Show Notes: Book of the Week – Reality-Based LeadershipEpisode 204 of The HaltingWinter Podcast (Part 1 of 5: Reality-Based Leadership Series) Episode Title: Beyond City Hall Drama: Leading with Reality Instead of Stories

Episode Overview

Your team's energy is being drained by something you can control, but most municipal leaders don't recognize it's happening.

In this kickoff episode of our Reality-Based Leadership series, Seth Winterhalter explores how drama, blame, and resistance consume the energy your organization needs for serving your community. Drawing from Cy Wakeman's helpful research, we discover that the difference between high-performing and struggling municipal teams often comes down to one factor: whether they focus on reality or the stories they tell about reality.

Whether you're dealing with budget constraints, regulatory changes, or council tensions, your team's response to circumstances determines everything. In this episode, we examine why most municipal dysfunction isn't caused by challenging circumstances—it's caused by how people think about challenging circumstances.

Key Takeaways

• Why municipal teams get trapped explaining problems instead of solving them
• How to distinguish between actual circumstances and emotional stories about circumstances
• The hidden cost of drama in municipal organizations and how it spreads between departments
• Why traditional "change management" creates more resistance than results
• How reality-based thinking transforms both team culture and community service delivery

This Week's Journey in the MLDC

• Monday: Introduction to reality vs. story thinking for municipal leaders
• Tuesday–Thursday: Deep dives into eliminating drama, building accountability without blame, and leading change without resistance
• Friday: Virtual Book Club for live conversation and practical reality-based leadership implementation

Join the MLDC: Summer Special

Now is the best time to join the MLDC, giving you access to:       ✔ All five episodes breaking down Reality-Based Leadership for municipal applications      ✔ Daily blog reflections and emotional intelligence implementation tools      ✔ A community of city managers and municipal leaders developing leadership effectiveness      ✔ Our live, weekly Virtual Book Club session

➡ Join now at www.HaltingWinter.com

Resources Mentioned

• Book: Reality-Based Leadership by Cy Wakeman
• MLDC Info: www.haltingwinter.com/mldc

Connect with Seth

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