Strategies for Personal and Professional Resilience When Facing Uncertainty

Vince Bertoni, FAICP, Director of Planning in Los Angeles, has seen his fair share of crises throughout his planning career. Devastating fires in Malibu, natural disasters in Pasadena, a global pandemic, and, most recently, wildfires in Los Angeles. Each situation presented unique challenges, but all came with an immense amount of pressure and stress.

"I think the greatest challenges of my career have been what happens when everything gets turned upside down in an instant?" Bertoni says. "When your city is shutting down almost overnight, it takes a while to really adjust. In a moment, everything feels like you're walking in quicksand and disappearing underneath your feet — and it is in those moments where you have to dig within yourself and boil everything down to what's important in your job and your day-to-day work."

In a time with new and old issues continuing to put stress on planners, the need for personal resilience and support from peers has taken on greater importance. The American Planning Association spoke with five city planning directors about strategies for strengthening their skill sets now and into the future.

Mindset Matters

Personal resiliency isn't a trend or a buzzword — it's a skillset that needs time, attention, adjustment, and thoughtfulness.

Alexa Bush, planning director in Detroit, says a good place to start is by leaning into work that energizes you or brings you joy. That might mean working with certain colleagues or on certain projects. "Trust your gut," she says, "and try to figure out how to let the good stuff fill your cup."

DE-PERSONALIZE CRITICISM

Because a planner's work is so public, it can lead to loud criticism from unhappy residents. "Today, everything is on social media, and everyone could potentially be in the public eye," Bertoni says. "That's a lot of burden for people to carry. So, for me, it's a matter of being able to de-personalize some of it and remember that it's not you that people are upset at — it's the situation."

D.J. Harrell, development services director in Fort Worth, Texas, says having a personal "why it matters" reason is also helpful. "In city planning, especially in high-growth environments like we are in Fort Worth, where we're adding 20,000 people a year, we understand that we're going to face criticism and unpredictability," he says. "But what's helped us stay grounded is having that reason. It helps to drive us and separate the personal from the mission."

Appreciating the small wins along the way in a project is one strategy that planners can employ to build resiliency. Photo by baona / E+/ Getty.

SET MINI-GOALS AND BE FLEXIBLE

Knowing what your goals are and what you are trying to achieve is critical, says Jill Lawhorne, AICP, community development director in Juneau, Alaska. But just as important is a planner's ability to adjust when nothing goes according to plan despite their best effort.

Lawhorne suggests setting smaller "mini-goals," particularly if the larger goal will take many years to accomplish. She recalls that right before COVID, Juneau was on the verge of funding its first comprehensive plan in years. But the pandemic not only put a pause on the plan but also led to staff cuts. "That was a major setback, but we just kept pushing forward," she says. "We kept working on area plans that we had going … and we kept pushing for the comprehensive plan and relating to people how important it was for the issues that we're facing. We were able to keep the support strong enough that it was fully funded again last year."

Harrell also believes planners need to be able to adjust. "The fact is that uncertainty is part of the job description," he says. "The most successful planning directors I've learned from are those who build flexibility in both their plans and their mindset."

"The most successful planning directors I've learned from are those who build flexibility in both their plans and their mindset."
— D.J. Harrell, development services director, Fort Worth, Texas

LEARN FROM GEORGE BAILEY

In Frank Capra's holiday classic, It's A Wonderful Life, George Bailey yearns to escape from his hometown and explore the world. But circumstance and a love for his neighbors root him to Bedford Falls, New York, and he spends his life toiling away at a job he doesn't always like but one that allows him to better his community. However, it takes a near-death experience and a chance to see what life would have been like if he had never been born for George to see his impact.

Bruce Knight, FAICP, planning director in Champaign, Illinois, believes planners should borrow from George's lesson when viewing how their work affects their communities. "When everything George did was stripped away, that community was much different," he says. "And a lot of those were small things that built on each other. That's what planners do. We have small wins. I think planners need to think about what their community would look like if all the small wins they got were to go away. Then, they would be more likely to recognize the value of what they are doing and be able to take satisfaction from that."

Similarly, Lawhorne says it is important to celebrate those victories, so you don't lose perspective along the way. She remembers a conversation with a former city manager she worked for during the pandemic. "I was burnt out, and he said that I was too close to it and couldn't see the changes that were happening — even in my department," she says.

It took her a long time, but now she says she can see all that her team has been able to achieve. "It finally resonated with me," she says.

Be a Leader

During the Great Recession, many planning departments and staff were being cut. Knight, then-APA president, says planners were tasked with trying to build respect for the profession and show its value. "I made a case to our city council that the cities that planned for the future at that time would be the ones that would come out of the recession strongest," he recalls.

