Gov360
by Chris Mann
Latest episode
Can ICMA Membership Threaten Your Career? | Ep.32
Can ICMA Membership Threaten Your Career? | Ep.32
About this podcast
Gov360 is the most watched local government podcast in America, bringing together the leaders, ideas, and conversations shaping the future of public service.
Hosted by City Manager Chris Mann, Gov360 features candid conversations with city managers, public executives, elected officials, innovators, and other leaders shaping communities across the country. From leadership and organizational culture to politics, technology, career development, and the future of the profession, Gov360 goes beyond the headlines to explore what it really takes to lead in local government.
Stay informed. Stay inspired. Lead boldly.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 34 episodes
- Can ICMA Membership Threaten Your Career? | Ep.32 · 48 min · Episode 34Can membership in a professional association actually threaten your career? City Manager Chris Mann believes the answer is yes. And he knows firsthand how painful the…
- When It's Time to Walk Away | Kevin Lahner | Ep.31 · 1 h 21 min · Episode 33After 25 years in local government, veteran city manager Kevin Lahner made a decision he never expected to make. He walked away. Why? Because the profession he loved was…
- Is Government Really as Broken as It Looks? | David Martin | Ep.30 · 1 h 20 min · Episode 32Most people hear about government when something has gone wrong. A scandal. A failure. A meeting that explodes. An official who betrays the public trust. Those stories matter…
- Gov360: Episode 29 - A New Hope · 36 min · Episode 31Local government has been through a difficult season. Political polarization. Social media attacks. Burnout. Public distrust. Workforce challenges. Talented professionals…
- Why Local Government Breaks Your Heart...And Why We Keep Coming Back | Ep.28 · 48 min · Episode 30Local government can break your heart. Not because the work lacks meaning, but because it matters so deeply. The people who choose careers in public service often carry enormous…
- Leadership Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely | Introducing the Gov360 Community | Ep.27 · 27 min · Episode 29Leadership can be incredibly lonely. Not because leaders are isolated. But because responsibility often can’t be shared. What if the conversation didn’t have to end when the…
- The End of Loyalty | Ep.26 · 37 min · Episode 28Employees are changing jobs faster than ever. Organizations are experiencing constant turnover. City manager tenure continues to shrink. Political environments are increasingly…
- Different Systems, Same Problems: Local Government Across the Pond | Ep.25 · 1 h 5 min · Episode 27Before we talk about the differences between American and British local government… It may be more important to talk about the similarities. Different governmental structures…
- The Municipal Battlefield: Leadership, Pressure, and Survival in Small-Town Government | Ep.24 · 1 h 5 min · Episode 26Leadership in local government is becoming emotionally heavier. Not just operationally difficult. Heavier. The public sees the council meeting.The vote.The controversy.The…
- Why City Managers Don’t Last – And What They Get Wrong | Ep.23 · 17 min · Episode 25City managers don’t just fail. Most don’t fail at all. They stall. They plateau. They quietly move on… or get pushed out. And it’s usually not because they weren’t good at their…
- When Departments Break: Why Local Government Employees are Leaving | Ep.22 · 1 h 0 min · Episode 24Departments don’t usually fail all at once. They break quietly, then suddenly. Across local government, employees are leaving, burnout is rising, and many leaders don’t realize a…
- Is the Council-Manager Model Buckling in Today’s Politicized Era? | Ep.21 · 26 min · Episode 23For more than a century, the council–manager form of government has been one of the most successful governance innovations in American public administration. It professionalized…
- Competence Is No Longer Enough: The Quiet Shift in Local Government Leadership | Ep.20 · 26 min · Episode 22Competence used to be enough. Master the craft. Stay neutral. Deliver results. Let the work speak for itself. For decades, that formula sustained careers across local government…
- Becoming a City Manager: Lessons in Resilience, Leadership, and Longevity with Joe Turner | Ep.19 · 1 h 5 min · Episode 21There is no single path to the city manager’s chair. Some arrive through planning or finance. Others through engineering or public safety. And some come through politics…
- Is City Management Still Worth It? – Purpose, Impact, and Meaning in a Demanding Field | Ep.18 · 12 min · Episode 20If you spend enough time in city management or local government leadership, you will eventually ask a quiet but unavoidable question: Is this still worth it? Not necessarily in a…
- When the Council Turns: 7 Rules for Surviving Political Power Shifts | Ep.17 · 17 min · Episode 19If you work in local government long enough, you will experience political change. Elections happen. Majorities shift. New voices come in with new priorities. But what happens…
- A Christmas Replay: Timeless Lessons in City Management & Leadership | Ep.16 · 1 h 26 min · Episode 18What keeps city managers going when the pressure, politics, and public scrutiny feel relentless? In this special holiday episode of Gov360, host Chris Mann revisits a candid…
- What Keeps Us Up at Night: A Raw Roundtable on the Pressures of City Management | Ep.15 · 1 h 10 min · Episode 17City and county managers carry an extraordinary weight—public pressure, political conflict, community expectations, nonstop crises, and the quiet fear of what could go wrong…
- Cancel Culture in City Hall: What Happens When the Mob Comes for You | Ep.14 · 20 min · Episode 16If you work in local government long enough, you’ll face public criticism. That comes with the territory. But what happens when it stops being about policy and becomes about…
- From City Staffer to Councilmember: How Joe Pradetto Flipped the Script on Local Politics | Ep.13 · 1 h 21 min · Episode 15What really changes when you go from writing staff reports to voting on them? In this episode of Gov360, host Chris Mann sits down with Palm Desert City Councilmember Joe…
