Don’t miss the Assistants’ Exchange, a 2019 ICMA Annual Conference pre-conference event where you’ll network with other assistants and learn how other communities deliver services, engage residents, and plan for the future.

What Is the ICMA Assistants’ Exchange?

Participants in this year’s ICMA Assistants’ Exchange, sponsored by the 2019 Conference Host Committee, will spend the day as the guest of a participating local government in the greater Nashville Area. 

On Friday morning, October 18, you’ll be transported from your hotel to your host community, where you’ll tour government operations; attend meetings; and discuss the programs, people, and issues affecting that specific community. 

After the full-day session, participants meet for an open bar reception at the Hilton Hotel.   

Several communities in the Nashville area have already signed up to serve as hosts:

City of Brentwood
City of Franklin
City of Spring Hill 
City of Spring Field 
City of Goodlettsville

Plan to Come Early

Because the ICMA Assistants’ Exchange begins early Friday morning, participants should plan to arrive in Nashville on Thursday, October 17. You will be responsible for your own expenses, except for transportation to and from your host community and lunch on Friday.

Apply Today: Spaces are Limited!

The ICMA Assistants’ Exchange is open to all local government assistants who are ICMA members. The number of assistants that the program will accommodate is limited to the number of participating host communities, but efforts will be made to accommodate as many participants as feasible. Selections will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to take advantage of this valuable opportunity for yourself or to encourage a team member in your city, town, or county to participate.

To apply, download and complete the Assistants’ Exchange registration form and send it via email to: Jay Evans, assistant city manager, City of Brentwood, TN jay.evans@brentwoodtn.gov.

DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION FORM

Read what past participants say about this ground-breaking program:

“The Assistants’ Exchange Program is one of ICMA’s hidden gems.  I participated in the Assistants’ Exchange many times prior to becoming a City Manager.  The lessons I learned from others around the country were priceless. If you have the opportunity to participate in this signature program, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so! It is a great way to kick-off the ICMA Conference learning experience.”

–— Bonnie Svrcek, city manager, Lynchburg VA

“The Assistant’s Exchange allows you to learn best practices, hands-on from a community that you would have never experienced otherwise. In addition, the exchange allows for fantastic networking and camaraderie with other leaders in our profession. It was an outstanding experience that you will not want to miss out on.”

— Scott Andrews, assistant city manager, City of Smyrna, GA

“For me, the exchange was valuable because it allowed me to experience firsthand different challenges and goals from a community that was different than the one I work in.  It also allowed me to bring new ideas back to my community.”

— Scott W. Colby Jr., assistant to the town manager, Town of Plainville, CT

“The Assistants’ Exchange program was a great way to meet local government professionals from across the nation and make friends early on at the conference. This opportunity gave me some great exposure to a new city and highlighted some unique and interesting ideas I brought back to my city. It also created a sense of connectedness based on shared challenges and hurdles that seem universal in local government. Overall, I would recommend the exchange to anyone interested in broadening their view of city management.”

— Jackson Daly, assistant to the city manager, City of Georgetown, TX

Catch up on all the advice from ICMA's Career Compass, in case you missed one or want to share these links with a colleague. 

To get this column by email, sign-up for the Coaching Program email list. Simply click “Create Account” in the upper right hand corner of this page and follow the steps. Once you are signed-in, manage your Communication Preferences in your profile. Scroll down to “Subscriptions” and click the box next to ICMA Coaching. You will now receive ICMA Coaching Emails.

Also, check out the Career Compass Anthology: Volume I and Career Compass Anthology: Volume II - compilations of the first 50 columns in two formatted PDFs. Volume III-IV are being formatted.

Career Compass No. 114: What I Wish I Knew as a Younger Leader

Career Compass No. 113: Promote Stability Amid All the Change

Career Compass No. 112: Can You Show Your True Self at Work?

Career Compass No. 111: Are You a Generous Leader?

Career Compass No. 110: Accelerate Through Subtraction 

Career Compass No. 109: Succession Planning—Nine Classic Mistakes to Avoid

Career Compass No. 108: Leadership Starts with Self-awareness

Career Compass No. 107: The Business Case for Promoting Workplace Belonging

Career Compass No. 106: Supporting a Colleague in Distress

Career Compass No. 105: How Do You Show Up as a Leader?

Career Compass No. 104: Workforce Trends You Can’t Ignore

Career Compass No. 103: Avoid Seeking Happiness at Work

Career Compass No. 102: Responding to Public Criticism

Career Compass No. 101: Now Is the Time to Reinvest in the Front Line

Career Compass No. 100: Leadership Lessons from 99 Career Compass Columns

Career Compass No. 99: Harness the Hidden Power of Rituals

Career Compass No. 98: Combating Change Exhaustion

Career Compass No. 97: Seven Ways to Boost Your Leadership Capabilities

Career Compass No. 96: Why We Need Great Mid-managers More than Ever

Career Compass No. 95: Use Return-to-Office as Your Opportunity to Reset Culture

Career Compass No. 94: 10 Principles for Leading in Turbulence

Career Compass No. 93: Does Your Executive Group Have a First-Team Mindset?

Career Compass No. 92: Leveraging Six  Sources of Influence

Career Compass No. 91: Post-Covid, What is your Leadership Narrative?

Career Compass No. 90: Leadership Lessons from Pope Francis

Career Compass No. 89: Overcoming the Arrogance of Expertise

Career Compass No. 88: Leaders Are Dealers in Hope

Career Compass No. 87: Do Something!

Career Compass No. 86: Empathy is a Superpower

Career Compass No. 85: To Thrive in Post-Pandemic, Enhance Employee Experience

Career Compass No. 84: Got Grit?

