Local government spends 2 trillion dollars annually on procurement. Co-founder and CEO of Pavilion, Mariel Reed, shares her unique perspective working in both local government and technology to create solutions that improve the often tedious, slow, and painful procurement processes, including:Drastically reduce buying cycles.Maintain compliance.How city/county managers and department heads can empower purchasing managers to transform the dreaded procurement headache into a strategic advantage.ResourcesPavilion's free platform for local governments.Connect with Mariel on LinkedIn to continue the conversation or ask questions about procurement. Include ICMA podcast in your message!Emergency preparation and response resources from Hagerty Consulting.

ICMA Southeast Regional Director, Randy Reid joins the share nearly 50 years of wisdom on:Advocating for the profession of local government administration.Responding to public criticism and handling an unwanted spotlight as a city/county manager.Separating local government service delivery from the partisan pitfalls of national or local politics.Specific strategies to identify and support the next generation of managers.ResourcesICMA Local Government Reimagined Conferences, Louisville, May 10-12 and Long Beach, June 7-9.Free E-Book: The 2023 State of Local Government Report

Mental health for local government leaders, their staff, and their residents is discussed with Johnny Crowder. ICMA Affinity partner, Cope Notes, is a daily text service that interrupts negative thought patterns with positive stimulus to help improve mental wellness.Co-hosts Jessi Atcheson and Joe Supervielle collected questions about mental health and the Cope Notes model from ICMA  members, staff, and others for an Ask Me Anything interview, including:How does peer support connect with neuroscience?How does it fit in or compliment with seeing a professional, certified therapist?Stigma to even have a conversation about mental health has made progress, but how do you show people it's okay to seek support?How can text messages possibly make a meaningful impact on mental health?How do local governments or other organizations with group subscriptions measure success if it's all anonymous?ResourcesPreliminary effectiveness study of the Cope Notes digital mental Health program in the Journal of Mental Health.Recap from Crowder's session at ICMA Annual Conference Columbus, and his TEDx Talks.Local government healthcare resources from Cigna. 

Lawrence E. Henderson, Jr., President & Chief Learning Officer, Business Operational Support Services (BOSS), LLC, shares insights on how to move from leadership clichés to behavior and habits that:Build and maintain high performing teamsEffectively delegateInspire and supportResourcesMessage Lawrence Henderson on LinkedIn and mention ICMA's Voices in Local Government podcast for a free 1-1 consultation.Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance (or a lack of) to decide what to do, delegate, or hold.Free, self-guided website solutions demo from CivicPlus.

Cedar Park, Texas deputy city manager, Katherine Caffrey created the TEXChange program in Texas to benefit assistant city/county managers in their daily work . In this episode, Caffrey outlines the goals of the exchange for participant and host, lessons learned in the inaugural group of 14, what's planned for 2023, and how to set up a similar informal program in your own region or state.ResourcesICMA Blog: How We Created a Successful Exchange Student Program for Assistant and Deputy [email protected], self-guided website solutions demo from CivicPlus.