It has been said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." When we embarked on a search for a city manager, the City Council asked the question, "What can we learn from the prior search?"
Steven Covey's 2nd Habit of Highly Effective People is "Begin with the end in mind." The City Council desired to achieve a different outcome with a more diverse talent pool to find the right leader for the Yukon of tomorrow.
Four and a half years ago, our city undertook a critical task: searching for a new city manager. Unfortunately, the job posting had limited distribution and a restrictive job description. The job description demanded many years of experience in specific job titles, which excluded numerous qualified candidates from applying. Coupled with the limited distribution of the posting—reaching only a few websites and professional organizations—resulting in just seven applications being submitted. Following this process, these candidates were narrowed down to two, from which the final selection was made.
Fast forward to today, from May until this week, the City Council has approached the new search with fresh perspectives and a new strategic focus. We understood the importance of crafting a job description that was robust, yet not overly restrictive. We focused on the core competencies and character qualities needed to excel as a city manager, without imposing unnecessary barriers—in the publicly available job description, these are broadly called "Qualifications."
Despite some concerns expressed after the termination of our prior city manager, questioning "who would come to work for the council that will fire somebody without cause," the results of this new approach were striking. In the same one-month allotted search period as in 2020, we received 35 applications, with more than a dozen highly qualified candidates emerging from this pool. This broader and more inclusive search process allowed us to consider a wider range of talented individuals, including 22 from Oklahoma and 13 from outside our state. Clearly, Yukon remains an attractive destination for top-tier talent.
This experience underscored the importance of flexibility and openness, which are crucial to attracting a diverse and highly qualified pool of candidates. By removing overly stringent requirements and focusing on the essential skills and attributes, we were able to attract a diverse and highly capable group of applicants.
As we welcome our new City Manager, we remain committed to fostering a dynamic environment that encourages stable improvement and a strong focus on the core functions of our municipality. Our community deserves leaders who are not only qualified but also bring fresh perspectives and creative ideas to the table.