Show Notes: Shawna Davis: Blazing Your Own Trail, Balancing the Municipal Tightrope, and Fighting Burnout with Four Paws Episode 167 of The HaltingWinter Podcast

Overview In this episode of the HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter interviews Shawna Davis, City Administrator of Odessa, Missouri. Shawna shares her journey from a small-town Illinois farm background to becoming one of Missouri's rising municipal leaders. With remarkable initiative and strategic career planning, Shawna transitioned from finance director to city administrator in just two years. Their conversation explores the realities of small-city leadership (managing 45 employees versus Olathe's 1,000+), the delicate dance between administrative leadership and elected official direction, and practical strategies for sustainable leadership in demanding municipal roles.

Episode Highlights:

• Creating Your Own Opportunities: How Shawna proactively created her own internship by cold-calling a city administrator to job shadow when no formal positions existed
• Strategic Career Advancement: Shawna's deliberate path from Illinois Department of Corrections budget analyst to Olathe fellowship to Odessa leadership
• Small City Leadership Complexity: Managing a city of 5,600 with just 45 employees means wearing multiple hats - from finance director to public works director
• From Struggling Student to Finance Expert: The ironic journey from almost failing an accounting class in college to specializing in municipal finance and budgeting
• Balancing Municipal Stakeholders: Navigating the three-headed challenge of elected officials, staff, and citizens while maintaining a clear strategic direction
• Breaking Out of "We've Always Done It This Way": Bringing innovation to small-city operations, starting with basic technology upgrades like laptops
• The First Two Years of City Administration: Transitioning from keeping wheels turning to establishing strategic direction with elected officials
• Finding Personal Sustainability: Getting a dog as a deliberate strategy to create better work-life boundaries and prevent burnout
• Networking for Success: Leveraging conferences, professional associations, and experienced city managers as resources
• Contract Wisdom: The importance of carefully reviewing city administrator contracts with legal counsel to protect both parties

Connect with Shawna Davis:

• LinkedIn: Connect with Shawna Here

Connect With Seth Winterhalter

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter
• Website: www.HaltingWinter.com

About HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions: At HaltingWinter, our mission is to build stronger cities through stronger leaders by providing municipal leadership development services, rooted in the ABCs of Impactful Leadership framework. To explore how we can strengthen you and your municipality, visit haltingwinter.com.

Upcoming Events: Don't miss Seth Winterhalter as he keynotes the Missouri City and County Managers Association Spring Conference at the Margaritaville Resort. Register now at www.momanagers.org/191/Spring-Conference.

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