By Matt Lehrman
Social Prosperity Partners
“Self-care isn’t selfish.”
That’s the message that Victoria Woodards, the two-term mayor of Tacoma, Washington, would send back in time to her younger self, as she told me in her “Community Catalysts” podcast interview.
It’s a lesson so many community leaders have had to learn — or relearn — at critical moments in their lives. Taking on a role with greater responsibility, either as an elected official or as a professional manager, is often such a moment, but others are brought on by a family, personal or even a public crisis.
It was the last of these for Cindy Burchfield, Mayor Pro Tem of Daisetta, Texas, a tiny city of 1,000 residents that made headlines when a giant sinkhole opened up in town — not once but multiple times, in fact, but most recently in 2023, as she shared during last month’s Local Leadership Chat on Zoom.
“When the crisis was over and it was OK to go completely melt down, that’s exactly what I did,” said Burchfield, an elected Alderman on the Daisetta City Council for the past 12 years.
“It was then that I realized I cannot serve people 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, for years on end. I had to pull back and tell the other council members, ‘I’ve got to step away a little bit.’ I turned to counseling, I turned to other council members in other places. This group actually has directly helped me in my very most trying times, just by being able to talk about it.”
Special thanks to Alisa Benson, City Council Member in Orono, Minnesota, for kicking off the conversation with a virtual yoga exercise. Her upcoming interview on the “Community Catalysts” podcast will be available to listeners on June 18.
Here are three more takeaways on self-care from our May 3 Local Leadership Chat, “Reservoirs of Resilience.”
Yoga, fantasy sports and folding laundry were among the essential “me time” activities mentioned by chat participants. Stevie Cox, City Manager of Trinity, North Carolina, however, reminded the group that “we time” can be just as important.
“I try to make sure I have a good friend group around me that I can talk to when things are crazy, because cussing sometimes is a good stress reliever,” he said.
Counseling and therapy used to be taboo topics, but more and more community leaders are talking openly about mental wellness over a lifetime, and not just in terms of a mental health crisis.
“One of the things that I did this year after my birthday was I did a physical, and I also made time to meet with a psychologist,” Cox said, “because a pastor that I had used to always say, ‘Every two years when your birthday comes, you should get a physical and a mental and a spiritual checkup.”
Kevin Park, a City Council Member in Santa Clara, California, recognized the importance of setting limits on email and social media time. But even as people look for ways to unplug, Park wanted to talk about ways to connect with others for mutual support.
“With software engineering, the activity that I love is code review with another person, because the code review allows me to assess how I’m working with others. But more importantly, with the friends that are really close to me, it allows them to assess how I’m doing.
“Having something to do by yourself is great, but having people that you can work with and do something with is very valuable for me.”
NEW EPISODE — “IT’S ALL ABOUT AUDIENCE” (Part 1 of 2, June 4, 2024)
Doug McLennan, the founder and editor of ArtsJournal, shares perspectives from 25 years at the confluence of journalism, arts and digital technology. “To say that audiences for the arts are declining,” he says, “completely misses the idea. There’s more creativity, more ability to produce creative things. Arts education is flourishing in a way it never has before.”
Listen on Apple, Spotify and all podcast platforms
“Otis White, Civic Strategies- Part 2” (May 28, 2024)
“Signe Friedrichs, Former Council Member, Herndon, VA“ (May 14, 2024)
NEXT LOCAL LEADERSHIP CHAT: FRIDAY, JUNE 7
“Shaping Tomorrow”: What challenges and opportunities do you see right now that could make a lasting impact in your community or organization? Join civic leaders from across the country to discuss priorities and strategies for building resilience and prosperity in the future.
RSVP HERE to attend this free & friendly online discussion. Local Leadership Chats are facilitated by Matt Lehrman on the first Friday of every month.
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Skidmore College photos by Erin Covey
Fort Worth photos by the Fort Worth Portrait Project
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