Taking leaps and loving the challenges
LAWTON - Michael Cleghorn breezed into the Lawton City Manager’s office and took a seat at a round conference table. He mentioned that the city council meeting the night before had gone until about 10:30 p.m.
The governing body had spent about three hours in an executive session after a regular open session. Cleghorn, Lawton’s new city manager who has been on the job about four months, had a smile on his face. The twinkle in his eyes was the first clue leading to the facts of how much he loves municipal work and how much he loves his new job. He was energetic but calm - and why not?
It’s not like he was getting ready to jump out of an airplane, which, by the way, he has done so many times that he quit counting. As part of his Army career in the 82nd Airborne Division, jumping out of airplanes was Cleghorn’s job, which he also enjoyed. “You could probably say that I’m a ‘Type-A’ personality kind of person.
I liked the rush and the feeling - the adrenaline - that goes with jumping out of airplanes,” he said. “I stopped counting how many jumps I made.” There was another motive, too. “The Airborne Creed hung on our wall and someone had written in pencil on it, ‘I did it for $110 a month.’” Cleghorn chuckled at the memory.
“The extra money was important,” he said.
CHALLENGES
Not every jump was picture perfect, which is probably a pretty good analogy for Cleghorn’s life, but he always survived and turned to the next task with renewed determination and intensity.
Like the time in eighth grade when he was knocked out playing football. “Here came this huge kid with a mustache - yes, in junior high football, a mustache ... he laid me out!” So, Cleghorn made a course adjustment.
He gave up football but remained an athlete. He played basketball and ran track; he did the pole vault and high jump. Cleghorn graduated from Humble High School in Texas, which is about 20 minutes northeast of Houston, in 1983. At 18, he joined the Army. He alluded to the fact that those early days in Humble, Texas, may not have been picture perfect, either. But the silver lining was a family friend, who became a mentor.
Cleghorn spoke about the man, Vernon Wallace Jones, with deep emotion and great respect. “He was like a grandfather to me. As a young kid, he always took time to sit down and talk with me. He was very special.” Cleghorn paused, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
“He was a very kind, understanding man. He took time to spend with a kid. “In today’s world men need other men to provide guidance. Through the milestones in my life, he took time to listen to me.”
ARMY CAREER
Cleghorn joined the military as a teenager and, over the course of his 21-year career, became a combat veteran. He participated in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom initiatives.
He served as a Communication and Electronic Maintenance Platoon Leader and managed complex business units with multi-million dollar budget allowances.
He advised battalion and company commanders on maintenance and logistic issues of the battalion’s electronic equipment and computers. “In those 21 years, I moved about 30 times,” Cleghorn said. “I did two tours in Europe, one in Korea and one in the Middle East. Most of the time, I was stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C.” (Fort Bragg is home of The Airborne and Special Operations Forces.)
He went to a number of schools on his way up the rank ladder. One was particularly challenging. “It was a class of one - and that was me,” Cleghorn said. “It was pass or fail and failure meant I was separated from the military.” Cleghorn was challenged and inspired and had set a goal, which is a guidepost that he believes is important. “There’s a quote that says true growth happens on the edge when you’re reaching and striving ...”
The quote sums up his desire and goal to be a warrant officer and he was inspired by a superior officer that he looked up to and respected greatly. “CW5 Tate Jones embodied and was the epitome of what a warrant officer is to be,” Cleghorn said.
“He was well-respected and a man of integrity. He loved his country and modeled a military career. “He recommended me to the warrant officer school. Out of about 30 applications, one was selected. I received it.” Cleghorn said when you become a leader, you have to act accordingly.
He set a goal to be the best, most effective leader possible.
MENTORS
As mentioned, role models have been an important part of Cleghorn’s life as he has strived to become a leader himself. Education has also been important to achieving his goals and studying other leaders for examples. Cleghorn enjoys studying history, but there isn’t any one historical leader that stands out. It’s actually more of a variety of character traits from various leaders that intrigues him.
“MacArthur (Gen. Douglas MacArthur) was a very decisive commander ... (Gen.) Dwight Eisenhower was not a tactician ... Patton (Gen. George Patton) reviewed history. For instance, wherever he fought, he reviewed the battles that had been fought on the same territory. He prepared.
He knew the history. “Most recently, prior to the instances that happened, I liked Gen. David Petraeus. He was well-respected military wise,” Cleghorn said. That led him to his favorite quote by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
FAMILY
Cleghorn married his high school sweetheart, Margaret. “I’ve known her since we were 16 and I don’t have enough time to say all the nice things I can about her.” He takes another moment to gather his thoughts, as he does any time he is talking about a person or subject that is very meaningful to him.
“If not for my wife, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. She is a supporter and a builder, and I love that about her. She has always been positive and supportive,” he said.
The Cleghorns have four adult children - Michael, Mindy, Malachi and Mikayla - and also have four grandchildren. Their children’s families live in Texas and Kansas. “What another great thing about living in Lawton. We are about halfway between all our grandchildren,” he said.
