Three ways to move beyond "squeaky wheel" leadership

If leadership styles had a “default setting,” it would likely be Squeaky Wheel Leadership (SWL). Elected councils are often fixated on how the Squeaky Wheels are going to react to their decisions. Every community has small groups of residents who work tirelessly to bend their local government to their way of thinking. It doesn’t matter if the issue is heritage, environment, urban growth, social housing, parks and recreation, or business development – councils everywhere have a built-in incentive to grease the squeaky wheel.

Let’s be clear about one thing: the squeaky wheel, in and of itself, is not bad. In a functioning democracy, every taxpaying citizen should enjoy the right to raise their voice. The issue is when the prevailing leadership approach to decision making is simply to appease those squeaking the loudest. It is time to get beyond SWL and replace it with strategic, composed leadership. Good local leaders employ innovative techniques to engage their whole community – not just the Squeaky Wheels. Here are three ways to effectively neutralize the pressure to default to SWL:

1. Establish a strategic plan

I am not talking about a glossy motherhood and apple pie public relations piece! This needs to be a real strategic plan that identifies the priority actions that a council will accomplish in its upcoming term. A good strategic plan must have a citizen engagement/survey component; it must be a comprehensive list of actions/projects; it needs to be aligned to the asset management plan; and it must be used by council and the senior management team to drive the budget process. A good strategic plan is the first step to breaking away from the SWL default setting.

2. Connect with your community

Citizens these days smell fake politicians a mile away! The best councils and the leaders find authentic ways of connecting with their community. Leaders should mix and match a variety of old and new communications methods. Strategies might include weekly radio shows, monthly newspaper updates, social media posts, seasonal town hall sessions, informal community Q&A coffee talks with service clubs, church groups, neighbourhood groups, or a 24/7 online portal.1 The principle is simple: make it as easy as possible for as many as possible to connect to their local government. Engaging the many isolates the Squeaky Wheel outliers, thus giving local leaders the intelligence needed to align their priorities to the community’s priorities.

3. Stay the course

The leadership characteristic needed most these days is courage. After establishing your strategic priorities and engaging your community, now your job as a leader really begins. It is up to you to stay the course and get things done. I have seen good leaders crack under the constant pressure of highly-motivated Squeaky Wheels who continue to push their personal agendas day in and day out. Politicians need to understand that not everyone is going to like them, and councils’ decisions will never be universally accepted. The best leaders figure out that sometimes you just need to say “no” – regardless of whether you are going to lose votes in the upcoming election. Composed, fact-based, and consistent leadership requires courage to stay the course. There are no shortcuts. Good leaders need to resist the urge to default to SWL.

SWL is not good leadership. It results in inconsistent, reactive decision making that frustrates and disengages most people. It is time for municipal leaders across Canada to establish clear priorities, connect with their citizens, and demonstrate the courage needed to get things done. It is this kind of leadership that will enable your community to unlock its potential. MW

Kelly Linton is a Founding Partner of Imaginate Inc. with over two decades of management consulting experience within the public sector, primarily at the municipal level. Areas of focus include strategic planning, organizational review/redesign, business process redesign, performance measures, and program evaluation. Since 2010, he has been a member of the Centre Wellington Town Council, and was elected as Centre Wellington’s fourth mayor in October 2014.

A version of this article appeared in Municipal World, July 2018.