Today’s Morning Buzz is by Aarón Zavala, Assistant to the City Manager for Pleasanton, Calif. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram.
- What I’m working on: BELONG Pleasanton, our initiative for Building Equity, Leadership, Opportunity, Nurturing, and Growth, plus Emergency Management and internal communications strategy.
- What I’m listening to: College football season means the Peristyle Podcast for my Trojan fix, Up First from NPR for my daily news, and Spotify’s DJ to unwind on my long commutes.
- A hobby I enjoy: Building towers for marbles for my 3-year-old (Structural engineering starts early!)
I have a confession: I’m the person who says “yes” too much.
Right now, I’m Membership Director for the Municipal Management Association of Northern California (MMANC), Vice President of Membership for the Local Government Hispanic Network (LGHN), and Vice Chair for Los Cien Sonoma County. And during the day, I serve as Assistant to the City Manager for the City of Pleasanton.
When people find out how many hats I wear, they usually ask, “How do you have time for all that?”
Here’s what I’ve learned: That’s the wrong question. The right question is, “What do you learn by being in all those rooms?” And the answer has changed how I think about leadership, membership, and what it really means to create belonging.
That answer started with a loss. As an undergraduate, I lost a competitive election for vice president of my fraternity. That loss lit a fire. I showed up, did the work, and eventually was elected president of both my chapter and the Interfraternity Council, overseeing all male Greek organizations. That taught me something I carry into every board today: Leadership isn’t about never losing. It’s about what you do after.
When I started in local government in 2016, my boss encouraged me to join Urban Management Assistants of North Texas (UMANT). I volunteered, got hooked, and soon found myself co-chairing their Membership Engagement committee. At my first West Coast International City/County Management (ICMA) regional conference in San Francisco, back in my home region, but new to the profession, MMANC members welcomed me anyway.
The pattern continued. The Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC) took me in when I moved to Southern California. MMANC became home when I returned north. I added LGHN and Los Cien along the way. Now I serve as Membership Director for MMANC, Vice President of Membership for LGHN, and Vice Chair for Los Cien.
And here’s what I’ve learned: Every organization I serve makes me better at serving others. Each organization has taught me something different.
MMANC showed me the power of institutional history, organizational order, and strategic communication. Chairing our inaugural Equity Summit taught me that inclusion starts with a question: “Who’s not here yet, and why?” That question helped us reach nearly 900 members during our 75th anniversary year.
LGHN taught me about building structured mentorship programs that actually work. When you’re often the first or only one in the room, mentorship isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Their Madrinas y Padrinos program model showed me how to create meaningful connections that last.
Los Cien taught me about building leadership pipelines that actually place people in power. Their BRIDGE Program prepares underrepresented leaders for nonprofit boards and public commissions, not just training them, but actively placing them where decisions are made.
Here’s what matters: None of these lessons stayed in one organization. When MMANC explores mentorship models, I share what LGHN taught me. When LGHN strengthens regional structures, I bring MMANC’s approach. When Los Cien needs support building out governance infrastructure, I bring frameworks from both. When any organization faces a challenge, I bring lessons from all of them.
This isn’t divided loyalty. It’s cross-pollination that makes every organization stronger.
Early in my board service, I worried about conflicts. What if promoting one organization seemed like taking away from another? What if members chose one association over another? Then I realized, that’s scarcity thinking. And scarcity thinking keeps us small.
Here’s the truth that changed everything for me: Rising tides lift all ships.
When MMANC members join LGHN, they don’t leave MMANC, they bring back new networks. When LGHN members attend other conferences, they expand their reach. When professionals engage with multiple organizations, the entire profession wins.
The professionals we serve don’t see organizational boundaries. That young planner trying to figure out their career path? They don’t care if they find community through MMANC, ELGL, LGHN, or all of the above. They just need to find it. The assistant city manager navigating a tough challenge? They need the best resources, period. Whether that comes from a regional association, national conference, or a colleague two cities over doesn’t matter.
When we operate from abundance, we stop asking, “How do we compete?” and start asking, “How do we collaborate?” That shift changes everything. It’s true for associations. It’s true inside our cities; when emergency management partners with neighboring jurisdictions, everyone’s capacity grows. When departments collaborate instead of compete, better outcomes happen.
So back to that question, “How do you have time for all that?”
I don’t have time NOT to do it. Every room I’m in makes me better at serving the others. Every perspective I gain helps me build stronger organizations. Every connection I make expands what’s possible for the communities we serve.
That’s my leadership philosophy: Leadership isn’t about protecting what we have. It’s about opening doors wider so more people can walk through. The strongest organizations aren’t the ones that keep their members close. They’re the ones that celebrate when their members grow, wherever that growth takes them.
So here’s my challenge: The next time you’re in a room, a board meeting, a staff meeting, a conference session, ask yourself:
“Who else should be here?”
“What other perspective would make this better?”
“What partnership could multiply our impact?”
Then go make it happen. Because the strongest rooms aren’t the ones with the highest walls. They’re the ones with the widest doors.