Reference Articles

Displaying Items 511-525 (of 728)

Leading for the Bell Curve and Not the Extremes

Leadership Focus

September 10, 2019

Deke Copenhaver

Not pandering to the extremes or the vocal minorities in any leadership role you may occupy may be difficult at times, but leadership is never easy. Focusing in on the needs of those that make up the majority of the bell curve is always the best way to proceed.

Full Story

Information Security: A Serious Mission Where Your City Can’t Fail

CitySmart by VC3

August 20, 2019

Nathan Hall, Senior Engineer and Team Lead, Sophicity

As stewards of important citizen and city business information, cities need to treat electronic information just as they would treat valuables locked up in a vault or locking the doors of buildings.

Full Story

Leadership Lessons: Don’t Be a Bully, Don’t Walk Alone, and Keep Your Team Safe and Secure

Leadership Focus

August 12, 2019

Deke Copenhaver

In a world where a "win at all costs" mentality seems to have taken root in many sectors of our society, I believe that the world is hungrier now more than ever for true, authentic leadership. In this column I’d like to take the opportunity to share with you some leadership lessons I’ve learned along the way which I hope will be helpful in your own leadership endeavors.

Full Story

New Report: U.S. to Experience Increased Heat

July 24, 2019

A new report, “Killer Heat in the United States: Climate Choices and the Future of Dangerously Hot Days,” predicts a hotter future for the entire United States as people will experience more days of dangerous heat over the coming decades. The U.S. Southeast region will be the hardest hit by potentially lethal heat.

Full Story

5 Ways Vendor Management Goes Wrong at Cities

CitySmart by VC3

July 24, 2019

Eric Johansson, Network Infrastructure Consultant

Cities rely heavily on hardware, software, and technology equipment to run their operations. Each piece of hardware, software, and technology comes from a vendor that you must interact with in some way. In some cases, you may rarely interact with the vendor. In other cases, such as with specialized software, you may interact with the vendor a lot.

Full Story

Putting People Over Politics: Why It’s Now More Important Than Ever

Leadership Focus

July 16, 2019

Deke Copenhaver

It’s painfully obvious to me, and many people that I talk to on a regular basis, that elected officials putting their politics above the people they serve has continually led to the same result, an undermining of public trust in the institution of government and the political process as a whole.

Full Story

Bleeding Money: Ways Your City’s Reactive IT Support Drains Your Budget

CitySmart by VC3

June 26, 2019

Jasmine Williams, Network Infrastructure Consultant

Hiring reactive, “as needed” IT support begins with hope and temptation. The hope? “I’m a small city. We don’t need much technology support. Our servers and computers should work fine most of the time.” The temptation? “If those servers and computers work fine most of the time, then I’ll barely need to use our IT support—and we’ll save lots of money.” And how does that hope and temptation usually turn out? Not well.

Full Story

Moving Beyond Labels and Perceptions

Leadership Focus

June 13, 2019

Deke Copenhaver

In his June column, Deke Copenhaver shares the perceptions people have of what a political leader is and reminds local elected leaders of the important role they play in influencing the leaders of tomorrow and shaping our nation's political climate.

Full Story

50 Survival Tips for Newly Elected Municipal Officials

June 5, 2019

Many newly elected municipal officials are often apprehensive about their recently acquired responsibilities as public servants. GMA has compiled 50 Survival Tips to assist them in understanding their roles.

Full Story

When Did Your City Last Test Its Data Backup?

CitySmart by VC3

May 31, 2019

Jessica Zubizarreta, Account Manager

If this question alarms you or you can’t answer it, you’ve got a problem. Testing is quite possibly the most important part of a data backup and disaster recovery solution—short of actually backing up the data.

Full Story

The Work of Building Better Leaders Continues

Leadership Focus

May 14, 2019

Deke Copenhaver

In his May column, Deke Copenhaver talks about his first book came about, GMA's small role in how he became a published author, and his deep belief of the important role cities play in our national life.

Full Story

“My Data Backup is Fine.” Let’s Define “Fine”

CitySmart by VC3

May 1, 2019

Sylvia Lee, Account Manager

You may have heard the phrase, “Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.” We think of that phrase when talking to cities about data backup. Without much explanation, we hear their data backup is “fine.” But it often sounds like denial of deeper problems. What does “fine” exactly mean?

Full Story

Georgia's Civic Health Declining, According to Report

April 30, 2019

Georgia Family Connection Partnership

Civic health includes a wide range of civic engagement indicators, from social interactions among friends and family to the ways people participate in groups and communities.

Full Story

Episode 30: GMA Interviews Mayor Matt!

April 22, 2019

Ocilla Mayor Matt Seale

Ocilla Mayor and Small Town Podcast host Matt Seale is the subject of the interview conducted by Amy Henderson of the Georgia Municipal Association. In this episode we learn about what Mayor Matt has learned through his experiences on Season 1 of Small Town Podcast, how things have changed since he set off on this project and what he would like to do moving forward. Mayor Matt also answers the "get to know you" questions he has asked others on previous episodes.

Full Story

Leadership and Civic Pride: Inspiring Hope in Cities

Leadership Focus

April 15, 2019

Deke Copenhaver

In a time when our politics have become more toxic than ever before, I believe that it is of the utmost importance that leaders at the local level heighten their efforts to engender a sense of civic pride in current and future generations. 

Full Story

Displaying Items 511-525 (of 728)