After working in Oklahoma City as a parks director, Steve Hewitt wanted to run an entire town. A smaller community seemed the perfect place to get hands-on leadership experience before tackling a bigger city, so Hewitt took the city administrator position in his hometown, Greensburg, Kansas (population: 1,500). Standing in the remains of his kitchen, looking up at the dark sky on May 4, 2007, he realized that he got more than he’d bargained for.

Across town, Mayor Lonnie McCollum and his wife clung to a mattress as their dream home was ravaged. McCollum, beloved long-time resident, had been the write-in candidate for mayor in the last election and won unanimously. Midwesterners value humility, and as traits go, McCollum was as humble as they come. His quiet, referent power, bestowed on him by the residents, had little to do with formal position. In McCollum’s mind, he’d been drafted to serve, and his job was to revive the dying town.

McCollum’s visionary idea was to transform Greensburg into a city run on wind and solar power. He convinced the city it needed a full-time administrator to make big changes. Intense and fasttalking, Hewitt provided the perfect complement to McCollum’s slow, measured demeanor. Hewitt was excited to help McCollum improve the town. Neither could foresee how these plans would come into play after the tornado.

Hewitt headed straight for command central that ominous night to begin coordinating search and rescue efforts. McCollum knew Hewitt could lead in this crisis, so he stayed with his injured wife. 

By morning, everyone knew Greensburg was gone. At a press conference, McCollum announced that the town would rebuild as a model green community. Although the world cheered him on, residents had mixed feelings. McCollum explained, “It’s a real feeling to not have a place to keep you warm and dry…they were impatient and they were afraid.” Ultimately, the stress of the tornado took its toll on McCollum, and he decided to resign. “They didn’t need me; they had good leadership,” said McCollum, referring to younger, tougher-skinned Hewitt. Daniel Wallach, executive director of Greensburg GreenTown, described Hewitt as the kind of guy “you want taking the last shot in a basketball game…

He has incredible capacity and endurance and that’s what has suited him perfectly for the role in this community… to help bring it back.” While McCollum provided the vision for rebuilding Greensburg, Hewitt’s charismatic and transformational leadership ensured that the former mayor’s vision became a reality.

Three different mayors have held office since McCallum resigned. To ensure no one impedes the town’s progress, Hewitt found himself taking a crash course on interpersonal influence tactics and rational persuasion. “It is what it is, but I have to work with these people and we’re gonna get it done,” he said. And he has done just that. Hewitt increased his staff from 20 to 35 people and established full-time fire, planning, and community development departments. To keep Greensburg on the map, he spent hours doing weekly interviews with media from all over the world. At quitting time, he would go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailer he shared with his wife and young son. “You know you gotta not just be that team leader, you gotta be that counselor, that friend, and you also gotta be the boss,” said Hewitt, a true servant leader, underlining the importance of simultaneously being people- and task oriented.

“He’s has been very open as far as information,” said recovery coordinator Kim Alderfer. “He’s very good about delegating authority. He gives you the authority to do your job. He doesn’t have time to micromanage.”

Hewitt wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. When people opposed the new building codes, Hewitt found the courage, through moral leadership, to say, “No. You’re going to build it right and you’re going to do it to code.” He claimed, “I’m dumb enough not to care what people say, and young enough to have the energy to get through it.”

Discussion Questions

1. Would Steve Hewitt be considered a Level 5 leader? Explain.

2. How does having two distinct leadership roles, mayor and city administrator, create a challenging environment for effective leadership?

3. Is Hewitt a high or low dominance leader? Why?