Elgin city manager on job, mistakes at Chamber's CEO Unplugged

From his biggest pet peeves to fessing up about what he believes he handled poorly, Elgin City Manager Sean Stegall allowed on Wednesday a more-candid-than-usual look at how he goes about his job.

Stegall spoke to a crowd of 50 or so gathered at the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce's monthly “CEO Unplugged — A Personal Look at the Leader” luncheon series, which features business and civic leaders discussing their leadership styles and approach to success.

His role as city manager is not to tell city council members — his bosses — what to do, but rather help them understand what they themselves want to accomplish. “There is not a 'right thing' to do,” he said, later adding, “If someone feels a certain way, you're not going to change the way they feel with more facts.”

His philosophy is to be a leader only when necessary and serve the people who work for him, he said.

His mother and grandmother were social workers, which played into his desire to become a public servant.

He can't stand the word “irregardless” and people who are absolutely certain of themselves, and enjoys golf trips more than family trips, he said, eliciting laughter.

Past speakers of the monthly series have included Linda Deering, president of Advocate Sherman Hospital, David Bear, COO of Bearco Management Company, and Gene Crume, president of Judson University, said Jason Pawlowski, the chamber's director of marketing and special events.

“I think this CEO Unplugged series gives the public and our members the chance to hear those unsung success stories,” Pawlowski said. “And hopefully guests will take something they learned from these presentations and incorporate it into their management toolbox or leadership style for their own business.”

Stegall answered questions from moderators and the audience that ranged from the professional to the personal.

Technology should supplant some of the traditional models of delivering public services — think police officers who drive around and firefighters who wait for fires — as costs, many mandated by law, increase and resources dwindle, Stegall said.

Perhaps not surprisingly, he said his most challenging professional moment was having to lay off city workers in the wake of the Great Recession.

He's made many mistakes, he said, most recently not advocating with city council members to lease, rather than sell, the city-owned Fox River Country Day School. The city has received two proposals but has not taken any action yet.

“I'd like to have a do-over,” he said.

And he tackles the gym like everything else in life, he said. “I move as quickly as I can and as fast as I can,” he said, “without dying first.”

CEO Unplugged events typically take place the first Wednesday of the month at Grand Victoria Casino. Admission, including a buffet lunch, is $20 for chamber members and $25 for non members. Upcoming speakers include Ian Lamp of Lamp Incorporated and Karen Beyer of Ecker Mental Health Center.