Thoughts on the Successful CAO (originally written in 2016)

Chief Administrative Officers (CAO’s) and the community in which they work face a number of challenges, such as aging infrastructure, economic development, budgetary constraints, team building, and working with elected officials in an ever-politicized role.[1] As the single employee of Council, a CAO must act as the liaison between elected officials and the operational staff of a municipality. As one CAO describes, “a CAO is like the ball joint between Council and staff, as well as an important link to/from the public and the local government. It is important to understand the weight of this role and be prepared for the stresses involved. You have to be the kind of person who thrives on multiple competing and often conflicting priorities to be an effective CAO.”[2] The role of a CAO varies from place to place, being influenced not only by community size and staff levels, but also the culture of an organization. Each role, therefore, may require different skillsets.

One respondent to the CAO survey suggests that “small town CAOs have an extremely limited ability to contract out or delegate, so they really must implement a great deal directly from tax policy to catching dogs… Larger community CAOs need to be masters of the corporate vision and know their HR. They do not need to be experts in any particular area other than general management.”[3] Results of the research, however, indicate that despite variations in specific skillsets, there are overarching attributes that a successful CAO must have in order to thrive. Generally, a successful CAO must be able to communicate well; understand political realities; shape, motivate, and empower their team; inspire trust in their vision; lead by example; and be both respectful and honest. Through exhibiting these qualities, outside of any legislated responsibilities, a CAO can influence a corporate culture. A truly successful CAO will act as the single employee of the elected Council or board, and will exhibit leadership with both Council and staff.

Community Charter S. 147  A bylaw under section 146 may establish the position of chief administrative officer of the municipality, whose powers, duties and functions include the following:                Aside from personal-professional traits that a Chief Administrative Officer should have in order to be successful, a CAO in British Columbia is legislatively responsible for the following, as per Section 147 of the Community Charter:

(a) overall management of the operations of the municipality;

(b) ensuring that the policies, programs and other directions of the council are                                        implemented;

1. c) advising and informing the council on the operation and affairs of the municipality.[4]

For regional districts, the legislated roles are the same, but located within Section 197 of the Local Government Act.[5] In order to foster a complete understanding of a successful CAO’s roles and attributes, the three key research questions to address are:

1. What is the role of a Chief Administrative Officer?
2. What attributes should a CAO have in order to succeed?
3. How can a CAO impact the corporate culture of a local government?

To answer each of the three research questions, a brief literature review was completed, informal interviews were conducted with Chief Administrative Officers, and a qualitative online survey was distributed via email to each CAO in British Columbia as listed on CivicInfo BC’s online community registry. The distribution list was constructed by manually extracting names and contact information for each community’s current CAO, Deputy CAO, or Interim CAO. Four informal interviews were completed with CAO’s throughout November, 2015, concurrent to the distribution and collection of the online survey. A total of 199 online surveys were distributed, with a total of 44 responses, representing a 22.1% return rate. Approximately one of every five professionals with CAO, Deputy CAO, or Interim CAO titles as per CivicInfo BC, therefore, responded to the survey. The research methodology represents a reliable sample of qualitative data to draw conclusions based on the roles of CAO’s, the attributes of successful CAO’s, and the ways in which a CAO may influence corporate culture.

Overwhelmingly, respondents to the survey, as well as each CAO that was interviewed, place a great deal of importance in structuring the Council-CAO relationship on the “one employee” model, where Council has the majority of its interactions with the CAO. In essence, the elected officials provide direction to the CAO, and the CAO interacts with the municipal staff to ensure that elected officials receive advice and have access to professional expertise. Municipal employees generally do not have a great deal of interaction with Council, and for Council to direct administrative professionals, they must first, as a whole, direct the CAO. The CAO will then communicate the political will to employees, who handle operations and implementation. Respondents reflected along the same points of view, that a CAO is “the link between Council and staff… a policy advisor to Council… responsible for the overall management of the municipality,” and responsible for “good governance, manag[ing] citizen expectations, and lead[ing] employees to excellent performance.” A CAO must lead “up, out and down.”[6]

