Leading Together
Four Case Studies of Successful Gateway City Initiatives
Responding to the challenges brought about by industrial change requires strong leadership, but the changes themselves have eroded the leadership capacity of Gateway Cities. Corporate consolidation leaves fewer committed private sector leaders with a long-term vision at the civic table. The rapid pace of economic change creates more residential turnover. Declining household income means residents have less time to volunteer and fewer resources to donate or stake campaigns for public office. To overcome these challenges, Gateway Cities will need new governance structures and leadership development strategies. Compelling research demonstrating that local leadership separates cities that succeed from those that struggle calls for prioritizing efforts to make governance changes and implement leadership development programs.
To help Gateway Cities choose and successfully establish next-generation governance and leadership development models, this volume combines all four Leading Together case studies with an introductory section synthesizing familiar themes and lessons-learned. By looking closely at initiatives that have provided an effective response to complex challenges in a variety of settings, the case studies reveal lessons about the structure of leadership in Gateway Cities, as well as current leadership capacity and efforts to tap a wellspring of future leaders.