Career Compass No. 83: How Do I Have Energizing Performance Conversations with Direct Reports?

Career Compass No. 82: Avoid Layoffs by Using a Menu of Strategies

Career Compass No. 81: We Need Adaptive Leaders Now

Career Compass No. 80: To Retain Your Talent, Use Stay Interviews

Career Compass No. 79: Leading by Connecting

Career Compass No. 78: Info Interviews - A Tool to Help You Advance

Career Compass No. 77: Ten Practices to Build a Mini-Culture of Learning

Career Compass No. 76: Humble Leaders Get Results

Career Compass No. 75: Patience Is a Leadership Virtue

Career Compass No. 74: How Do I Get Everyone's Commitment?

Career Compass No. 73: How Do I Get and Benefit from a Stretch Assignment?

Career Compass No. 72: How Do We Generate Creative Ideas?

Career Compass No. 71: Why Won’t They Collaborate with Us?

Career Compass No. 70: How to Handle a Difficult Conversation with a Direct Report

Career Compass No. 69: Psychological Safety: The One Key Determinant of Team Effectiveness

Career Compass No. 68: My My 1:1 Meetings Are a Waste of Time

Career Compass No. 67: Effective Leaders Start with Compassion

Career Compass No. 66: Lighten Up!

Career Compass No. 65: FIO—The Key Competency for 21st Century Leaders

Career Compass No. 64: Ten Ideas to Become a Talent Magnet

Career Compass No. 63: Legacy: Don't Live It, Leave It

Career Compass No. 62: "How Do I Get A Better Title?"

Career Compass No. 61: Leadership Is the Art of Conversation

Career Compass No. 60: I Don't Like My Mid-Manager Job!

Career Compass No. 59: Perform the Job Before You Get It

Career Compass No. 58: Overcoming Deep-Seated Fears

Career Compass No. 57: Leading By Living Your Values

Career Compass No. 56: The Paradoxes of Leadership

Career Compass No. 55: I'm Not Ready! 

Career Compass No. 54: How Do I Position Myself for Advancement?

Career Compass No. 53: How Do I Hold People Accountable?

Career Compass No. 52: Recasting My Rep

Career Compass No. 51: Building a World Class Culture

Career Compass No. 50: Storytelling--A Powerful Way to Lead and Communicate

Career Compass No. 49: Building High-Performance Teams—What’s the Magic?

Career Compass No. 48: How Do I Benefit from a Coach?

Career Compass No. 47: Leadership Myths Debunked 

Career Compass No. 46: Leading By Letting Go

Career Compass No. 45: City Managers Need Coaches Too

Career Compass No. 44: Rookie Mistakes of a First-Time Department Head

Career Compass No. 43: My Team is Overwhelmed (and so am I)!

Career Compass No. 42: Trust Me!

Career Compass No. 41: The Post-Heroic Leader

Career Compass No. 40: “Why Can't We Just Get Along?"

Career Compass No. 39: The Courage to Do the Right Thing

Career Compass No. 38: Your Staff Meetings Don't Have To Be Dreary

Career Compass No. 37: Engaging Employees for Success

Career Compass No. 36: Creating a Leadership Presence

Career Compass No. 35: Leadership Lessons from My Teenage Daughter

Career Compass No. 34: Making Presentations Like a Pro

Career Compass No. 33: Making the Move Up and Out—What’s the Fit?

Career Compass No. 32: The Power of Vulnerability 

Career Compass No. 31: Political Savviness

Career Compass No. 30: Building a Powerful Network

Career Compass No. 29: Forget Work-Life Balance...Re-Energize at Work and at Home!

Career Compass No. 28: My Team Member Is a Slacker!

Career Compass No. 27: Creating a Safe Environment for a Courageous Conversation

Career Compass No. 26: The Art of the Interview

Career Compass No. 25: Winning Office Politics, the Right Way

Career Compass No. 24: Asking Powerful Questions

Career Compass No. 23: Building Your Personal Brand

Career Compass No. 22: Overcoming Your Blind Spots

Career Compass No. 21: My Micromanaging Boss Is Driving Me Crazy!

Career Compass No. 20: They've Oversized My Job!

Career Compass No. 19: Why Should Anyone Follow Me?

Career Compass No. 18: Taking Smart Risks

Career Compass No. 17: The Subtle Art of Promoting Your Value

Career Compass No. 16: Should I Consider a Lateral Move?

Career Compass No. 15: Dealing with Angry Crowds

Career Compass No. 14: Selling Your Ideas

Career Compass No. 13: Developing a Finance IQ

Career Compass No. 12: Communicating with Your Boss

Career Compass No. 11: Frank’s Rules for Resume Writing

Career Compass No. 10: Personal Learning—The Key to Adapting and Advancing

Career Compass No. 9: Bouncing Back From Defeat

Career Compass No. 8: Leading From the Middle

Career Compass No. 7: How Do I Create a "Dream Team" of Advisors?

Career Compass No. 6: The Multi-generational Workplace

Career Compass No. 5: Developing Leadership Skills When You Have No Formal Authority

Career Compass No. 4: Spot That Opening, and Take It!

Career Compass No. 3: Getting Ready for the Next Opportunity

Career Compass No. 2: Defining Your Value In Uncertain Times

Career Compass No. 1: What Skills Are Most Important for a Manager (And How Do I Develop Them)?

Sponsored by the ICMA Coaching Program, ICMA Career Compass is a column from ICMA focused on career issues for local government professional staff. Dr. Frank Benest is ICMA's Liaison for Next Generation Initiatives and resides in Palo Alto, California. If you have a career question you would like addressed in a future Career Compass, e-mail careers@icma.org or contact Frank directly at frank@frankbenest.com. Read past columns at icma.org/careercompass.