Clear Looks Ahead to 2026: Strengthening Our Impact
Clear Looks Ahead to the Future of Local Government Leadership
Episode Summary
Episode 34 of The Clear Voice features a year end conversation with Michael Boese, President of Clear Career Professionals, focused on Clear’s growth, the lessons of 2025, and the company’s vision for strengthening its impact in 2026.
In this episode, James Groom and Michael reflect on the work Clear Career Professionals has done with cities, candidates, and public sector leaders throughout the year. The conversation highlights Clear’s expanding team, its leadership centered approach, the continued growth of PositionCast™, the importance of candidate communication, and the role Clear hopes to play in helping communities solve complex leadership challenges.
This episode is especially relevant for city managers, assistant city managers, department heads, elected officials, executive candidates, and public sector professionals who care about the future of local government leadership, municipal recruiting, and ethical service.
Why This Matters for Local Government Leaders
Local government leaders are working through a difficult moment. Communities are facing political tension, staffing challenges, leadership gaps, communication breakdowns, and increasing expectations from residents.
Michael Boese describes Clear’s work as being rooted in impact. The goal is not simply to complete recruitments, fill positions, or provide consulting services. The deeper purpose is to connect the right leaders with the right communities so residents receive better service, organizations become stronger, and local governments are better equipped to serve people.
For public sector leaders, that message matters. Executive search, interim leadership, organizational support, coaching, and leadership development all affect the quality of government that residents experience every day.
A Team Built Around Service and Experience
One of the major themes in this episode is the growth of the Clear Career Professionals team. Michael reflects on how the company started with a small founding group and has grown into a broader team of experienced public sector professionals with deep backgrounds in city management, police leadership, executive recruiting, candidate support, coaching, and consulting.
That growth has not been accidental. The team has developed around people who want to serve communities, support candidates, and bring practical experience to the work.
Michael emphasizes that Clear’s strength comes from humility, adaptability, and the ability to bring different areas of expertise together when a city needs help. That team based approach allows Clear to support communities in ways that extend beyond traditional municipal executive search.
Candidate Communication as a Core Difference
The conversation also highlights one of Clear’s most important process differences, personal communication with candidates.
Michael discusses a candidate who responded to a simple holiday update by noting that he had never experienced that level of personal communication from a recruiting firm. That moment reinforced something central to Clear’s approach. Candidates matter, even when they are not selected for a particular position.
Clear’s candidate focused model is built around regular communication, transparency, and respect. The company does not view candidates as paperwork in a process. It views them as public servants, professionals, and people who may be the right fit for a future opportunity.
That approach is especially important in municipal recruiting because today’s unsuccessful candidate may be tomorrow’s ideal placement.
PositionCast™ and the Future of Recruitment
PositionCast™ is one of the most significant developments discussed in the episode. Michael describes how the podcast format helps candidates understand a role, the community, the leadership environment, and the challenges behind a recruitment before applying or interviewing.
A traditional job brochure can explain qualifications, salary, benefits, and responsibilities. A PositionCast™ adds voice, context, personality, and culture.
That matters because candidates need to know more than what a job looks like on paper. They need to understand who they would work with, what problems they would be expected to solve, how the organization communicates, and whether their leadership style fits the community.
As Clear looks ahead to 2026, PositionCast™ is positioned as a growing part of how cities can communicate opportunities and reach serious candidates.
Leadership, Humility, and the Danger of Ego
Michael also reflects on leadership lessons from the year, including the idea that ego can become a poison in leadership. He makes an important distinction between humility and inferiority. Leaders can be confident, capable, and highly skilled while still remaining humble and open to learning.
That message fits the broader theme of the episode. Clear’s work is leadership centered because local government needs leaders who can communicate, listen, grow, and solve problems without making the work about themselves.
The episode emphasizes that no single leader has all the answers. Stronger communities are built when leaders rely on each other, seek good advice, and create space for honest conversations.
Technology, AI, and the Human Side of Service
The episode also looks ahead to the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence in public service. Michael discusses the importance of using technology to improve service delivery while preserving human connection.
Clear’s own model reflects that balance. Technology may support operations behind the scenes, but the front facing work with candidates, clients, and communities remains personal.
That lesson applies broadly to local government. AI and technology will continue changing how cities work, but the most effective leaders will be those who can use those tools without losing the human relationships that make public service meaningful.
