Circulating ideas: How the city of Celina is shaping its future from the inside
Published: Mon, 01/09/23
Circulating ideas: How the city of Celina is shaping its future from the inside
Celina staff members gathered Wednesday to present their ideas for the city's future to leaders.
Audrey Henvey / Star Local Media
CelinaRecord
By Audrey Henvey | Star Local Media
On a Wednesday morning in Celina, the first meeting of its kind was unfolding in the building located off of Colorado Street.
Within the Celina City Council chambers, starting at 8 a.m., a collection of ideas started circulating. Some had to do with the city’s water. Others touched on arts and culture. Still others pitched city gateway signage, meeting space and even an indoor walking track. One by one, those ideas had their moment in the limelight before the city of Celina’s directors and other staff, and they all came as suggestions for how to make the city better from the very people who work there.
And for Shain Hunn, it was the fruition of his latest leadership project for the city.
Since leaving the Celina Fire Department to become Celina’s director of organizational leadership, Hunn has made developing the city’s leadership culture a full-time focus. He’s hosted a variety of talks for city staff focused on leadership in multiple forms.
Wednesday’s meeting was special: after nine months, the first class of Hunn’s leadership academy was presenting its “capstone projects.” The academy, a nine-month course catered to the city’s mid-level and “boots-on-the-ground” staff, focuses on a variety of leadership elements including conflict resolution and servant leadership. And at the end of it all, they’re tasked with presenting their ideas before the city’s directors.
“The idea is (...) empowering your employees to stimulate their thinking and say, “We’re putting you on the spot. You’re the main focus here. We want your ideas,’’” Hunn said. “Because we value them. We value those ideas.”
It also allowed city employees from a cross section of departments to work together to come up with those ideas and figure out how to pitch them to leaders. That was an intentional move, Hunn said.
“The reason for that is to create relationships,” he said. “Relationships are key in any kind of leadership role, you know, and if you look at people that are leaders, whether good or bad, it’s all about relationships.”
Looking ahead, Hunn said there are plans to continue the academy beyond this first class. He also sees the chance for class members to be a part of making a legacy for Celina.