Closing the Leadership Gap: 

Leadership/Succession Planning Workshop, April 16

What are you going to do when that long-time city employee with institutional memory and indispensible skills retires or moves?  Have you mentored and developed new leadership?

When Plano, Texas city manager Tom Muehlenbeck realized that 46 percent of senior management was eligible for retirement, he took action to assure continuity in leadership. The program that Plano developed has yielded unexpected results. Not only does the city have layers of knowledgeable staff but a new network of employees that work well together.

Muehlenbeck is crossing the Red River to Oklahoma on April 16 for a special one-day workshop on Leadership and Succession Planning. Deputy city manager, Lashon Ross, will discuss the MP3 program that mentors new leadership. In addition to city staffing, the day will include development of leadership within the community, on city boards and commissions, among the citizens and leadership ethics.

To complement the Plano presentations, the day includes mentoring experiences in Oklahoma cities with a panel of city managers who will share how they have been mentored and developed leadership in others.

The City of Tulsa staff will share how they reach into the community and schools to develop skills and interest in municipal government. They even have held some mock municipal elections in the schools.

Muehlenbeck is respected among city managers as both a leader and innovator. A graduate of the Kansas University MPA program, he lent his skills to cities in several states before returning to his home state of Texas. He is a recipient of the National Public Service Award from the American Society of Public Administration. He has served in leadership roles in ICMA, Innovations Group, and represented ICMA on national boards.

Twenty-three of his 40-year career in public service has been spent in Plano, Texas. Plano has had the reputation as the “the nation’s fastest growing city.”  During his tenure, the city’s population has increased from 114,500 residents to more than 252,000 while maintaining a reputation for excellence as an “All American City” award winner.

His dedication to mentoring and developing young talent for future municipal leadership is a passion. Muehlenbeck recognized the gap in management succession several years ago when this topic was presented at a conference. Upon returning to his city and learning how many of Plano’s senior staff members were eligible to retire, he realized that something needed to be undertaken to fill this void. As a result, Muehlenbeck was active in the creation of the Management Preparation Program of Plano (MP3). MP3 is a 12 month in-house management succession program designed to build managerial skill sets, enhance opportunities for promotions, and reinforce the city’s commitment to service excellence. MP3 is a model that many other cities have adopted.

The City of Edmond is hosting the event at the spectacular Cross Timbers Training Center at I-35 and Covell in Edmond.

It’s been a winter of storm related disasters for cities across Oklahoma. Another disaster may be lurking closer to home that city officials may not see coming — the loss of knowledge and ability to run the municipality. Large portions of city employees and leadership are either at or near retirement in Oklahoma and across the nation. The April 16 workshop is designed to address this and other needs for leadership in Oklahoma municipalities of all sizes.

To register log onto www.oml.org and click on the EDUCATION button or call OML, 800-324-6651 long distance or 528-7515 in the Oklahoma City metro area to request a registration form.