Local Government: The Approach
Sean R. Stegall, Manager & CEO of Cary, North Carolina USA
Sean R. Stegall believes the world can be changed one community at a time by “creating the local government that doesn’t exist.” As Cary, NC’s CEO, he’s a catalyst for change in a place where not only is nothing wrong, but by every measure, everything is nearly perfect.
“Human to human interaction remains important to me and will remain the foundation on which our work is conducted in a non-pandemic world.”
The Employee Experience
Sean R. Stegall and Anna Crollman at Cary Town Hall
Wait for Great? No. Make it Great! The Partnership that Built Fenton
The state of North Carolina owned 92 acres of undeveloped land at the northwest corner of I-40 and Cary Towne Boulevard and decided it wanted to sell this surplus property. At the time, this noteworthy location was one of the largest remaining undeveloped pieces of land in Cary. The property was adjacent to WakeMed Soccer Park and only a mile from downtown. The state-owned property increased Cary’s focus on the importance of proactively planning the remaining greenfield tract to spark high-quality development in the community. Continue reading
In 50 years of employment, I have not experienced city wide, excuse me, town wide inclusive leadership at this level. I think Jim Collins would call it Level 5 leadership. But I believe in Cary leadership is beyond his description. He might want to rethink his premise and look here.
Terry Sult
Police Chief, Cary, NC
Today we say ordinary people have the ability to become leaders themselves. To takerisks, to experiment, to really challenge the ways they define themselves.
Jerry Jensen
Transportation & Facilities Director
We brought Sean to Cary, in part, to help us authentically improve our standing with our neighbors. That could only happen with changes to our own thinking, our own perspectives, and our entire organization’s culture. Sean’s success with us comes from the relationships he builds and creating the conditions where we can all be successful. That’s my idea of leading, and I encourage everyone to learn more about what we’re doing in Cary, NC.
Harold Weinbrecht
Mayor of Cary, NC
Sean Stegall is one of a handful of city managers nationally who has embraced the changing nature of local government as an opportunity to empower the organization’s talent. The inevitable ambiguity associated with this cultural organizational change has motivated sean where others might be stymied by it
John Nalbandian
Professor Emeritus, University of Kansas
It makes you think about how empowered people are today.
Cassie Schumacher-Georgopolous
Asst. Development Director
I don’t know that leadership was really discussed prior to Sean.
Mike Cooper
Fire Chief
When Sean found out that I worked with the Town as a DEI consultant for the Cary Police Department, his genuine curiosity, his concern for people, and his desire for serving the greater good of all, were displayed immediately. Sean engaged the Police Chief at the time and myself in conversation as to how we can replicate the work that we were doing for the Police Department in a way that could benefit all of the Town employees, thus the entire Town of Cary. And together, we co-created a solution.
That solution started as a Town-wide initiative under Sean's leadership in 2018 and has been nothing short of transformational since its inception...Sean Stegall is the type of leader to which we all should aspire; a leader that seeks to make an impact and influence positive change through empowering others to live their full potential. I couldn’t ask for a better leader to lead the Town in which I choose to raise my family.
Tru Pedigrew
Tru Access
In 50 years of employment, I have not experienced city wide, excuse me, town wide inclusive leadership at this level. I think Jim Collins would call it Level 5 leadership. But I believe in Cary leadership is beyond his description. He might want to rethink his premise and look here.
Terry Sult
Interim Police Chief, Cary, NC
Sean Stegall is one of a handful of city managers nationally who has embraced the changing nature of local government as an opportunity to empower the organization’s talent. The inevitable ambiguity associated with this cultural organizational change has motivated sean where others might be stymied by it
John Nalbandian
Professor Emeritus, University of Kansas
It makes you think about how empowered people are today.
Cassie Schumacher-Georgopolous
Asst. Development Director
I don’t know that leadership was really discussed prior to Sean.
Mike Cooper
Fire Chief
Today we say ordinary people have the ability to become leaders themselves. To take risks, to experiment, to really challenge the ways they define themselves.
Jerry Jensen
Transportation & Facilities Director
When Sean found out that I worked with the Town as a DEI consultant for the Cary Police Department, his genuine curiosity, his concern for people, and his desire for serving the greater good of all, were displayed immediately. Sean engaged the Police Chief at the time and myself in conversation as to how we can replicate the work that we were doing for the Police Department in a way that could benefit all of the Town employees, thus the entire Town of Cary. And together, we co-created a solution. That solution started as a Town-wide initiative under Sean's leadership in 2018 and has been nothing short of transformational since its inception...Sean Stegall is the type of leader to which we all should aspire; a leader that seeks to make an impact and influence positive change through empowering others to live their full potential. I couldn’t ask for a better leader to lead the Town in which I choose to raise my family.
Jerry Jensen
Transportation & Facilities Director