Episode 76: Town of Cary A Best Place to Work, Nationally
The Town of Cary was recently recognized as one of the top three places to work, nationally, in terms of local government. What does that mean? How is something like that achieved? We speak with Cary Manager Sean Stegall to learn what they're doing differently. Municipal Equation is the podcast about cities and towns adapting to change, from the North Carolina League of Municipalities.
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Transcript
This is Municipal Equation from the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Welcome back to Municipal Equation, the podcast about cities and towns adapting to change. My name is Ben Brown. Recently, the national organization, ELGL, or Engaging Local Government Leaders, named the town of Cary one of the twenty twenty two best places to work in local government. And they only named three places nationwide, Kansas City, Missouri, San Rafael California, and Cary North Carolina, as being the three best places to work in terms of local government nationwide. It's a growing city in the Triangle Region and they've endeavored to do some different things, which we'll look at today. For e l g l, it started with the town of Cary's core values as an employer. And I'll read them one by one. Number one, people first. Says here, we exist to build an inclusive community and take care of people. Number two, evolution. We seize opportunities to experiment, learn, and adapt to create a better future. Number three, working smart. We prioritize work on the most important things. And number four, anyone can lead. We differentiate leadership from authority and believe that everyone can find ways to make our community better. And those are the town of Cary's core values. ELGL says, quote, when it comes to these values, Cary practices what it preaches, end quote. To learn more, let's talk with someone inside the town of Cary.
My name is Sean Stegall. I'm the town manager
for the town of Cary, North Carolina. How long have you been with the town of Cary?
I have been with the town of Cary for a little over six years.
Now people in the audience are going to be familiar with the town of Cary in some way, I'm sure. But for anybody who isn't familiar, could you hand us a quick picture, describing the community of Cary to someone who may be unfamiliar, the population roughly, you know, is it a growing community? What kind of industry? Just a quick snapshot of what Cary is.
Sure. Town of Cary is a high growth community, bordering both, Raleigh and Durham in the in the triangle, North Carolina.
Talk about Cary as a great place to work. And and zooming out for a little bit more background. You know, we've talked with a lot of cities and towns that have run into difficulties in some cases when it comes to recruitment and retention of staff. Maybe some types of jobs and services are affected more than others. There's been talk of a labor shortage, competition with the private sector and what it can offer. Has Carrie seen any such challenges in the past few years?
Carrie has been very fortunate and had a stable workforce for quite some time. And even, during this period of kind of great volatility for local governments, our retention rate remains at about 98%.
98% is an amazing retention rate. How many employees roughly are with the town of Cary?
We have, approximately 1,200 full time equivalent employees to town.
And so, you know, we love the idea of sharing things that work. You know, sometimes a great idea in one town can be scalable, in some way to other towns. It can be a great idea elsewhere. And that's why I wanted to learn a little bit more about why Cary is absolutely an awesome place to work, certifiably, you know, for a municipal employee. So ELGL, engaging local government leaders, national outfit, they recognize the town of Cary as one of the best places in the nation to work in local government in 2022. And what ELGL seems to have done here is recognize the existing core values of the town of Cary, starting with that concept that the town of Cary is people first. What does that mean as a core value that you're people first?
Well, Ben, being, people first organization, as recognized by ELGL, an organization that we've participated in and have great admiration for, means that we put our, our employees, my colleagues, at the center of everything that we do. And so the the concept is the better that you treat your employees, the the better they're going to provide services and connect with the citizens in our community. And so really taking a focus on our employees and trying to make sure that their daily experience, their yearly experience is of the highest quality value.
And so ELGL also points out that Cary, it seems to be a great place for ideas to evolve and for experimentation at the town of Cary to try new things and see what might work, and make for better outcomes. Could you talk about that for a moment? What you, you know, what would you say the town of Cary embraces experimentation when it comes to making it a uniquely great place to work? And if so, could you give us an example or two?
