available to all ICMA members.

Tips for States to Start Encore Programs

WAYS TO GIVE BACK

READING MATERIAL

"HOW TO" PAPERS

The Cal-ICMA Committee on Senior Managers/Encore Managers has released five "how-to" papers. These papers focus on assisting local government managers who are retiring from full-time careers and wish to explore encore careers.

If you would like to suggest a resource to be shared with colleagues, please contact Robert C. Donnan, ICMA Program Manager.

WEBSITES

General Resources and Advice
Job-related

BOOKS

  • 2016 ICMA Advisory Board On Graduate Education; Managers as Teachers: A Practitioner’s Guide To Teaching Public Administration.  3rd edition.  ICMA, 2016.

  • Block, Peter; Flawless Consulting--A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used

  • Bridges, William; Transitions

  • Brooks, David; The Second Mountain: the Quest For a Moral Life

  • Crowley, Chris and Lodge, Henry S., MD; Younger Next Year

  • Freedman, Marc; Encore: Finding Work That Matters In the Second Half of Life

  • Gardner, John W.; Self-Renewal

  • Hudson, Frederic; The Adult Years

  • Leider, Richard J. and Shapiro, David A.; Repacking Your Bags

  • Leider, Richard J. and Shapiro, David A.; Claiming A Place At the Fire

  • Leider, Richard J. and Webber, Alan; Life Reimagined: Discovering Your Life Possibilities

  • Retirement Coaches Association; The Retirement Challenge: A Non-financial Guide From Top Retirement Experts 

  • Zelinski, Ernie; How To Retire Happy, Wild and Free

ARTICLES AND GUIDES

Different Journeys

Read vignettes by individual managers about their encore careers.

ONE-TO-ONE PEER COACHING

To help you think about your potential “encore” experiences, ICMA has organized a one-to-one peer coaching service.  If you are thinking of transitioning into your next life phase or have already left full-time local government management, you may wish to connect with a manager who has already began his/her encore adventure.

Role of the Peer Coach

The role of the peer coach is to support you in your encore journey.  The peer coach will listen to your hopes and dreams as well as any fears and concerns you may have about your next life phase. By asking questions, the coach can help you clarify your aspirations and provide feedback about some options and potential encore activities that you may wish to consider given your dreams.  In so doing, the coach may relate his/her journey and provide any personal lessons learned.  The coach may suggest some opportunities, contacts, and ways to practice or “rehearse” encore experiences before you commit to fully pursuing them.

Coaching is a conversation.  Coaching can be a one-time conversation, two or three discussions, or an ongoing relationship depending on the desires of both coachee and coach.

Selecting a Peer Coach

Below are the profiles of those encore managers who are and enthusiastic about supporting your next life phase journey.  We suggest that you review the profiles and select one or two coaches to contact.  Each peer coach has indicated areas in which he or she is engaged as an encore.  If you interested in teaching or interim management, you may wish to contact one of the coaches who have had that experience.

Profiles of Peer Coaches

Click here for profiles of available peer coaches in the Encore Manager program.

A model for a peer coaching conversation

How to Create a Great Coaching Relationship, developed by Don Maruska, Director of the ICMA Coaching Program.  The model provides a sequence of seven steps to guide your coaching conversation.

Serving as a Peer Coach

If you have already embarked on your encore journey and wish to serve as a peer coach, contact Robert C. Donnan, ICMA Program Manager.

Other Document
Ethics Matter!
Ethics Matter! Advice for Public Managers E-Book

A collection of sound ethics advice from ICMA's Public Management (PM) magazine.

How-to, Guide or Manual
Resources for the Interim or Acting Manager

A guide of information and advice for interim or acting local government managers.

ICMA’s research activities yield a growing body of information and knowledge about local government.  Based on our research, we produce survey summaries, case studies, research reports, LGR: Local Government Review, and other products that provide data, thoughtful analysis, and insights into best practices.

Summary Survey Results

Following the completion of each ICMA survey, we prepare Summary Survey Results that provide a quick glimpse of the findings. Among the survey topics are sustainability, municipal form of government, and alternative service delivery.

Research Papers

Occasionally ICMA publishes brief papers that summarize the state of research in a given area or use published research to provide a primer on the topic. Examples include Public-Private Partnerships (P3s): What Local Government Managers Need to Know and Improving Quality of Life: The Effect of Aligning Local Service Delivery and Public Health Goals.

