Blogs

By: Stephanie Jantzen, General Manager, El Dorado Hills Community Services District

Being a General Manager is rewarding, and it’s hard. Being an elected official is harder still.

I walked into an organization during the most challenging time it had faced since its inception in 1962. Grand jury reports, lawsuits, instability at the executive level, an inability to attract needed talent, staff drowning in uncertainty and fear, and a public that was angry, very angry. All of this was happening alongside a board facing unusual and unprecedented challenges, complex policy issues, and a former General Manager who had been unethical and dishonest.

My most mature, emotionally intelligent self, combined with experienced listening and observation skills, had to be front and center.

At my first board meeting, sitting in the former General Manager’s seat, I listened more than I talked. I only spoke if it would improve the conversation. Rather than focusing on my own thoughts, I focused on and observed the people across the dais from me, even in the middle of frustrated, angry, or downright hostile conversations that included members of the public.

I served as the Interim General Manager for months and was aware there was no quick fix. A nervous, divided board. An angry public. Zero trust. I had to figure this out.

The military calls this period “recon” or “reconnaissance,” the act of gathering information about the potential battlefield: the terrain, how many people are angry, who they are, what the obstacles are, what the safe routes are, and what paths forward are available.

The Harvard Negotiation Project found that, in many conflicts, feeling heard matters more to the parties than getting what they asked for. People will accept an outcome they did not want if they believe they were genuinely listened to along the way.

That isn’t an abstract idea. It’s an operating manual.

The board has an incredibly hard job. Before they ever take the oath, they campaign on issues they believe matter to your district. They find neighbors who agree with them. They spend months at candidate forums, raise money, pound signs into roadside dirt, and then sit white-knuckled on election night, waiting for results they can’t control.

Whether they’re brand new or seasoned veterans, your directors share that campaign-trail experience. And now that they’re elected, your relationship with them depends on one thing: your curiosity, not your judgment.

Local politics is volatile by nature. Strong opinions, fast answers, and constant demands get mistaken for unshakable certainty, as if every issue were decided before the conversation even began. Did I mention that listening also requires patience?

The social media outrage machine doesn’t make this any easier. Facebook groups, Nextdoor, and their cousins specialize in manufacturing division. Within minutes, they can create the impression that EVERYONE is furious and YOU, personally, must fix it by Tuesday. Our phones are smarter than we are, and they are very good at hijacking the brain’s dopamine-and-cortisol feedback loop. Pulling your directors out of that rabbit hole of fear and outrage takes patience, explanation, and data, which means you need to build some genuine expertise around these platforms yourself.

Being elected in a time of division, outrage, and the normalization of political violence is genuinely difficult. The armor your officials put on every day is heavy. You can’t take it off for them, but you can lighten the load through connection that builds alignment and a shared vision for your community.

How to Listen Like a Leader

The wisest person in the room isn’t necessarily the biggest expert at the table. It’s the one who listens first and asks questions second. The right questions.

Listening is the skill you must master, because if you aren’t truly listening, even your smartest questions will produce answers that don’t help. You’ll start “fixing” problems that are really just symptoms of something bigger. That’s unproductive, expensive, and, worse, a fast track to being shown the door.

Listening isn’t confined to words. It means reading physical and verbal cues correctly. Take the low-hanging fruit of anger. Anger doesn’t necessarily signal strength or conviction. More often, it’s fear, confusion, exhaustion, or anxiety wearing a louder costume. And that’s the short list. When you’re met with anger, slow down: watch, listen, and ask questions.

There are many listening styles as well: supportive listening versus challenging listening. Is your board member venting, or do they want to problem-solve with you? Listening styles are also tied to mindset. If you listen to change minds, stand your ground, or “win,” you’re not listening. If you’re not listening, you’re not learning.

Listening like a leader is hard work, and it requires real investment from you. Your connection with your board will be measured by the time you put in, as well as the time you don’t. Weak connections produce bad outcomes for the entire organization. You set the tone, and you owe it to your staff, your community, and your board members to prioritize knowing them, understanding them, and supporting them throughout their time in office.

Serving as the General Manager of a special district is one of the most fulfilling roles I’ve ever held. I care deeply about my community, and I care about my board.

And here’s the bonus nobody tells you about: the skills you build while learning to listen like a leader don’t stay at the office. They follow you home, to your dinner table, and into every relationship you have.

Stephanie can be reached at the El Dorado Hills Community Services District at smjantzen@edhcsd.org.