The Importance of Human Connection in Local Government
A recurring theme throughout the conversation is that people want to know and be known. That idea applies to candidates, employees, elected officials, residents, and community partners.
Michael connects this to recruiting, leadership, service delivery, and organizational trust. When candidates feel ignored, employees feel unheard, or residents feel disconnected, trust weakens. When leaders communicate clearly, treat people with dignity, and build genuine relationships, organizations become stronger.
For local government leaders, this is not a soft issue. Human connection directly affects recruitment, retention, employee morale, public trust, and the quality of service provided to the community.
Starbase, Teamwork, and Clear’s Broader Impact
Michael also reflects on Clear’s involvement in major projects such as Starbase, where Kent Myers has served in a leadership role connected to the formation of the new municipality. The work demonstrates how Clear’s team can support complex public sector challenges through shared expertise.
The episode points to the value of teamwork in solving problems that one person alone cannot address. Whether the issue involves water service, public safety, fire safety, city administration, or organizational structure, Clear’s team brings a broad range of experience to the table.
That type of collaborative support is part of Clear’s broader identity as more than a recruiting firm.
A Leadership Centered Firm Moving into 2026
As Clear looks ahead to 2026, Michael describes a company increasingly centered on leadership impact. Recruiting remains a major part of the work, but Clear’s broader mission includes leadership development, coaching, organizational support, candidate care, and helping communities navigate real challenges.
The episode also references 540 Leadership, coaching work, organizational reviews, and the continuing role of The Clear Voice as a platform for sharing practical insight with public sector leaders.
That makes this episode less of a standard year end recap and more of a statement of direction. Clear Career Professionals is continuing to grow as a leadership focused partner for local governments.
What Leaders Can Take from This Episode
This episode gives local government leaders several practical reminders. Candidate experience matters. Communication matters. Humility matters. Technology matters, but people matter more. Leadership is not about having every answer. It is about creating the conditions where good people can solve problems together.
Michael’s closing encouragement is centered on hope. Public service can be difficult, and local government leaders often carry heavy responsibilities. But the work still matters, and the positive impact of strong leadership can last long after a project, recruitment, or career has ended.
For city managers, department heads, elected officials, and executive candidates, this episode is a reminder that local government leadership is still one of the most meaningful ways to improve lives.
More Information
For more information about Clear Career Professionals, The Clear Voice, PositionCast™, and current municipal leadership opportunities, visit Clear Career Professionals online.
About The Clear Voice Podcast
The Clear Voice is a dedicated platform for transparency and expert led dialogue within the professional and public sectors. The show serves as a vital resource for leaders who want to move past surface level discussions and dive into the real world mechanics of governance, management, and organizational growth. James Groom is the host of the program. As the Vice President of Clear Career Professionals and a retired Police Chief, James brings a unique, high stakes perspective to every conversation. His background in public service and executive leadership allows him to extract practical, actionable insights from industry experts that help modern organizations function with total clarity.
Our Core Focus Areas
Executive Leadership: Exploring the transition from technical competence to high level strategic management.
Organizational Transparency: Discussing the importance of open communication and accountability in public and private leadership.
Governance and Strategy: Breaking down the complex decision making processes that drive successful communities and organizations.
Professional Development: Insights on coaching, culture building, and high performance team management.
About Clear Career Professionals
Clear Career Professionals is a specialized recruitment and strategic consulting firm focused on the public sector. We believe that the strength of any municipality or school district lies in the quality of its leadership and the cohesion of its teams.Our team is comprised of former practitioners and retired executives who understand the nuances of public service. We provide organizations with more than just a list of candidates; we provide the strategic oversight and expertise necessary to navigate transitions, maximize taxpayer funds, and implement long term solutions.
Our Strategic Services
Executive Search and Recruitment: A tailored approach to identifying top tier talent for leadership roles in cities and school districts.
Interim Leadership: Providing experienced professionals to guide organizations through critical periods of transition.
Governance and Board Training: Specialized sessions designed to strengthen board relations and help leadership teams function as a unified School Board or City Council & Executive Team.
Shared Solutions Initiative: A program focused on fostering collaboration between municipalities and schools to address shared community challenges.
Connect With Us
Visit our official website to explore current job opportunities or to learn more about our leadership services: clearcareerpro.com.
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