BACK TO SCHOOL AND A NEW CAREER
Cleghorn said he was on the Army’s W4 list for a possible promotion and, at the time, was considering whether it was time to retire from the military or try to take another step.
“My wife said she would support me - as she had always done - no matter what my decision was, but she and the children were going to move back to Texas.” He made the decision to retire and return to Texas with his family in May 2004.
“I went to work at Lockhead Martin Vought Systems and was building missile components. I was building stuff, which I enjoyed, but every day it was the same stuff every day,” he said. For a man who had chased adrenaline rushes jumping out of airplanes and the challenges of managing complex units, Cleghorn needed something different - something that wasn’t the same every day.
MUNICIPAL CAREER
“I was looking in the newspaper one day and saw an ad for Public Works Director and a Solid Waste Director in Crockett, Texas. I applied and got the position of Solid Waste Director. “I was fortunate that I worked with a man who was a retired Army Lt. Colonel. He told me that the job was nothing more than running a platoon,” he said. Cleghorn’s municipal career had begun.
“The routine is different every day and I enjoy providing a service. I also like fixing things that are broke.” He spent about six years in that position, from mid-2005 until mid-2011 before deciding he wanted to move to a bigger city. Cleghorn was hired as the Assistant Director of Solid Waste for the City of Lufkin, Texas, before moving to Killeen, Texas, and accepting the position of Director of Solid Waste.
In that city of 137,000 residents, Cleghorn managed the collection of residential and commercial waste materials and provided the oversight of five separate budgets exceeding $17 million. He also implemented fiscal control measures based on the previous years of financial histories. After four years in Killeen, Texas, his career path took him through Copperas Cove, Texas, as Director of Public Works before considering the City Manager position in Lawton. GOALS AND LEADERSHIP Becoming a city manager was one of Cleghorn’s goals.
“When I was Director of Solid Waste Services in Killeen, I decided to go back to school and get my master’s degree.” He chuckled. “Well, my wife has always told me that I am the type of person who likes to stream upstream.” He studied at Texas A&M University - Central Texas and earned a master’s degree in Management and Leadership. “I went back to grad school with the goal to be a city manager. I like reading and studying about management and leadership. I felt confident with that degree.
“One of my personal goals is to empower employees through training, development, encouragement and collaborative leadership. I want to lead by example,” he said.
of a variety of character traits from various leaders that intrigues him. “MacArthur (Gen. Douglas MacArthur) was a very decisive commander ... (Gen.) Dwight Eisenhower was not a tactician ... Patton (Gen. George Patton) reviewed history. For instance, wherever he fought, he reviewed the battles that had been fought on the same territory. He prepared. He knew the history.
“Most recently, prior to the instances that happened, I liked Gen. David Petraeus. He was well-respected military wise,” Cleghorn said. That led him to his favorite quote by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
CITY OF LAWTON
“As a first-time city manager, I will always appreciate the fact that the city council offered me the opportunity. A lot of councils don’t have the tolerance for first-timers. I will always appreciate it,” he said.
“It’s nice to work in a good organization with good people. “One thing I really like about Lawton is that it is friendly and welcoming with a hometown atmosphere. I have lived in a lot of places and you don’t always find the inclusiveness. The city embraces the military and is glad they are here,” he said.
MORE GOALS
Cleghorn said achieving his goal of becoming a city manager began with his first graduate study class and culminated with being hired in Lawton.
When asked about his new goals, Cleghorn pulled his cell phone from his pocket and went to his electronic notepad. “I always write them down,” he said with a little smile. “They are always changing and growing.” As for long-range goals, he would like to see the City of Lawton have a multiyear budget (five years), as well as a five-year capital improvement plan (CIP).
“Oh, there are a lot of things on different lists I’ve made. More transparency and accountability and goals and priorities and looking at core missions,” he said. “Making sure we are focusing on the basics and taking care of the little things.
The little things help pave the way for the success of the bigger things. “My mom used to say, ‘Watch the pennies and the dollars will follow.’” Cleghorn is confident that with his technical background, he can help recommend systems and tools to help with accountability and transparency.
“I’m in favor of a virtual city hall. Today’s world moves on desktops. Citizens have more access to information and they want even more access,” he said.
The list includes information technology and financial systems software; quality of streets and aesthetics; traffic flow and self-actuating traffic cameras; performance audits of the city and being innovative. Everything filters through his personal creed of Vision, Mission, Goals and Values.
FATE AND DESTINY
“Some people scoff at the idea of destiny, but I don’t. I believe in destiny and I believe in fate and faith should be a critical component in life,” Cleghorn said. “It takes faith to do things.
It takes hope and faith to be able to navigate life as a whole.” He has worked hard, set goals and achieved them and believes it is his destiny to be in Lawton. “We have a great mayor (Stan Booker) and we work well together. We work well with the city council.”
Lawton is his home. He feels comfortable here and is ready for new challenges and goals. “I sold my house in Texas,” he said. “I’m all in. I jumped all the way in. I don’t do anything halfway.
Lawton is the place for me to develop relationships.