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I was from Marshalltown once. The 13 months I spent there form a pleasant chapter of my life, and not just because of coffee at the West End Perk, cheeseburgers at The Flying Elbow, or perfect haircuts from Starla's. Memories of my time there are also pleasant because of what we accomplished while I worked at the Iowa Veterans Home, and especially because of the lasting friendships I made.
My life is back in Austin now, and it keeps me busy, but occasionally, a memory of my time in Marshalltown surfaces and compels me to look for the news up north. Recently, I was excited to read about The Cellar Door opening soon underneath Dave & Sally's, and it made me think of old friends with whom I would love to share a drink.
I was impressed when I read about progress at the courthouse, and I was especially impressed by the ice rink I read about because it is an excellent example of what a community can do when it works together with a single vision and purpose. And then I read about the resignation of the City Administrator.
In my experience there is always more to a story than is published. The details of Joe Gaa's decision to resign are neither my concern, nor my business. However, my time in Marshalltown was sufficient for me to feel invested in its future, and as I read the news about Mr. Gaa's departure, I thought of several questions I would ask if I were to attend the next city council meeting.
I am curious and concerned about what kind of obstacles Mr. Gaa must have encountered for him to leave. I have observed that obstacles generally fall into one of four categories: performance, systems, people, and/or leadership.
Was it performance? Every job worth doing is accompanied by performance metrics. Good organizations make these metrics clear to its employees and provide them with resources to achieve them.
The City of Marshalltown has clear measures of performance written in its strategic plan on the city's website. If a City Administrator fails to achieve what is expected, then departure seems reasonable, but without even serving long enough to qualify for a severance package, it is doubtful Mr. Gaa left because of failing to meet performance expectations.
Was it the system? Cities are a system. More accurately, a city is a system of systems, all of which must operate efficiently on their own. More importantly they must work together. The city clerk, compost facility, municipal transit, human resources, library, parks & recreation, police department, fire department, sanitary sewer division, street division, and water pollution control plant are the systems that form the city of Marshalltown. When one or more systems is not functioning properly, the city fails. Are the systems working in Marshalltown? If so, are they working collaboratively? If I were a resident of Marshalltown, these are among the questions I would ask at council meetings.
Was it a problem with people? Metrics indicate success, and systems make success possible, but both are predicated on people. Without the right people in the right place, expectations are merely statements of philosophy, and systems are meaningless. Nothing in an organization is more important than the people entrusted to operate it.
As an illustration, consider a fighter jet. Multiple companies combine countless systems to design and launch sophisticated aircraft on missions with multiple performance expectations that define success. But the systems and results are meaningless if I am behind the control because my years in the infantry and my degrees in government are of no use to anyone in the cockpit.
People do not just matter; they matter the most. Was Mr. Gaa just not the right person? Did he lack support from the right people? These are also questions I would ask at council meetings.
The final potential obstacle to Mr. Gaa's success is leadership. There are many types of leadership styles, but leadership has only one purpose: to set conditions for the organization to be successful. That singular purpose is why the best leaders are not necessarily the best operators. They comfort the challenged, challenge the complacent, ask questions, offer solutions, set expectations, make sure the right people are in the right position, and influence people to be the best version of themselves while working with them to accomplish organizational goals.
Was Mr. Gaa not a leader? If not, what lessons were learned about his hiring process that may be applied to the search for his replacement? If so, was he supported by his leaders? Did the city council set conditions for him to be successful? Did they provide clear guidance and assistance as a team of functional professionals with a common vision, or did infighting on the council create inertia that Mr. Gaa recognized as insurmountable? These would be among the most important questions I would ask at council meetings.
I am not from Marshalltown anymore. For now, I am a Texan with fond memories of a place that was home for 13 unforgettable months. But I will always be thankful for my time there, and I will always maintain an interest in what happens in Marshalltown. As the city looks for its next Administrator I will be watching, and praying for an outcome that enables Marshalltown to realize its potential, which I believe is immense. In the meantime, my search continues for coffee, cheeseburgers, and barbers that rival what Marshalltown offers.
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Matthew Peterson served as the commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home from 2021 to 2022.