Cary is a uniquely great place to work. In the little over six years that I've been here, I find truly every day to be inspiring. The community, which is, was incorporated in 1871, but its its kind of current history is about forty years or so, which is a short amount of time for 180,000 residents to kind of gather in one place. And everybody was from somewhere else. So over 90% of the of our citizens come from somewhere else, the East, California, Midwest. And they really endeavor to create a special place, somewhere that was kind of more resistant to kind of, kind of binary politics that you see in a lot of places, a place that was really going to embrace innovation, a place that were, kind of a data driven decision making was going to be upheld and promoted. And so while you found that in the community, it was certainly gonna be reflected in the local government. So this community's leaders were very thoughtful and had a lot of foresight in doing that. And in turn, that has been carried forward into the local government.
And and so there's a a culture, you would say, of experimentation
and a safety to do so. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. You and as a matter of fact, without safety, you will have no experimentation. And so what we have found is that the most important message, that any employee can hear is that you care about them. And so our messages of caring for them, being on their side, rooting for them, letting them know just how special they are, really then, builds our innovation portfolio. Because around that, employees feel encouraged to try different things, to experiment, to take, reasonable chances, and to try to create, models, local government service models that will not only be viable today, but they'll be viable well into the future.
How do employees, get to a place where they feel comfortable in a a place of experimentation where, you know, sometimes with workplaces, you know, you can feel a sense of rigidity, maybe a lack of freedom to try new things. How do employees get the message that, experimentation is something that's that's welcomed or at least the conversation toward it?
The message of experimentation and the message that we care about you is, led by our multi, multidimensional and very talented human resources department. In addition, we have an organizational development division that is out of the town manager's office that really promotes this kind of dual message of the importance of innovation and the importance of organizational development and excellence while also stressing the message of that this is a human endeavor and that we care about you, and the two, really are, can coincide. They're not mutually exclusive.
And so another core value for the town of Cary here is, put simply, working smart. So this is one of the things that ELGL highlighted, prioritizing the most important things. And, of course, you know, anybody would hope to boast that they work smart and prioritize the right things. But for Cary, this seems to be a bit more focused. So what does working smart mean as a Town of Cary employee? How is that different?
Well, sure. Working smart in Cary, simply means that we are going to have a process by which we determine what our priorities are. Certainly, those are the policy goals, that are determined by our Town Council. But then how we operationalize that into our yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily activities. And so we utilize a tool that we built here on a Salesforce platform called, the catalog. And the catalog tracks all of our project related, efforts and activities. And we look at that every quarter. So we have quarterly meetings with our town council and a quarterly report that we issue, based upon the model that is used by Fortune five 100 or, really any publicly traded company and and in that we make sure that we are able to run reports and show the data that we are in fact aren't getting sidetracked with other types of priorities with the flavor of the day if you will, but staying true and consistent to those most important priorities established by the town council.
And the the town council and we've we've talked, before about the the level of empowerment that the town council has has placed in you to kinda help shepherd some different thinking and and some of this experimentation or whatever the right word is. I mean, could could you, kind of help to place some value on, and explain, you know, the the the weight that's that's given by having a trusting town council that gives you some freedom and flexibility to, kind of flex things in the workplace.
Sure. Well, the town council is the the key to it all. You know, they create the conditions of excellence. And so if without their support, I wouldn't be able to then turn that support to our department directors and our employees. And they are an experienced group that has been drawn from a community that has decades of really demonstrating that they, they care about and act upon in a matter in nonpartisan local government, decision making. And so, you know, one thing that's often bandied about and certainly said here in Cary as well is that there is no Republican or Democrat way to build a street. Right? And so Right. Understanding that our focus, we are a municipal corporation, is about providing services to our citizens and doing that in a way that is the most efficient and effective and, removing any type of political or partisan type of conversations from that formula.
Is there a pretty good flow of communication between employees and your office or with the town council? I mean, do do employees feel, you know, comfortable, or is there a a forum to where employees can feel uncomfortable to speak their minds with how things are going at the workplace?
