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Post-Conference Workshop for Municipal CAOs, Clerk/Administrators and Senior Managers
Sponsored by:
Selecting the topics for this post-conference workshop was accomplished by surveying the 114 municipalities in Eastern Ontario. Those responding to the survey identified key topics of interest to the Municipal Manager. This workshop is based on the top two subjects identified.
The morning session will feature Ted Mouradian of The Mouradian Group who will speak on the topic of “Conflict Resolution” and “Cooperative Action”.
The afternoon session will feature Carolyn Kearns, Partner with The Randolph Group who will speak on her recent articles published in Municipal World “Successful Municipalities: CAOs Can Make The Difference” and part two “How Good CAOs Work”.
See below full agenda and session outlines.
Agenda
9:00 – 9:30 am Registration
9:30am "Eliminate Conflict through Cooperative Action"
When it comes to Customer/Client Conflict, Co-worker Conflict or Personal Conflict, you will learn the importance of attitude and understand how to accommodate without compromising your sense of self or the corporation’s goals and objectives. Most conflict comes from F.E.A.R. (False Evidence Appearing Real). This session will show you how to eliminate that fear and find the facts to determine what is real and what is not. You will also understand that in many cases even perception can seem real and how to look at yourself to see how you have contributed to that perception. You will learn who you are and why you do what you do. A good leader is one who solves conflict, but does not contribute to it.
You will also understand why “they” do what “they” do; keeping in mind that perception is real. You will learn that in fact extremely difficult people only make up about 2% of society.
Learn how to be assertive and not aggressive and where that line is. Know when it is time to walk away and understand how to realize when it is not your problem. In many cases we contribute to the conflict by exacerbating the problem. You will be shown how to identify the problem and how to get everyone involved to buy into the solution.
Discover how to remain calm in an adverse situation by learning how to deal with difficult people. Understand how you can control without being controlling by mastering the technique of being proactive and not reactive. Discover how you can stop being a victim and how to avoid conflict by telling them what you need and not what they are doing wrong. You will learn the Feel, Felt, Found method of validation.
Understand how to achieve Cooperative Action through The Mouradian Model©, a comprehensive and proven method of managing your personal and professional relationships. The Mouradian Model© has six simple tenets that become your code of conduct and are used to measure each and every interaction.
In dealing with Conflict Resolutions this unique program will show you an innovative way to help people move forward without dwelling on the past by identifying the problem, by identifying a solution to the problem and by identifying what is needed to move forward.
During the last 30 minutes of this session we will be working with an actual case that the Mouradian Group has worked on and will apply the tools learned to the case for discussion.
12:00 – 1:00pm Luncheon and Networking
1:00pm "What Municipal CAOs Need To Know To Survive"
The senior administrative staff person in a municipality, generically referred to as the Chief Administrative Officer, or the CAO, is critical to the success of a well functioning municipality. Today, there is increasing pressure on the CAO. He/she must play a pivotal role in municipal government – communicating Council’s views and directions to staff while at the same time managing staff and a complex range of services to deliver on Council’s agenda and vision for the municipality. This role requires a delicate balance of skills and abilities that will be explored in the session.
As a starting point, it will be useful to first discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Mayor and Council, as well as the CAO and senior management. Based on an agreed upon understanding of roles and responsibilities, the key activities practiced by all good CAOs will be reviewed. Obstacles that get in the way of these activities will also be discussed. The material will be presented to allow for a lively dialogue including questions and comments.
In addition to the “theory” of good CAO practices, the group will also participate in small group discussions of some “hands on” real life situations requiring analysis and strategies for addressing them. Small groups will be assigned a case study and given time to prepare an approach for managing the situation. The results each case study will be shared with the larger group. As part of this exercise, individuals will be able to provide examples of situations based on personal experience for review and analysis by the group.
The overall objective of the session is to combine learning with the practical realities of managing a municipality or a key municipal service. It is designed to be informative, provocative and interesting. It is not about right answers and prescribed formulas. Rather, it deals with some clear and straightforward principles and applying them in the context of today’s increasingly challenging municipal environment.
| 3:30pm | "Tri County Initiative" |
| | Jim Pine, CAO, Hastings County |
| | Larry Keech, CAO, Lennox & Addington County |
| | Dick Shannon, CAO, Prince Edward County |
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in conjunction with a number of Associations is currently working on assessing the education and training needs of the “Municipal Manager”. The “tri county initiative” is a very positive local effort which will demonstrate what other local governments are doing in order to meet their own needs.
4:00pm Adjournment
Click here to Register Online
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