LGR: Local Government Review

Published twice a year as a special section in Public Management magazine, LGR: Local Government Review, provides key research findings and expert insights into current local government issues and trends. Featured topics include resilient communities, the future workforce, citizen engagement, and cybersecurity.

LGR: Local Government Review, July 2021

LGR: Local Government Review, December 2020

LGR: Local Government Review, February 2020

LGR: Local Government Review, March 2019

LGR: Local Government Review, July 2018, powered by TownCloud

LGR: Local Government Review, December 2017, powered by TownCloud

LGR: Local Government Review, June 2017

Other New Research

Beyond Compliance: Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Populations to Achieve Higher Positions in Local Government

Blockchain Technology: Local Government Applications and Challenges

Disaster Recovery Essentials: A Tool for Preparing Your Community to Face the Unexpected

Ethics Matter! Advice for Public Managers

Getting Started: Performance Management for Local Government

Local Government & Immigrant Communities Survey

The Model Police Officer: Recruitment, Training, and Community Engagement

Municipal Form of Government (2018-19)

Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation: An Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan for Puerto Rico

Veterans Guide to Finding a Job in Local Government

19 on 2019: Predictions on Local Government from 19 Experts

Products of Research Collaborations

In addition to our independent research, ICMA regularly conducts research in partnership with universities, nonprofit and private-sector organizations, and government entities. For example:

Smart Communities: Rethinking Infrastructure (with Siemens)

Smart Solutions: Technology Serving Communities E-Book (with IBTS, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety)

Smart Communities and Data Analytics (with SAS)

Cybersecurity: Protecting Local Government Digital Resources (with Microsoft)

Growing Local Food Systems: A Case Study Series on the Role of Local Governments (with the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation)

The GIS Guide for Elected Officials (with Esri)

Advancing Social Equity Goals to Achieve Sustainability (with Arizona State University and funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) and a series of related case studies

Solar Survey of Local Governments, 2016 (with the U.S. Department of Energy)

Bring Solar to Your Community: Themes, Summaries and Insights from 27 Case Studies (with the U.S. Department of Energy)

Shared Building Department Services (with the Institute for Building Technology and Safety)

Small Towns, Rural Communities and Sustainability (with the National Association of Development Organizations, the National Association of Counties and others and funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency)

Water Rate Approval Process Research (with ARCADIS, Stratus Consulting, the University of North Carolina, and Richard Atwater and funding from the Water Research Foundation)

Local Libraries Advancing Community Goals, 2016 (with Aspen Institute and the Public Library Association)

To explore potential research partnerships, contact Tad McGalliard at ICMA (tmcgalliard@icma.org).

Use the links below to navigate directly to the video of your choice. Then click on the image to watch the full interview; also viewable on iPhone or iPad. You can control the volume, toggle HD on or off, or expand to a full screen view using the expanding arrows button at the bottom right of the video frame. 

To toggle high definition on or off for better large screen viewing or to reduce bandwidth, activate the HD button in the video frame where available. Discussion guides are available - contact rcarty@icma.org for a copy.

 

 Bruce Katz on The Metropolitan Revolution

Bruce Katz discusses his book co-authored with Jennifer Bradley, The Metropolitan Revolution, which focuses on the rise of cities and city networks as the world’s leading problem solvers. Katz is the Co-Founder (with Jeremy Nowak) of New Localism Advisors. The mission of the firm is to help cities design, finance and deliver transformative initiatives that promote inclusive and sustainable growth.

Pat Lencioni on The Advantage

Pat Lencioni discusses his book, The Advantage. Pat is the author of Death By Meeting, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and many other leading business titles. Pat was a keynote speaker at the 2016 ICMA Annual Conference in Seattle. In the interview, they discuss healthy vs. smart organizations, good conflict, team dynamics, values, and other attributes organizations can harness to make better decisions and harness their unique competitive advantage: their people and corporate culture.
 

Daniel Pink on To Sell Is Human

Daniel Pink discusses his latest work, To Sell Is Human, and delves into data that helps explain that, at some level, everyone in the modern economy is responsible for moving others to action (a form of sales). In the conversation, Dan and Bob discuss the pitch, the new ABCs (attunement, buoyancy, and clarity), the benefits of improvisation, and how simply making things easier can change how people respond.

