Max Fisher: Finding the Calling Why the Future of City Management Depends on How We Develop Emerging Leaders

Episode 272 of The HaltingWinter Podcast Brought to you by Tyler Technologies

What does it take to discover a calling to local government, and how do today's leaders shape whether the next generation steps forward or walks away?

In this episode, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Max Fisher, an MPA student and Assistant to the City Manager's Office in Levelland, Texas, whose journey into city management challenges common assumptions about leadership, experience, and preparation.

Max didn't set out to become a city manager. He set out to study history, law, and political theory. But along the way—through internships, mentorship, small-city experience, and hands-on exposure to the real work of local government—he discovered something deeper: a calling to steward places and serve people.

This conversation is as much a message to seasoned city managers and department heads as it is to emerging professionals. Max offers a rare, honest look at how internships, visibility, mentorship, and intentional development either ignite passion—or quietly extinguish it.

Sponsored by:

• Tyler Technologies – the nation's leading provider of software designed specifically for the public sector. Learn more at tylertech.com/winter

Connect with Seth Winterhalter

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