But sometimes planners can find themselves in communities that are more political than others, and that can be a challenge. "I think you have to understand what it is that motivates your elected officials to make decisions and how we can use planning tools to help get them wins that are consistent with the values of planning," he says. "I look for ways that we can bring them small wins along the way and make them feel good about the planning department and what we're doing."

"I look for ways that we can bring them small wins along the way and make them feel good about the planning department and what we're doing."
— Bruce Knight, FAICP, planning director, Champaign, Illinois

Knight's two examples show how he dealt with uncertain times earlier in his career, and he and the other planning directors interviewed by APA also had advice for ways leaders can help navigate their staff through the issues of today.

SET THE TONE

Lawhorne says it is important for leaders to model a healthy work-life balance for their teams. "Nowadays, it is exceptionally difficult to leave work," she says. "We have cellphones, texts, emails, Teams — but your life can't just be your work. You have to set boundaries. And, I think as a leader, whether you're the director or not, you need to set an example."

Along with that, Bush trumpets the value in leaders not being afraid to feel what they are feeling. She remembers coming across an article early on during the pandemic that touched on grief. She says it helped her process the larger trauma of the situation, but also those smaller losses.

"I found that with the team just giving ourselves space to grieve tiny things that changed didn't discount or invalidate big things, but it let us move on instead of trying to stuff those smaller feelings," she says. "It's okay to feel mad about it and let yourself get through it."

And that doesn't apply just to global pandemics. "Maybe you're working on an ordinance, and it gets shot down at the last minute," Bush says. "Giving yourself space to have some time with that is helpful rather than just soldiering on without letting yourself have that moment to grieve. I find that helpful in keeping up the energy and momentum to move forward."

DON'T FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN'T FIX TODAY

Harrell says he took many lessons from the pandemic, including that "control is an illusion and being a leader is more about clarity." That has informed his work now, whether it is legislative uncertainty, market shifts, or public criticism. "What we try to do as a management team is to step back and look at what we influence, our mission, vision, and values, and how they guide us," he says. "How do we stay aligned with the mission of the folks that we serve? And as long as we're making progress on that, we're on the right path."

Part of being able to do that means understanding there are certain things out of a planner's control. Knight says it is important for planning department leaders to buy into that concept, too. "We can research, recommend, advocate for, and educate — but at the end of the day, somebody else is going to make the decision," he says. "We have to be okay with that."

It can be hard, though, as Bertoni adds that so many planners come into the profession and want to be able to change everything. "They care deeply and passionately about cities and communities," Bertoni says. "But for those who come through, you realize there are things within your control and things that aren't. I think that it's important, as planners, that we understand what we can make a difference in."

Rely ON YOUR COLLEAGUES

When it comes to the value of working on a team, Harrell points to a quote he once heard. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," he says. "Our teams are the most important things, and not just our immediate team but our community as a team — our developers, other disciplines, police, and transportation folks. At its core, the profession of planning is interdisciplinary. The entire job that we do is about forming, maintaining, and leading teams."

Knight also believes it's important to have support and build rapport with peers and colleagues, including state or national associations. "To have a network of people around the country that you can reach out to for ideas or moral support, to get involved in leadership, and to be able to hone your leadership skills in a safe environment, I think is a real opportunity," he says.

Find a North Star

Planners do some of the most important critical work in government and in the private sector. "We do the work that in some ways touches everyone's lives meaningfully on a day-to-day basis, because we shape the city that people experience around them," Bertoni says. "To really truly do that, you want people who are very empathetic and understand that planning is really about people."

That alone can put pressure on a planner. So, it is important for planners to remember that despite uncertainty from myriad sources, it is okay to feel adrift at times.

"I think, for me, the big thing is to just have a clear North Star or sense of purpose,"
— Alexa Bush, planning director, Detroit

"I think, for me, the big thing is to just have a clear North Star or sense of purpose," says Bush. "I have this big, audacious goal. Systems, individual people, unanticipated things, things I can't control, or a global pandemic might be in the way. Your ability to not let those totally knock you off your feet and having the clarity of where you're trying to go has allowed me to pivot.

Top image: Pictured are (left to right) Vince Bertoni, FAICP, of Los Angeles; Alexa Bush, of Detroit; D.J. Harrell, of Fort Worth, Texas; Bruce Knight, FAICP, of Champaign, Illinois; and Jill Lawhorne, AICP, of Juneau, Alaska. Photos courtesy of the subjects.