 

The Next Big Thing: Local Government's Next Century

Look into the future of local government with former ICMA Executive Director Bob O’Neill and a panel of local government experts that includes representatives from the Alliance for Innovation (AFI). This live, 90-minute Leading Ideas Series webcast was developed with students, interns, management fellows, and early-career professionals in mind. Presenters will focus on the future drivers of local government and their impact on our communities’ future leaders. 

This video also has transcription; toggle captions on/off by pressing the CC button in the video frame.

Jim Collins on Great by Choice

Jim Collins discusses his latest work, Great by Choice, and navigates us through his nine-year research project to determine the characteristics of organizations and leaders that thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others that do not. In the conversation, Jim and Bob discuss the characteristics of Level 5 Leaders in the uncertainty era, the value proposition of professional management, and leaving a legacy.

 

Rebecca Ryan on ReGENERATION

Rebecca Ryan discusses her upcoming book, ReGENERATION, and how managers can engage and learn from upcoming generations, and how to strengthen inter-generational cooperation to build better communities. In the conversation, Bob and Rebecca discuss traits of successful communities, how to engage entrepreneurs, the power of a sense of place, qualify of life and how to measure it, what generations want, and generational economic cycles. Ryan was a keynote speaker at ICMA's Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2011.

Bill George on True North

Bill George discusses his books, True North, and True North Groups, and how managers can discover or reinforce their core beliefs and organizational values. In the discussion they cover how leaders can lose their way - and find their way back; fear of failure; a career-defining crucible; and maintaining meaning in your life and career, especially in a tough profession like professional management. George was a keynote speaker at ICMA's Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2011.

  

Tim Brown on Change by Design

IDEO CEO and author Tim Brown discusses his recent book, Change By Design, and how a certain mindset, team structure and methodology can create a culture of innovation in organizations. Brown is joined by Jim Keene, then City Manager of Palo Alto, who worked with IDEO to create a culture of innovation in the city by using the “design thinking” methodology. They discuss creating a culture of observation and creating change by anticipating failure. Brown was a keynote speaker at ICMA's Annual Conference in San Jose, California in 2010.

Frans Johansson on The Medici Effect

Author Frans Johansson discusses the origin of his book, The Medici Effect, and what local governments can do in times of tight budgets, including encouraging risk, leveraging diversity, and intersecting ideas to break new ground and encourage innovation.  In the interview, Johansson stresses that innovation is a constant: someone is taking the risks necessary to make new innovations happen all the time. Why can't that innovator can be you? Johansson was a keynote speaker at ICMA's Annual Conference in Richmond/Henrico County in 2008.

Peter Block on Community: The Structure of Belonging
 

Author Peter Block discusses his book, Community: the Structure of Belonging, and the obstacles to effective community building and his innovative approaches to overcoming them. He talks about the need for building community, how parties come to the table focused on their individual interests leading to further community fragmentation, creating conversation within communities, understanding how actions by government can create a sense of entitlement, and more.

Daniel Pink on A Whole New Mind

Author Daniel Pink discusses his book, A Whole New Mind. They discuss Dan’s ideas, based on analyzing research, that those that succeed in the future will utilize a different kind of mind than what led to success in the past century: artists, inventors, storytellers, using creative and holistic “right-brain” thinking will be the forces for success and change in the 21st century.

Jim Collins on Good to Great 

Author Jim Collins discusses how communities can move from Good to Great. Why local government can't operate like a business, the impact of the 'Level 5 Leader' on moving an organization to greatness, the Flywheel Concept, resource engines for communities, and more. Collins was a keynote speaker at the ICMA Annual Conference in San Antonio/Bexar County in 2006.

 

The Leading Ideas Series was made possible with support from ICMA-RC.

ICMA offers 32 datasets from national surveys dating back to 1982. ICMA's database of local governments includes approximately 11,000 municipalities with populations of 2,500 or greater and all counties. These datasets cover a variety of topics including service delivery, form of government, economic development, smart cities, cybersecurity, state of the profession, and sustainability. These ICMA datasets provide useful information for local decision makers as well as researchers, and they are available for download in Excel files. Please view the ICMA data licensing agreement before you purchase a data set.

A complete list of all ICMA Datasets can be found here.

A list of survey summaries can be found here.

Featured Datasets

Photo of a man & woman shaking hands

Alternative Service Delivery

Examine the service delivery choices, practices, and policies of local government, including adopting and evaluating private service delivery.

View All Datasets

Photo of business men using conference microphones

County Form of Government

This dataset covers form of government, initiatives for referenda and recall, selection, and composition of elected officials.

