Marc Nelson
Marc Nelson serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Roanoke, Va. He has an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has previously worked for Savannah, Ga., and the State of North Carolina?s Office of Budget and Management.
The greatest leadership challenge you faced, and how you conquered it? ? I managed an internal team of city administrators tasked with crafting contracts and agreements associated with development of the city?s first new downtown hotel in over a century. Our team included just about every member of the city?s executive management team, including the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Finance Director and City Attorney, as well as the Director of Economic Development. No one sitting in that meeting room each Friday was required to listen to me. But, leadership doesn?t have to be top-down in nature. In fact, ?managing up? is a vital skill all young leaders should learn and master.
In this case, ?managing up? meant being the backstop for anything and everything related to the project ? serving as a repository for documents, keeping and maintaining razor sharp notes, attending and contributing to every single meeting or phone call, no matter how short or inconsequential … Doing these things built up a sense of trust and reliability that proved extremely valuable when I needed something on a short deadline or called to discuss sensitive issues.
What trends/issues/challenges do you feel particularly apply to young leaders of today and why? ? It?s vitally important for young leaders to be aggressive in seeking out the knowledge and experience that will equip them for future leadership roles. While much has been made of the impending wave of Baby Boomer retirements, many leaders from that age group are still relatively young, love their jobs, and do not plan on retiring any time soon. With the leadership landscape being so crowded, younger leaders simply can?t afford to wait for opportunities to be presented to them. Don?t be afraid to promote yourself. But, be prepared to back up your words if you do.