The CAO has a number of priorities to lead. As Siegel presents, the City Manager’s Office:

• Reviews departmental programs, budgets, policy initiatives
• Makes recommendations to City Council
• Ensures that Council’s directives are carried out (in consultation with Council and departments)
• Establishes standards and priorities for civic administration
• Motivates and monitors performance to ensure that standards are met, priorities are pursued, and high-quality City services are consistently delivered
• Manages a continuing organizational development program to ensure good communication between departments and coordinates efforts to address City priorities.

A CAO must also take a balanced approach to being a public figure and being involved in the community with letting Council take ownership of its decisions. A CAO also has the role of leading without taking credit publicly, and making elected officials look good. As indicated in discussions with the CAO’s, the CAO “that is in the news frequently, especially more than Council, is probably doing something wrong.”[8]

Understanding the CAO’s role is the initial step in addressing the necessary core competencies and attributes that are required to ensure a CAO is successful. In a broad sense, and beyond the local realities that may shift depending on the size of the community and staff contingent, a successful CAO must be able to communicate well; navigate political realities; shape, motivate, and empower their team; inspire trust in their vision; lead by example; and be both respectful and honest. A CAO must also have high levels of emotional intelligence, foster positive relationships, and delegate when needed. Some respondents to the survey noted that education in public administration and experience in local government were important to success as a CAO, but they were not in the majority. Follow up discussions with CAO’s in BC suggests that broad experience in local government administration is highly important, but not always sought by Councils seeking an outside voice (sometimes at the Council’s, the CAO’s, and the community’s peril). That being considered, survey results suggest that public administration training and experience is not entirely necessary to lead as a CAO. Rather, a CAO must have “thick skin… the ability to remain curious, to look for the question under the question, to motivate staff through providing [them with the] resources to do their jobs, giving them authority together with responsibility, [and] the ability to reframe a negative statement or question into a neutral one.”[9] A CAO must also exhibit strong work ethic, patience, and a sense of humour in order to thrive. On top of these attributes, the successful CAO must also be able to execute and act on plans. The lack of execution can be a downfall for many CAO’s, who are able to take on a great deal of work and projects, only to fail to finalize or implement them.[10]

It is also important for a CAO to focus on high-level issues and a systems-based approach. With the appropriate systems in place, the CAO will not have to deal with as many symptoms of inefficient processes, or a team that is not aligned. By putting the appropriate systems in place, and reviewing them frequently, a CAO is able to reduce the instability or fluctuations that can come from drastic political shifts. To effectively change systems, though, a CAO is commonly challenged with resistance to change, generational styles, and struggling to “bring people along” rather than having people “come with you.”[11] While making or influencing change a CAO must be comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and imperfect data. The ability to trust a team, and take their advice without second guessing it, can improve the success of a CAO and the organization as a whole.[12]

In “Leaders in the Shadows: the leadership qualities of municipal chief administrative officers,” Siegel elicits a number of narratives from professional CAO’s from across Canada. The leadership qualities that they highlight include: being careful and conscientious, change oriented, collaborative, having a sense of humour, empowering teams (i.e. not micro-managing them), taking measured risks, respecting local culture, and maintaining work-life balance. With the CAO being the single employee of their community’s elected officials, the common narrative is one of hard work and long hours. With all of the competing priorities, one of the most highlighted challenges for CAO’s is work-life balance. Through providing enough time to remove oneself from the office environment to pursue other passions, even if complementary, a CAO is likely to be more successful and maintain passion for the profession over a longer period.[13]

All of the aforementioned attributes considered, a talented and competent CAO is not ensured of job security, considering the increasingly politicized nature of the job.

