Mayor Leppert at the DRT
Dallas Mayor Leppert spoke on Tuesday to the Dallas Round Table regarding his view on the city of Dallas. In essence he indicated his belief that Dallas was at a crossroads - with tremendous opportunities and big issues that need to be addressed. He indicated that the real measure of success for Dallas is in pursuing those opportunities that have huge impact on the city 15 - 25 years out.
His guiding principles for his management (really his beliefs) are:
- Dallas needs to be more focused on international competition. What this means is that we as a community should not be thinking of competing with other domestic cities; but become a destination internationally.
- We need to pursue more opportunities that help the diversity of the city - providing a rich environment for different groups to thrive in.
- Environmental issues are hugely important. Help improve the environment through regulation and other activities is crucial for the long term viability of the city.
- Finally our community needs to take more pride in the city. It is often easy to overlook the tremendous beauty and depth of our city.
In line with these principles, the Mayor provided his insight into two major opportunities for the city. First is the idea of building a major convention hotel to compliment the convention center. Dallas is the only major city without plans for this type of facility. Second, he gave his arguments for the Unified Trinity Vision plan and why he believes that it should go forward as planned.
Another key point about the Mayor’s leadership strategy is the fact that he uses his guiding principles and beliefs to focus his energy and efforts on those projects that meet them. For any leader, focusing on a few core issues based on your guiding principles is the only way to accomplish anything. Too many times leaders try to please everyone - but by having a focused set of core beliefs a leader and manage time and expectations on those things that matter.
You can learn more about Mayor Leppert at http://www.dallascityhall.com/government/mayor/mayor.html .
