A new Council means new relationships

Election season has come and gone for Alberta. Somewhat like holiday seasons, people involved are left with things that they love… and some that they may not even like.

During our orientation and strategic planning sessions, we talk about the different stages of forming a new team.

Forming – the forming stage is when a new team comes together (such as right after an election).

Storming – The new team is getting to know each other as people. Conflicts may arise as people learn each other’s personalities and how to work together.

Norming – The storm is starting to settle down a bit. There has become normal function within the group.

Performing – The group now knows each other well enough to start performing at a high level.

If even one member of Council is new, it creates an entirely different team atmosphere. Just one new member means that the team must go through the above steps.

The same can also be said for a new Council and administration relationship. Particularly, the relationship between Council and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

The relationship between Council and administration can sometimes become adversarial, but it doesn’t have to be. There is supposed to be give and take and push and pull within the relationship – that is how it is designed.

However, a new Council also means that both Council and the CAO have to work towards a good relationship with each other – similar to the relationship amongst Council.

The CAO role has various different expectations, and most fit into the categories below:

The CAO is a body of knowledge – they provide Council with the necessary knowledge and information to make informed decisions about the community.

The CAO is expected to use their judgement – they are expected to decide what is valuable information and what information may be effective.

The CAO is expected to provide a diagnosis - they should have various political and legal aptitudes.

The final expectation of the CAO is management – they should be able to provide an objective analysis of municipal operations.

How the CAO performs the above tasks is up to them. Each CAO is different – they bring different personality traits and different experiences to the table.

When a new Council is elected, both the CAO and Council need to understand each other’s roles. Council is doing the steering, and the CAO (and their team) are doing the rowing. It is ultimately up to Council to set the direction, and the CAO decides how to get there.

Another way to describe the different roles is through understanding that Council and the CAO/administration are operating in different spheres. Councils sphere is the vision, mission and setting policy. administration's sphere is service delivery.

Even if both Council and administration understand their roles, there can still be personality conflicts and operational issues that arise. Relationships are always ebbing and flowing, and this one is no different.

When a new Council is elected, they must work with the CAO. Get to know them as people, what knowledge they have, and give them a chance to perform to the best of their ability in their role.

The best Council and CAO relationship is one that is given the chance to flourish.

Do you have any ideas on how to communicate a strategic plan with the community? Drop me a line at lauren@strategicsteps.ca