Erin Hyder, new assistant city manager for the city of Durango, said she is all about building partnerships based on authenticity. She was appointed to her new role by Durango City Council on Tuesday after previously leading internal and cultural services, and before that, human resources, for the city.
For Hyder, effective partnerships are based on trust and meaningful conversations, themes that appear to align with the upcoming 2022 La Plata Economic Alliance Summit at Sky Ute Casino scheduled for Sept. 21, at which Hyder will be one of many speakers presenting.
The theme of the summit is “Leading With Heart” and circles around the contents of a book by the same name. Edward Sullivan, who co-authored the book with John Baird, is one of the summit’s keynote speakers, Hyder said.
A copy of “Leading With Heart” was just one of the books stacked on Hyder’s desk on Thursday. She said she was reading through it before the upcoming summit.
“This is pretty powerful,” she said. “And this really aligns to how I lead and really, the culture and the conversation that we have (at) all levels of leadership in the city.”
Among the stack, she recommended another book, “Atlas of the Heart,” by Brené Brown.
“I like this one because this is more of a reference guide of emotions. I like to pull this out all the time,” she said. “I believe how we do things is more important than what we do. So she’s a good reference.”
In her former role as managing director of internal and cultural services, Hyder worked closely with several city groups, including Durango Public Library, human resources, information technology, the city clerk’s office and the city manager’s office to practice the concept of teaming, or coming together to work toward a common goal, she said.
She said City Manager José Madrigal started to drill down on the practice of teaming in March 2021 by partnering city teams together with an emphasis on improving performances by strengthening teamwork.
Tom Sluis, spokesman for the city, said Hyder and Madrigal “speak the same language” when it comes to understanding the importance of team building.
Hyder said making meaningful connections with employees means having mutual, genuine interests and commitments to your co-workers and your goals.
Perspective is also key to meaningful connections, she said.
“Particularly in this space and in the world right now,” she said. “Really, what’s the most important thing? And really getting to the root problem that you’re trying to solve.”
She and her husband have spent about 24 years in Durango. Her husband works at Escalante Middle School and they have two children, one in middle school and the other in high school. They have a dog and a cat. The former, Hayduke, gets to hang out with Hyder in the office on Fridays.
cburney@durangoherald.com
