Show Notes: Mike Goodrum: From Cutthroat to Culture-Builder: What Ambition Won’t Teach You About Leading People

Episode 218 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Zencity

Overview

Michael Goodrum’s rise through local government was fast, relentless, and at times, ruthless. From living in his car outside a community college to becoming City Manager of Sugar Land, Texas, Michael built a reputation as the guy who could fix anything. But it came at a cost: people, trust, and even his own family.

In this episode, Michael opens up about the early years of ambition-fueled leadership, what broke him (and woke him up), and the radical transformation that followed. From chasing performance to building culture, his story is both a cautionary tale and a blueprint for what’s possible when you decide to lead differently.

If you’ve ever felt torn between doing what’s urgent and doing what’s right—or if you’ve questioned whether you can truly lead without losing yourself—this conversation will hit home.

Episode Highlights:

• The Car. The Coach. The Break. How a volleyball coach noticed a homeless student sleeping in a Nissan Sentra and changed everything.

• Ambition Without Alignment Why Michael's early success in local government came at the expense of culture, collaboration, and trust.

• The Missed Kindergarten Event The moment that forced him to confront the father—and leader—he didn’t want to be.

• A Keynote That Broke Him Open How a talk by Bob Chapman (Everybody Matters) led to cold calls, tears, and a new chapter of leadership.

• What Culture Change Actually Takes From internal sabotage to shared vision: the 7-year plan to transform Sugar Land from the inside out.

• Coral Springs & The Throwaway Interview The city he tried not to get and how a brutal dose of honesty turned into a career-defining opportunity.

Connect with Mike Goodrum

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-goodrum

About Our Sponsor: Zencity

This episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast is made possible by Zencity—a trusted partner to hundreds of local governments around the world.

Zencity is a software that enables local government leaders to gather, understand, and act on resident feedback, going beyond the "same ten people" to actually reach residents where they're at, and incorporate that feedback into decisions large and small. To learn more about how Zencity is helping turn data into action and insight into impact:

Learn more at Zencity.io

Connect with Seth Winterhalter:

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

About HaltingWinter Municipal Solutions

At HaltingWinter, we help local government leaders build thriving teams and resilient workplace cultures through keynotes, workshops, and leadership development programs rooted in the ABCs of Impactful Municipal Leadership. 

Learn more at HaltingWinter.com

Seth's Upcoming Keynotes:

2025 Kentucky League of Cities Annual Conference & Expo September 23-26 | Owensboro, KY Details at KLC

ELGL 2025 Conference | Camp Govlife October 1-3 | Santa Rose, CA Details at ELGL

2025 City Clerks New Law and Elections Seminar November 12-14 | Los Angeles, CA Details at CalCities

2025 Kansas City/County Management Association Annual Conference December 3-5 | Manhattan, KS Details at KCMA