Every workplace has its own internal culture, and the city of Durango is no exception. Since City Manager José Madrigal started his tenure in December 2020, he’s made strides in improving the culture for city employees.
He has been working behind the scenes to boost staff morale, emphasize collaboration and create a culture of trust and support that empowers employees to take chances and raise the bar for customer service.
Madrigal said having a focused staff that eyes continuous improvement and is not afraid to try new things are key factors, all while fostering a caring and encouraging work culture.
“If you don’t have a great culture, then you get everyone looking out for themselves. Or you get the worst part of it, (like) ‘I’m going to do whatever gets me the least amount of criticism.’ And that never really results (in) the best decision,” he said.
He said that working for municipal government can be daunting, adding that it’s easy for the general public to not separate someone’s work from who they are as people.
Madrigal’s own kids have heard praise and criticisms of his work from peers, classmates and teachers, he said.
Directors, managers, supervisors and staff often find themselves caught between listening to City Council and the passions and demands of residents. However, Madrigal said it’s the staff’s job to implement policies elected councilors decide on.
When City Council directed staff to reimagine the city’s numerous boards and commissions from the ground up, prompting opposition from residents, volunteer board members and 16 former Durango mayors, Madrigal said he felt scared.
“I’ve got to tell you, that’s scary. Former mayors came out really strong. You had a couple really influential people come out strong,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Madrigal said staff remained focused on reorganizing boards and commissions, which entailed the eventual combining or dissolution of several boards.
“The council asked for it and that’s what we provided,” he said. “Outside of the realm of why are we doing this, the council directs us, that’s what we’re going to do. And we’re going to stick with it. It’s not our job to read the tea leaves. It’s their job as the council to tell us.”
The staff’s intense focus was a clue to Madrigal his culture shift was sticking, he said.
Madrigal said his approach to fostering a more collaborative and supportive work environment between different city departments is based on three goals: customer service, employee engagement and strategic plan achievements.
He said all three goals build off one another. Engaging employees to show support and foster trust enables them to provide stronger services to the community, which ultimately progresses the city toward its major goals highlighted in its strategic plan.
Madrigal created what he calls an Executive Leadership Team to engage with department directors on their level. In monthly meetings, Madrigal and directors take their working hats off to embrace open and honest conversations, he said.
The point of the ELT is to encourage directors to speak their minds, voice concerns, request support and share ideas without feeling like they need to kowtow to Madrigal.
“It’s a case where we can kind of push each other in different realms and have honest dialogues and discussions of what’s going on in a (safe) place,” he said.
Madrigal also created a monthly workshop called the Growth and Momentum Learning Series attended by supervisors from all the city’s departments. The series teaches supervisors how to become better leaders and build relationships that help the city operate more efficiently, Tom Sluis, city spokesman, said.
The ELT’s also influenced by effort and intent, which Madrigal said are the only things the city and its staff really have control over.
If efforts and intentions are good, things cannot go too wrong. If efforts and intentions are bad, there are a lot of things that can go wrong, he said.
Madrigal said the culture shift has the public’s interest in mind.
He said it’s important for staff to feel comfortable and like they have backup when implementing policies because government work often requires the ability to say ‘no.’
“Government in general, it can be a beast,” he said. “ … Because we’re regulatory. You have a regulatory organization and customer service … Try melding those two things.”
The city exists to protect community values. He said residents can’t just build whatever they want wherever they want with no regulation, for example. And the stronger the team is, the more equipped staff are to do their jobs.
cburney@durangoherald.com
