HOW'S YOUR POLITICAL ACUMEN?

​Political Acumen is the ability to see and understand the extent to which informal influence and external factors shape the decision-making process in government. It’s the space between politics and bureaucracy that can sometimes make public sector leaders uncomfortable because they don’t know what they don’t know.

It matters because without Political Acumen you will not succeed as a leader. You can't build trust-based relationships and be a credible and influential leader without Political Acumen.

So how can you develop your political acumen? ​You can choose the long and difficult road of hard knocks, ​or you can explore The Political Acumen Accelerator program starting January 2022. Watch this 3 minute video to learn more.

ICMA'S COACHING PROGRAM & FREE WEBINARS

The Career Compass advice columns are a service provided by the ICMA Coaching Program. See the article below on "Six Sources of Influence". Previous columns on leadership and career development topics are also available at www.icma.org/coaching.

As part of the Coaching Program, ICMA is also offering the no-charge webinar entitled “Growing your Career: Tips on Redefining Yourself in the Minds of Others for Wednesday, November 17. For more information and to register visit this link.

2021 CAMA Awards of Excellence Submissions:

City of Coquitlam & City of Regina

Willis Award for Innovation Nomination

Population Over 100,000

Coquitlam Support and Recovery Plan

Coquitlam’s Community Support and Recovery Plan (CSRP) is a multi-phased local recovery strategy led by the City and made up of different programs and initiatives to provide support to residents, businesses, and non-profits. The CSRP recognizes the complementary role a municipality can play in the COVID-19 recovery process, in coordination with the support offered by other levels of government. Through funding commitments and an approach that advances process improvements and adaptation, the CSRP seeks to deliver a measured, gradual and flexible plan that supports all sectors over time. This approach demonstrates the City’s long-term commitment to lending support in a sustained and impactful way, and investing in initiatives that foster economic resilience and assist in community recovery from COVID-19. The CSRP also confirms City Council’s commitment to proceed with approved major and capital infrastructure projects, as well as seek federal and provincial stimulus funding for City capital projects that provide jobs and promote economic recovery.

To view the entire award submission, visit the CAMA Member's Section/Awards of Excellence Best Practices (Search for Recovery Plan.)

Willis Award for Innovation Nomination

Population Over 100,000

Corporate Addressing Repository

(CARS) Project

The CARS project transformed how the City manages and uses civic address data. Prior to CARS, there was no single source of trusted data. Duplication of data, manual effort and poor data quality were the norm. CARS provides a single, trusted source of civic address data, used by multiple systems. It is supported by a solid governance and process framework. The team adopted an agile (incremental) implementation approach. Robust governance and business oversight were put in place and a flexible resource model was adopted. The agile approach facilitated an aggressive project schedule. Between July 2019 and January 2021 six releases were completed. Staff started using the system after completion of the first release and more users are added with each release. If a conventional project management approach and planning cycles were followed, the City would be issuing an RFP in the spring of 2021, with implementation starting in the summer at the earliest. CARS has delivered business value over and above the original vision and continues to evolve to meet civic address data needs. Success factors include governance, leadership support, agile implementation approach, collaboration, staff engagement and highly skilled City resources.

To view the entire award submission, visit the CAMA Member's Section/Awards of Excellence Best Practices (Search for CARS.)

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS

• Carla Tooley, Marketing Manager, FuseForward, Vancouver, BC
• Rudy Friesen, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Cremona, AB
• Rodney Audette, Town Manager, Town of White City, SK