Yeah, Ben, we have a lot of different, avenues, methods, pathways, whatever you wanna call it, on how we can communicate with our employees. I'll do, about every three or four months, I'll do an all hands meeting with all of our employees. All 1,200 employees have the opportunity to listen to me and send questions in. We do monthly wrap sessions, where our our employees are invited to attend and participate in in conversations regarding equity and diversity and ask and hold really difficult and challenging, vulnerable conversations. I referenced early our HR department, which through its, its its talent and culture, coordinators. They have people in that office that focus specifically on talent, recruitment and retention, then also organizational development practices are there to be as a kind of a pathway for all of our employees. And then just through the efforts of our department directors, who encourage kind of open communication with employees throughout the organization.
And so this is also a way for employees to kind of self reflect too and see whether what they're doing is is maybe having a positive effect or, that they're they're they're part of, you know, some sort of experimentation scheme to where that there can be positive outcomes. I mean, that this this is a way for employees to kind of have that sort of level of awareness. Is would that be true to say? Yeah. That's correct, Ben. As a matter of fact,
I believe, at the end of every all hands, meeting that I have, and if it's not every, it's 90% of the time, I will close or incorporate some message regarding that, one day is, one day too long to work at a job you don't love. And so trying to reach out to all employees that if you have found yourself that you're, in a position with the town of Cary, that you no longer love it or at least like it a lot, let us know. We'll work with you. We'll find another role for you in the organization. With, really kind of embracing Jim Collins' idea of putting the right people on the right seat on the bus. And so we every year, we'll have a couple dozen employees that will change roles within the organization. Fortunately, and we are large enough to be able to do that and offer employees that alignment between what they're personally passionate about and some need that we need to fill. And so we preach that over and over and over again because you just can't be good at a job that you don't love.
Well, this goes really nicely into this fourth core value that ELGL pulled out. I really like this one personally that anyone can lead. It says here, we differentiate leadership from authority and believe that everyone can find ways to make our community better. What does that look like in practice? What what does the town of Cary do with an idea such as this that anyone can lead?
Sure. The idea that anyone can lead is drawn from the adaptive leadership model, that was put forward in the book Leadership on the Line by Ron Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky. And so this idea that you if you are in a position of authority, you might be the boss per se. People report to you. That's a technical distinction. But leadership can come from anywhere. And the the leadership is a verb, it's not a position. There is no such thing as a leader. There's the leadership behaviors. And you don't have to be a person that's in a position of authority to be able to demonstrate that. And so what we have seen are some of the most powerful and influential, employees in the organization may or may not be a supervisor or may or may not be in a position of authority. But they certainly are able to demonstrate leadership. And so we send that message regularly. We built our entire culture around that concept that, is that you can maximize your interest and leadership in the organization no matter where you're at in the organization.
Well, I I like that, there's, I guess, a sense of expression to being an employee with the town of Cary and and a sense of safety in that that seems to to to matter hugely. What do you what what else do you think sets Cary apart? Are there any other homegrown programs or initiatives for the employees that help them to not only do their jobs best, but but also enjoy it, like you say? Well, I think one thing that we do that's,
that's pretty unique is in the two different divisions of organizational development and then the other division of research and development. So two, separate and distinct divisions in the town manager's office that are focused, on primarily on the future. So not so much about what we're doing today, but about what we're doing tomorrow. And so on your organizational development standpoint, it's really finding a way that we can cultivate talent. And, hopefully, throughout someone's career, if they start when they're really young in their early twenties, they can be here for thirty years and progress all the way up to, develop, department director position. And so how do we put people in positions to succeed? How do we develop it? Personalized development plans for those employees is something that we wanna have people that are focusing on that daily. And then on the research and development side, you know, working on different experimentations and different experiments for service models that will, help us continue to grow what we do and find different ways of providing the same services, hopefully even more efficiently and more effectively into the future.
