Hello,
I’m John Honeycutt.
Just prior to typing this note (Sept. 12), I applied for Sallisaw’s City Manager position. I found this description helpful. This executive search contract (July 8) was approved to identify prospective candidates for the position.
I submitted these documents.
The prior Sallisaw City Manager recently vacated the position. The Sallisaw City Manager position is not a political or elected position. Rather, Sallisaw’s Board of Commissioners selects a person for the role. Four commissioners take a vote. If there is a tie vote, Sallisaw’s mayor breaks the tie.
When the previous Sallisaw City Manager tendered his resignation, a search to replace him began immediately. I hope several qualified people will apply. I hope a good leader is found—regardless of whether my application is considered.
Submission is Confirmed
I received confirmation of my application for Sallisaw City Manager on Friday, Sept. 13.
I am now reviewing the FY 2025 Budget for a better understanding of work-in-progress.
The Reason
You and your family might have been in the Sallisaw area for quite a while. Many have grown up here and raised a new generation. My grandfather was born in 1878. He grew potatoes near Akins, and my dad sold them downtown. Both parents graduated from Central.
My wife (Jennifer) and I moved here from an oil and cattle city in Colorado about seven years ago. We like the seasons here. We also appreciate being near nature, the cost of living, and many good-hearted people. So, we stayed. I’m glad we did.
I expect more families and individuals will be located here. Long-timers and newcomers deserve a city that serves their needs.
People expect and deserve to have confidence in each other and trust in the services of their city and its leaders–including their city manager.
My sense is that some of Sallisaw’s confidence has recently waivered. I want to help reinstill some of that confidence and emphasize its promise. My description of our city – what it could be and how we could achieve it appears on a separate pages.
John Honeycutt
Sallisaw City Manager Applicant
For Your Information
My management approach varies depending on the situation. For example, ongoing processes and functions are managed differently than large projects, and changes come in several forms.
I call these changes imperative, suspect, compliance, and provocative.
An Example (6 mins)
Some changes have to be done. There are two categories of these: compliance change and imperative change. Compliance changes, such as a new Oklahoma law, are necessary for the smooth functioning of the system. Imperative changes, like those following a disaster or crafting a disaster recovery plan before one strikes, are urgent and cannot be delayed.
The most common change, though, that can be controversial, I call these provocative changes. These require a great deal of communication and objective reasoning. I have successfully used several leading practices spanning four decades. These have proven to be crucial in managing such changes.
Crucial practices include:
- An ethical workforce, culture of trust, and collaborative spirit
- Authentic engagement with stakeholder groups
- Empowering staff with continuous improvement philosophy
- Exceptional communication and transparency
- Exceptional project management discipline
- Financial prudence, planning, and process-focused
- Prioritizing based on principles not organizational politics
- Placing the right people in the right position
- Retain processes that work well, but challenge the status quo
- Using performance-based and merit-based HR processes
I am confident I can duplicate my previous successes as Sallisaw’s City Manager.
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