LAUNCH OF 2023 CAMA MASTERMINDS NETWORKING FORUM COMING SOON

CAMA was excited to pilot a new program this year called “Masterminds” which was facilitated by Chris MacPherson, CAMA Past President and Honourary Member for Life. 

Masterminds is a networking forum with a small group of your CAMA colleagues to provide a safe, confidential space to explore sensitive issues and challenging operational programs. This group is meant to provide some candid pragmatic advice on how to manage complex problems that you may have already experienced or that you may encounter in the future. Sixteen CAMA members met once a month from January to April 2023 and discussed the following topics:

“Dealing with Difficult Employees”. 

“Lack of Civility by the Public Toward Municipal Employees”

“The CAO Bubble: How Do You Know What’s Really Going On?”

"What Does Loyalty Really Mean for Public Servants?"

This was a very successful networking opportunity that the Board is pleased to continue this Fall 2023 with at least three groups and facilitators.

How Does Masterminds Work?

Time Commitment: The Masterminds will consist of one moderated session per month for 1.5 hours for a period of four months beginning in September and ending in December 2023. The dates and times are set in advance so you can check your calendar before you sign up (for example, one group will meet the first Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m. EST). The times are set to accommodate all time zones.

Size of Group. The maximum group size will be twelve CAMA members.

Topics: The topics will be chosen by the group based on consensus. 

Watch for more details in your inbox the first week of August 2023 on how to register for these sessions which will begin in September 2023.



POLITICAL ACUMEN: MEDIA INTERVIEWS

Recognizing the importance of political understanding in the role of senior municipal administrators, also referred to as political acumen, the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) launched a Political Acumen Toolkit.  This resource can be found at politicalacumen.camacam.ca

Politics are performed in the public domain and as a result, are loved by the media. Media, whether it be formal news institutions, online reporters/bloggers, or the commentary of online social networks, act as a check and balance for elected officials by “keeping them honest.” This can either be a good or bad thing depending on a CAO’s political acumen and ability to work with media representatives.

Today’s featured category is tips on media interviews. Find out more details here.

MASTERING MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT:

THE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ROLE

Grab your coffee and listen to the Local Gov Cafe's latest episode as Brenda Orchard, CAMA Second Vice-President and CAO for Lennox-Addington County, ON sits down to discuss the integral role of Executive Assistants in supporting the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer or City Manager - and how CAMA's new Toolkit (the Toolkit for the Effective Executive Assistant to the CAO) can enhance their effectiveness.

CAMA TO HOST CANADIAN DINNER FOR MEMBERS AT THE ICMA CONFERENCE

If you are attending the ICMA Conference, watch for details in your inbox on CAMA's Canadian Dinner (for members only) taking place on Monday, October 2, 2023 at a downtown restaurant.

The ICMA Annual Conference is taking place in Austin, Texas from September 30 to October 2, 2023. This event gives you the latest tools and techniques to solve challenges and help your community thrive. We worked with ICMA members, local government professionals, just like you, to identify core areas for effective local government management and used those insights to develop five essential education tracks. Choose from 110+ learning sessions, keynotes, micro-certifications, mobile workshops, product theaters and more.

To see the Schedule at a Glance click here.

LET'S THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT FIRING POOR PERFORMERS



You cannot tolerate poor performance if you want to promote excellence in your organization. Local government does an abysmal job of firing poor performers. This failure directly and negatively impacts an organization's productivity.

Read the Full Article Published by ICMA Here

Andrew Meyer, Deputy CAO / General Manager, Cultural Services Division, Corporation of the County of Lambton, ON

Pierre Milliard, Directeur Général, Ville de Haut-Madawaska, N.-B.

2023 CAMA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE NOMINATIONS

WILLIS AWARD FOR INNOVATION

Town of Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON

Population Under 20,000

Promoting Disconnecting from Work Program and Employee Well-Being - Municipal Employer's Guide

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake's Disconnection from Work Program is an innovative approach to promoting employee well-being and a healthy work-life balance in local government.

This program aims to reduce employee stress and burnout, leading to increased job satisfaction, productivity, and overall well-being.

It is more than a policy; it is a comprehensive program involving various aspects, such as a municipal employer's guide, training, flexible work schedules, hybrid-remote work agreements, access to wellness resources, a Disconnecting from Work Policy, campaign materials, videos, tips and FAQs on the importance of disconnecting from work. In today's "always-on" world, it's essential to prioritize self-care and disconnection from work to avoid burnout.

Promoting disconnecting from work and employee well-being is a critical aspect of maintaining a healthy and productive workplace. The program provides best practices for promoting disconnection from work and outlines the benefits of doing so. By implementing the steps outlined in the guide, the municipality can foster a workplace culture that prioritizes employee well-being and encourages employees to disconnect and recharge.

To view the entire awards submission visit the CAMA Member's Section/Awards of Excellence Best Practices (Search for "Disconnecting").

City of Moncton, NB

Population - 20,001 and 100,000

Bloomberg-Harvard City Leadership Initiative: Innovation Track Program – Team Moncton

The City of Moncton had the opportunity to have twelve employees participate in the Bloomberg-Harvard Innovation Track Program. This program allowed us to learn innovative ways of working and brought a new outlook to problem solving to City Hall while working toward the City’s goal of becoming Net-Zero by 2050.

We used a citizen-centric approach to gather data and ideas from people in the community within the three phases of the project. We engaged with different stake holders - residents, businesses, and not for profit organizations to better understand what our community is experiencing. We co-designed ideation sessions with different groups of residents and businesses and came up with ideas to solve our problem. We then created iterations of low fidelity prototypes to learn more about how residents and the community would interact with the ideas. 

This process allowed us to step back from the risk-adverse mentality that is often used in governments and gave us the space to be creative and take risks in a low fidelity prototype environment. An equity lens was used to ensure various people within the community had the opportunity to share their perspective. 

To view the entire awards submission visit the CAMA Member's Section/Awards of Excellence Best Practices (Search for "Bloomberg").