The HaltingWinter Podcast

Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week – Belonging
Episode 333 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
_*]:min-w-0 gap-3"> What if the biggest thing holding your team back has nothing to do with skills, systems, or strategy? In this episode, Seth Winterhalter digs into Belonging by Owen Eastwood, the performance coach behind the England Football team, NATO's Command Group, and the British Olympic team, and why his central argument should be strongly considered by every local government leader: belonging isn't a soft concept. It is the foundational condition for human performance.
Seth unpacks three ideas from the book that hit differently in a local government context: the Us Story and your responsibility as the storyteller-in-chief for your organization, the silent dance and the invisible signals you're sending every single day, and why belonging has to come before performance, not after it.
If you lead a city, county, or public agency and you've ever wondered why talented people disengage, why new employees take so long to find their footing, or why your teams don't quite move like a connected whole, this episode and book are for you.


Join the MLDC for the Complete 5-Part Series
The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a network of local government leaders from across North America, including city/county managers, administrators, and department heads, giving you access to: 

     ✔ A weekly podcast series breaking down one book for municipal applications
     ✔ Daily blog reflections and implementation tools
     ✔ Our live, weekly, virtual mastermind session
     ✔ Monthly webinars with relevant training from local gov leaders
➡ Learn more at www.HaltingWinter.com/MLDC
Resources Mentioned
Book: Belonging by Owen Eastwood
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

Kathy Hodgson: When You're Not Ready, But You Lead Anyway
The Reality of Growing Into the Role of City Manager
*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "7f0aa905-d803-4481-9e44-c1a088a011df" data-testid= "conversation-turn-12" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> Episode 332 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
What happens when you step into the biggest leadership role of your career…and realize you're not ready?
In this episode, Kathy Hodgson—longtime City Manager of Lakewood, Colorado—shares the honest story of growing into leadership in real time. From starting as a teenage lifeguard to leading one of the largest cities in the state, her journey isn't built on a perfect plan; it's built on saying yes, learning fast, and leading through uncertainty.
Kathy opens up about the overwhelming early days of city management, the imposter syndrome that comes with the role, and how she leaned on her team to find her footing. She reflects on the values that shaped her leadership—fairness, forgiveness, and treating people with dignity—and why those matter more than ever in today's environment.
The conversation also explores how the job has changed. Issues like homelessness, incivility, and political polarization have reshaped what it means to lead at the local level, placing city managers at the center of some of the most complex challenges facing communities today.
This episode is a reminder that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about being willing to step in, stay steady, and grow into the responsibility.
Sponsored by:
Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead with clarity and conviction. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com

Christopher Wren: Similar Roles, Different Realities
The Shift from Service Delivery to System-Level Leadership
*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "7f0aa905-d803-4481-9e44-c1a088a011df" data-testid= "conversation-turn-12" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> Episode 331 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most people assume that city and county leadership are essentially the same role, just at different scales.
They're not.
In this episode, Christopher Wren, County Administrator of Newaygo County, Michigan, shares the critical distinction that changed how he leads: cities are built on service delivery, while counties operate through systems.
Christopher walks through his journey from city management to the private sector and back into public service at the county level, offering a rare perspective on how leadership changes when the work becomes less about direct control and more about coordination, influence, and trust.
We explore the realities most people never see:
Why local government remains one of the least understood professions and what that's costing us
The pressure, responsibility, and unpredictability behind everyday decisions
How early crises shaped his leadership approach and decision-making
The challenge of leading across elected officials, departments, and jurisdictions
Why presence, not position, is what builds trust inside an organization
How he navigated burnout and what it took to come back differently
This conversation is a clear reminder: leadership in local government isn't about having all the answers. It's about building the systems and the people that make the work possible.
Sponsored by:
Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead without burning out. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com

Show Notes: MLDC Book of the Week – Team of Teams
Episode 330 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
_*]:min-w-0 gap-3"> In this episode, Seth Winterhalter breaks down Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal and makes the case that the most important leadership lesson from one of history's most elite military forces has nothing to do with combat. It has everything to do with the structure you've built and whether it's designed for the world you're actually leading in.
McChrystal's central diagnosis: large, well-resourced organizations lose not because of incompetence, but because they're optimized for efficiency in environments that demand adaptability. Sound familiar? If you're managing a city or county through shifting council priorities, budget constraints, and a community that expects real-time responsiveness, you're operating in exactly the kind of complex environment McChrystal is describing.
Seth explores three ideas from the book that translate directly to local government leadership: shared consciousness — what it means for your departments to actually understand each other's work; empowered execution — how to push decisions down to the people with the best real-time information without losing accountability; and the leader as gardener — the shift from controlling outcomes to cultivating the conditions that produce them.


Join the MLDC for the Complete 5-Part Series
The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a network of local government leaders from across North America, including city/county managers, administrators, and department heads, giving you access to: 

     ✔ A weekly podcast series breaking down one book for municipal applications
     ✔ Daily blog reflections and implementation tools
     ✔ Our live, weekly, virtual mastermind session
     ✔ Monthly webinars with relevant training from local gov leaders
➡ Learn more at www.HaltingWinter.com/MLDC
Resources Mentioned
Book: Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

Justin Hopkins: Before the Tap Runs Dry
What Leaders Need to Know About Growth, Scarcity, and the Future of Water
*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "7f0aa905-d803-4481-9e44-c1a088a011df" data-testid= "conversation-turn-12" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> Episode 329 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies
Most people don't think about water…until they have to.
But behind every faucet, every development project, and every growing community is a system under pressure and one that most residents will never see.
In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Justin Hopkins, General Manager of the Stockton East Water District, to pull back the curtain on the complex world of water in local government. From aging infrastructure and groundwater depletion to regulatory pressure and explosive growth, Justin shares what it actually takes to keep water flowing and what happens when the math no longer works.
As communities continue to expand and resources become more constrained, the conversation around water is no longer just operational; it's strategic.
And for local leaders, it's becoming one of the defining challenges of the next generation.
This episode also highlights Drinking Water Week (May 3–9, 2026), an initiative led by the American Water Works Association to recognize the essential role water professionals play in protecting public health and supporting thriving communities.
If you're a city manager, department head, or public sector leader navigating growth, infrastructure, or long-term planning, this is a conversation you can't afford to ignore.
Sponsored by:
Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software solutions designed specifically for the public sector and local government. Learn more at https://tylertech.com/winter

The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) is a global community for local government leaders who want ongoing support, practical insights, and a trusted peer network to help them lead with clarity and conviction. Learn more at https://haltingwinter.com/MLDC
Connect with Seth Winterhalter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
Website: https://www.HaltingWinter.com