Well, I think this paints a pretty good picture, for anyone listening on on why Cary was recognized nationally, as being an exceptional place to work in local government. But for anybody else listening, you know, what advice might you have for a fellow town manager or city manager, for example, who's interested in trying new things in this regard to enhance the employee experience? Like, are there questions to ask yourself as a town manager, administrator, or anything to to frame, the the want for some kind of new approach?
Sure, Ben. I think, is, I certainly have gotten a lot of great advice from my, certainly my mentors in city management profession and now my my colleagues and peers. And first, there needs always needs to be a recognition of what what is possible within the jurisdiction you're working in. And as I said earlier, our town council makes everything possible. The quality of our town council makes everything possible. And so, really, I think it's of critical importance for all city managers to, spend as much time as they can on individual development of those council members through not just through one on one meetings where you're reporting out, letting them know what they're doing, but find ways to invest in them professionally if they're willing to seek that and embrace that. You can only control so much on that end, but if you have programs and opportunities for your council just as you we do for our employees, we make all those same things available to our council so they know that they can continue to grow in their job and get better and better with it over time.
So one last question, and this is just to set a bit of contrast. What is the cost of not doing, things like this to try to innovate the workplace, make experimentation something that can come comfortably? What's what what is the risk of of not stepping out and doing something different like this?
Well, Ben, we, we use a visual in talking about this concept. We use an arc. And at the and an arc has a, you know, has a bot you know, two sides. And then at the top, the top of the arc is where, successful organizations want to be, whether they're public or private. But history is filled with examples of, you know, think like Kodak or Xerox or what have you or BlackBerry that at one point were at the top of the arc, and then over time, they slid either slowly or quickly down the other side. And so recognizing that there is no such thing as status quo, that just doing what you've always done before is not gonna keep you at the top of the arc. So we have to constantly be pushing forward. We have to constantly be experimenting. We have to constantly be innovating in order to maintain that position at the top of the arc, where we're able to achieve, and be recognized for success in the provision of local government services. So that that visual is very helpful, and the language regarding remaining at the top of the arc to keep Cary great or keep Cary Cary is, something that we really we really cherish in this organization.
How can people learn more about the, the town of Cary? What what's the website?
The website is townofcary.org. And so there, they could certainly, reach us there. Or if they're in are in Cary, they can certainly contact us through 311.
I love how Sean Steagall, our guest today, said that the most important message that any employee can hear is that you care about them, and you just can't be good at a job you don't love. I love those quotes. In case you're wondering why Kansas City, Missouri, a k a KCMO, won its distinction as being one of the top places to work in local government, here's what ELGL had to say. Kansas City showed up for this challenge with the most nominations. Then they quickly showed these nominations were solid in both quantity and quality. One way the city focuses on community engagement is its office of citizen engagement dedicated to strengthening the relationship between the city and its residents. It's described as a one stop shop to help residents navigate the system. The city was described as one with quote, unquote limitless opportunities for its employees. If you're an employee who works hard and wants to advance in your career, KCMO is the kind of place that rewards that initiative and creates an atmosphere that empowers its employees. And here's what they had to say about San Rafael, California. In a time when some local governments face strife with elected officials, San Rafael stands out as a community whose staff is empowered by the trust its council and elected leaders place in them. They're challenged to be their best professional selves, both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras at council meetings. They don't compete for appreciation. There's some acknowledgment across city hall that each team member is vital in creating a wonderful community. To that end, they trust one another enough to break down silos and focus on cross departmental work that is key to advancing community programs and projects. And that's from ELGL, engaging local government leaders, elgl.org. I hope this episode brought you some ideas, which as always are not prescriptive. They're just ideas we can pass around to see what might fit in our own towns if needed or desired. Municipal equation is the podcast about cities and towns adapting to change, and it comes to you from the North Carolina league of municipalities, working as one advancing all online at nclm.0rg. We'll have another episode for you in the near future. Thanks again for listening. For NCLM, this is Ben Brown.