1 Leadership, Management & the Role of Performance Measurement Michael Lawson, Director ICMA Center for Performance Measurement

2 But first, an account from the field… Presentation to council members…  Report from management and analyst types…  Perspective of a front-line employee…  “A park where I’m proud to bring my family…”  “I want this to spread like a virus throughout the organization…” 1. Culture of outcomes 2. From perspective of resident 3. Positive, internal motivation

3 Presentation Overview Presentation Overview “Good to Great”: Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management Coda: Making the Time for Performance Management: “So Easy a Cave Man Can Do It” (?!?)

4 Brief Background Brief Background What is the International City/County Management Association? What is the International City/County Management Association? What is the ICMA Center for Performance Measurement? What is the ICMA Center for Performance Measurement?

5 (1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management Great Leadership (Jim Collins): Establish “piercing clarity” of mission Establish “piercing clarity” of mission “Rigorously assemble evidence” [performance measures] “Rigorously assemble evidence” [performance measures] Apply rigorous logic, thinking & questioning Apply rigorous logic, thinking & questioning Same concepts in “Evidence-based Management,” Pfeffer & Sutton, Harvard Business Review, January 2006; reprinted with permission in ICMA’s Public Management magazine (September 2007).

6 (1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership and Management Piercing clarity of mission (or lack thereof) Piercing clarity of mission (or lack thereof) Example: Example: Fire service Fire service If lacking…how this can distort: Policy making by elected officials Policy making by elected officials Management decisions Management decisions

7 1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management 1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management Seven Key Diagnostic Questions* A. Establish “piercing clarity” of mission: 1. Are we doing the right “what”? Who is “we”? 2. According to whom? 3. Why be high performance? What is at stake? …and, therefore, what outcomes and results do we need to achieve? …and, therefore, what outcomes and results do we need to achieve?_________ *Univ. of Virginia, Commonwealth Centers for High Performance Organizations,

8 Seven Key Diagnostic Questions B. Rigorously assemble evidence: 4. How do residents view our performance? …fellow employees? performance? …fellow employees? 5. Are we good at it? How good are we? 6. What is the appropriate level of performance for us? 7. How would we know if we were? Sidebar: The importance of methodologically rigorous citizen surveys

9 1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management 1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management …And one set of action steps: C. Apply rigorous logic & questioning: 8. How do we improve? What real or assumed constraints get in the way? What can we learn and apply from high performers? [“Best” is not monolithic: (1) top overall, (2) best at leveraging, (3) best pct. Improvement.] What can we learn and apply from high performers? [“Best” is not monolithic: (1) top overall, (2) best at leveraging, (3) best pct. Improvement.] How do we avoid “mindless mimicry?” How do we avoid “mindless mimicry?”

10 1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management 1) Performance-Based Evidence as a Key Ingredient to Your Leadership & Management Great Leadership: “….What matters is not finding the perfect indicator, but settling upon a consistent and intelligent method of assessing your results, then tracking your trajectory with rigor.” -- Jim Collins, Good to Great and the Social Sectors, p. 8

11 Urgent Not Urgent VeryImportantIII Organizational leadership & performance management* Organizational leadership & performance management* LessImportantIIIIV Coda: Making Time for Performance Management & Organizational Ldrshp. * “I’ve got a job to do; I don’t have time to think.” *Without it, Quadrant I activities will continue to grow & accelerate.

12 Change is Hard… “I know evolving from hunting and gathering to agriculture is tough, but hey, no one said change is easy.”

13 Food for thought: How much time/resources currently devoted to: Tracking dollars: Tracking dollars: Developing and preparing budgets? Developing and preparing budgets? Monitoring month-to-month financials? Monitoring month-to-month financials? Preparing annual financial reports? Preparing annual financial reports? Audits? Audits? …compared to tracking how well those dollars are spent? …compared to tracking how well those dollars are spent?

14 “Doc, it hurts when I do this..” It “hurts” when we continue to prioritize, budget and manage in much the same way with constricting political and financial resources focusing primarily on inputs and maybe some outputs… It “hurts” when we continue to prioritize, budget and manage in much the same way with constricting political and financial resources focusing primarily on inputs and maybe some outputs… What about trying to focus primarily on outcomes & results? What about trying to focus primarily on outcomes & results?

15 In closing: Reflect on park maintenance story….  Presentation to council members…  Report from management and analyst types…  Perspective of a front-line employee…  Front-line employee: “A park where I’m proud to bring my family…”  Council member: “I want this to spread like a virus throughout the organization…” 1. Culture of outcomes 2. From perspective of resident 3. Positive, internal motivation

16 Leadership, Management & the Role of Performance Measurement Michael Lawson, Director ICMA Center for Performance Measurement

17 Appendix: Overview of ICMA-CPM [FYI only: This section will not be part of the formal presentation but is provided for those who may wish to have additional information on ICMA-CPM] [FYI only: This section will not be part of the formal presentation but is provided for those who may wish to have additional information on ICMA-CPM] Over 200 cities & counties (and growing) Over 200 cities & counties (and growing) All sizes (urban, suburban, rural) All sizes (urban, suburban, rural)

18 Mission Improve effectiveness & efficiency…through the collection, analysis and broad-based application of performance information for managerial and organizational leadership Improve effectiveness & efficiency…through the collection, analysis and broad-based application of performance information for managerial and organizational leadership

19 How is mission accomplished? Defining indicators Defining indicators Collecting comparative data Collecting comparative data Ensuring consistent set of data Ensuring consistent set of data Employing rigorous data cleaning Employing rigorous data cleaning Providing citizen surveys Providing citizen surveys Annual data report Annual data report

20 How is mission accomplished? Facilitating analysis and assisting participating jurisdictions Facilitating analysis and assisting participating jurisdictions Web (e-database; rosters) & workshops Web (e-database; rosters) & workshops Statewide performance consortia (14 so far) Statewide performance consortia (14 so far) “What Works:” Identification of effective practices “What Works:” Identification of effective practices For more information, visit For more information, visit