by Jessica Deakyne | Feb 25, 2026 | Leadership Development & Support
Here’s the scenario: You decided to apply for a new role, and out of the many people who applied for that promotional opportunity you find yourself selected to show them your stuff during an in-person panel interview. You notice as you book your interview there are...
by Mary Egan | Dec 8, 2025 | Leadership Development & Support
Dear Mary, I’m a newly appointed City Manager, and lately I’ve noticed a pattern in my own behavior: When problems come in fast—particularly from Council members—I tend to respond by quickly and decisively taking action. It’s efficient, but I’m starting to realize it...
by Mary Egan | Oct 30, 2025 | Leadership Development & Support
Ask Mary is an advice column for public sector leaders hosted by MRG Co-Founder and CEO Mary Egan. In today’s column, Mary responds to a question received at the Annual MMANC Conference 2025 in Monterey, CA. Dear Mary, I work in a City Manager’s office and oversee...
by Jessica Deakyne | Oct 13, 2025 | Leadership Development & Support
We are knee deep in conference season and leaders keep telling me how much they dread networking. The loud ballrooms, the business card bingo—it can all feel very “ick” when you think of networking in the traditional sense. I get it, we are not all up for the gauntlet...
by Mary Egan | Oct 13, 2025 | Leadership Development & Support
Dear Mary, Our City Manager is retiring. He has been a great leader (from my perspective). He’s also been a champion for several initiatives that are still underway that are important to our community and won us a lot of credibility. I worry that these initiatives...
by Shirley Concolino | Sep 15, 2025 | Human Resources Services, Leadership Development & Support
In the last eight years working with MRG, I’ve performed organizational assessments at cities across California, often focused on City Clerks’ offices. Recently I’ve noticed an alarming trend of what I’ll call “policy deserts”: policies and procedures are often...
