City Council Meeting Date: January 14, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Risi Karim, Assistant to the City Administrator
Title
Council Worksession: Leadership-Effective Governance Session (Presenter Craig Rapp, The Rapp Consulting Group).
Body
Action Requested:
None.
Summary Report:
This worksession is an integrated step in the Strategic Planning process. The City of Northfield has planned the development, approval and beginning implementation of the new City Strategic Plan (2025-2028). This will be the third successive adopted strategic plan for the City of Northfield since 2017.
The City is continuing to work with Rapp Consulting Group, lead by Craig Rapp, who tailors the strategic planning process to the needs of the organization and the community. Rapp Consulting Group work with organizational and community leaders, helping them articulate their challenges, develop strategic priorities, and define actionable follow-through. Using a process that clarifies desired outcomes, performance indicators and success measures-the organization’s strategic “guidance system” is established. This is followed by a facilitated process with management to develop detailed initiatives and action plans, to ensure accountability.
The following is a summary of this workshop that is another step in preparation of the development of the new strategic plan:
Strategic Planning Session #1- Effective Governance. Team Cohesion. Leadership Development
An interactive session for the governing board, City Administrator, and senior management team will be conducted to familiarize the group with best practices in governance and create team cohesion. Governance topics covered will include- roles and responsibilities, teamwork, candid communications, handling conflict, the impact of politics, understanding differences, and collaborative decision-making. Participants will complete a DiSC© Personality/Style assessment and a survey of current team issues to provide base data for understanding differences and addressing team effectiveness.
A DISC assessment is a personality and behavioral assessment tool based on the DISC model, which categorizes human behaviors into four primary types: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). It is widely used in personal development, team building, leadership training, and hiring processes to understand how individuals interact, communicate, and respond to various situations.
The following is a summary of the agenda of topics for the meeting:
Council Worksession
Topic: Leadership-Effective Governance Session
6:00 PM Call to Order
I. Welcome, Mayor Zweifel
II. Introductions, Craig Rapp
III. Leadership-Effective Governance, Craig Rapp
A. Effective Governance - Defined
B. Roles and Responsibilities
C. Governance process, Best Practice Model
D. Governance and Politics
E. Teamwork, Council-Staff Relations
F. DiSC© results, Navigating style differences
G. Collaborative Leadership Strategies, Conflict Resolution
H. Summing Up - Going Forward
9:00 PM Adjourn
The presentation materials will be included at the meeting. The non-propriety information will be posted as additional materials on the City’s meeting management system Wednesday, January 15th or as soon as practical after.
The meeting will be held in the 2nd Floor Training Room of City Hall and is open to the public. The training room will provide a location more suitable for the training information and format. The meeting will not be livestreamed as that function is not available in that room. However, the meeting will be video recorded and uploaded City’s meeting management system Wednesday, January 15th or as soon as practical after.
Background on Craig Rapp and The Rapp Consulting Group
The Rapp Consulting Group (RCG), and its principal, Craig Rapp, have conducted over 100 local government strategic planning engagements--over forty (40) in the past five years. Primary clients are cities, counties, and special districts located in the Upper Midwest. The collaborative process used by RCG results in clear priorities, focused objectives, and targeted performance. This is accompanied by best-in-class stakeholder engagement, plan implementation and performance reporting-facilitated by a team with decades of local government and consulting experience.
Craig Rapp, President of the Rapp Consulting Group, is a nationally recognized speaker, facilitator, and strategic advisor. He speaks and conducts workshops on subjects such as: leading in difficult political environments, alternative service delivery, and authentic leadership. The focus of his consulting practice is strategic planning, leadership development, and optimizing organizational performance. Craig has over thirty-five years of experience as a senior executive in both the public and private sectors. He was the Director of Consulting for the International City-County Management Association, City Manager in three cities, Director at a regional agency, and a senior executive in two privately held companies. He has a master's degree in public administration, a bachelor's degree in urban studies, and is a graduate of the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia.
Alternative Options:
Not applicable.
Financial Impacts:
Not applicable.
Tentative Timelines:
Strategic Plan Development: Timeline Events
ü 10/22/24 (5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) - All Board & Commission Training
Comprehensive Plan Background & Context for Strategic Planning (Reilly)
Strategic Plan: Craig Rapp
1. Strategic Plan - background, purpose, schedule
2. Strategic Plan - facilitated feedback on policy, issues, etc.
ü 11/18/24 Staff Senior Management Team Meeting (Craig Rapp)
Leadership & Staff Working Together
ü 12/4/24 Staff Senior Management Team + Others: Strategic Plan Kickoff Meeting (Craig Rapp)
Enviro scan work, development, implementation preparation.
o 1/14/2025: Council Worksession: Good Governance Workshop (Rapp)
o February 2025 - Facilitated Community Stakeholder meetings (4 meetings approximately 90 minutes - in process for development)
o January/February 2025 - Mayor and Councilor Interviews
o January - February-March 2025: Community Survey.
o 3/11/25: Council Strategic Plan Workesession, City Hall 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Download of 2024 Board/Commission Input, Community Survey, 4 Focus Group Facilitation, Staff Environmental Scan, Strategic Plan Retreat Process etc.
o 4/5/25 (Saturday): City Council Strategic Plan Retreat, City Hall 2nd Floor Training Room 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (breakfast & lunch)
Develop Strategic Plan: Vision/Mission/Values, Strategic Priorities, Desired Outcomes, Strategic Initiatives
o 5/13/25: Council Worksession: Review & Direction on KOIs & Targets
Key Outcome Indicators & Targets. One agenda item 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
o 5/20/25: Council Regular Meeting: Adoption of Strategic Plan Report (2025-2028)