View All Datasets

Photo of a bus driving through a bridge

Economic Development

Examine economic development practices, including economic development funding activities, business retention, business attraction, and more.

View All Datasets

Government Technology Solutions Survey

The results of this survey are meant to give an overview of the capabilities, priorities, and difficulties local governments have in implementing technology solutions.

Statue of Liberty

Immigrant Communities Survey

This survey explores local government policies, programs, and other activities related to immigrant populations in their communities.

The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded.

Innovations and Emerging Practices Survey

This dataset covers various topics related to public sector innovation as well as newly emerging issues and practices affecting local government management.

Photo of a microphone in front of an audience

Municipal Form of Government

This dataset covers form of government, initiatives for referenda and recall, selection and composition of elected officials.

View All Datasets

Cityscape and technology and network connection concept

Smart Cities

Examine local governments’ priorities and activities concerning smart city technologies in the U.S., and learn about motivators and barriers to adopting these technologies.

 

Photo of a microphone in front of an audience

State of the Profession

This dataset scans interactions of top municipal and county administrators with elected officials in their local governments.

View All Datasets

Engineer working at alternative renewable wind energy farm - Sustainable energy industry concept

Sustainability

Topics in this national sustainability survey cover water, transportation, energy, recycling, recognition programs, and policy actions.

View All Datasets

Once the files are downloaded, saving them as text files allows easy import into SPSS or other statistical software packages. We are unable to provide custom cuts of the survey data, but the full dataset pricing provides affordable survey data for academic research.

ICMA collaborates with academic researchers to acquire funding for national surveys, and those survey results are typically not available until the researcher has been able to publish results.

The files for each dataset, which include the survey instrument and a code sheet, are zip files. Please be sure that your university allows zip files to be downloaded before you purchase. Datasets are non-refundable. To see the listing of available datasets go to the bookstore.

All Available Scholarship Opportunities

Annual Conference

Annual Conference Scholarships

Many ICMA members are challenged by limited resources in their pursuit of gaining the very resources they need to better manage their communities. To help members experience the difference the ICMA Annual Conference has made for so many others, ICMA offers Conference Assistance and scholarships. Members In Transition: MITs are granted complimentary registration to the ICMA Annual Conference. As well, there are a limited amount of funds available to provide travel stipends to our MIT members.  Interested parties should contact Rosalyn Ceasar at rceasar@icma.org or via phone at (202) 962-3544.

Learn More

ICMA Partners Program Scholarship to the Annual Conference

The ICMA Partners Scholarship Program annually provides a monetary travel stipend plus complimentary registration to assist a few member partners in attending their first ICMA Annual Conference.  Interested partners should complete the brief application for consideration. For questions about the ICMA Member Partners Program, contact Chris Gendell at cgendell@icma.org.

Learn More

International

Scholarships to assist ICMA members in gaining an international management perspective.

Tranter-Leong Fellowship

The Tranter-Leong Fellowship offers the opportunity for ICMA members to expand their international horizons while advancing ICMA’s commitment to "think globally, act locally."

Learn More

John Garvey Scholarship Fund

The John Garvey Scholarship Fund offers the opportunity for ICMA members to gain an international management perspective.

Learn More

Leadership Development Programs

Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in Local Government

ICMA, through the generosity of our corporate partner, The Ferguson Group, offers a scholarship to an ICMA member to attend the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State and Local Government program.  

Learn More

Leadership ICMA Legacy Fund Grant

The Leadership ICMA Legacy Fund helps individuals to complete the ICMA Leadership Program who otherwise would not be able to because of being in transition, economic constraints or other mitigating factors.

Learn More

How-to, Guide or Manual
Managers as Teachers

As prefaced in its 2000 revision, this guide “is not a reference source to the literature on effective teaching. It is, rather, a place to start preparing to teach.”

What role will you play in shaping the future of the local government profession?

 

NextUp Photo

ICMA's NextUp initiative is a multifaceted approach to developing and growing the local government management profession, those who aspire to serve in leadership roles, and the organizations and communities they serve. NextUp promotes membership in ICMA, which provides access to important resources and a professional network that can help local government staff achieve their leadership goals.

THE NextUp Initiative is for...

Local government managers who know the ability to successfully lead their communities includes a strong organization supported by skilled and ethical staff members

Local government staff who desire to develop their professional skills, excel within their organization and advance to local government leadership roles

You Are NextUp. Get Started Below.