I am seeing the role of the CAO becoming more and more politicized. By this I mean that the Council / Board is engaging the CAO routinely into the political discussion resulting in the CAO becoming involved in the politics of the decision making. The CAO must be kept out of the politics to be effective – or at least perceived to be non-political (that is understand the politics better than the politicians)… A successful CAO must navigate potential hot political potatoes on a constant basis while ensuring they do not personally offend any one individual / group / Council while leading his/her team to execute the direction of the Council.[14].

A CAO may be able to increase their chances of success within an organization by positively impacting its corporate culture. The majority of respondents to the survey stated that a CAO can influence a corporate culture by “lead[ing] by example,” and being consistent. In fact, respondents believe that a CAO’s style, both in leadership and communication, can be an indication of the entire organization’s future success or failure.[15] An organization that is likely to succeed will be influenced positively by a CAO who can protect staff from political issues and whims, empower staff to highlight their strengths, and lead with positive rather than negative reinforcement.

Support employees by building a relationship of trust and openness, providing a workplace in which employees feel safe to be creative (ie – a workplace in which they can make mistakes), empowering employees by giving them ownership of their work, recognizing good work far more than focusing on poor work, providing professional development opportunities, consistently focusing on results, especially good results. The trust relationships that need to be built and maintained include the relationship between Council and staff – consistently working to ensure that each can trust the other to do their jobs is essential to a healthy culture.[16]

The successful CAO will empower and direct staff to achieve the strategic priorities and goals of Council, and communicate successes as well as struggles to both elected officials and the administration. They will help both sides, Council and staff, understand each other’s roles in the process.

Buchan’s 2004 consolidation of eight CAO’s advice for new or aspiring professionals in this field identifies that a CAO can influence corporate culture by working with a Council to establish a cohesive vision and set of strategic priorities. It is important to maintain a level of focus on priorities and vision, and keep the strategic plan for the organization brief and simple. An organization’s strategic plan should be referenced and utilized frequently. To create a culture of continuous improvement, a CAO can ensure that the strategic planning process is completed annually and reviewed as needed. Instilling an appreciation for measureable goals will encourage greater understanding of processes. At the same time, benchmarking work in relation to desired outcomes is important for CAO success.[17]

The CAO also has an impact on the organization in establishing a strong team and leading in the creation and investment in their staff. This includes not just the hiring of new staff, but building capacity within the existing members of the organization. The corporate culture is highly dependent on the quality of the staff and their levels of engagement. As one CAO noted, it is important to “always hire people better than yourself… build capacity in the local government as a whole as the next employee you hire is very likely from another government.” It is essential to share, foster staff growth, and develop an organization with succession planning in mind.[18]

The CAO may also influence the culture of an organization by opening lines of communication between the organization, elected officials, and the community. In an interview, one CAO responded by stating that he meets twice annually with each councillor and the mayor, as well as with local community groups. Through these open lines of communication, this CAO felt that the organization benefitted from on-going review of its strategic priorities, and also built trust beyond the confines on the municipal hall.[19] In addition, the CAO can impact a corporate culture by team building through open communication, encouraging social interaction in the community, and holding frequent staff meetings to encourage dialogue between organizational silos.[20]

With respect to cultural change in an organization, one CAO in particular noted that it is a “long, hard game” and that “cultures are changed incrementally.” Even with sweeping organizational changes, remnants of a previous way of operating can exist for decades following a new CAO’s hire. Complete change, in fact, is nearly impossible. Striving for that change, when it is what is needed for the organization, is one way in which a CAO can demonstrate leadership. This can be particularly challenging when change occurs and the shift in CAO styles moves from a managerial style to a leader and/or coaching style.[21]

A CAO’s roles are diverse and frequently change from community-to-community. However, there are commonalities in CAO roles across the spectrum from small to large communities. Some CAO’s may need to be more operational and managerial in their approach, depending on staff size/capacity, while a CAO in a large city is likely to have greater staff capacity to draw upon, and can take a high-level leadership role. Although the role is legislated by the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, depending on the type of local government, there are a number of other roles that the CAO plays: leader, communicator, liaison, and the single employee of the elected officials, for example. The small town CAO may be a Corporate Officer, Subdivision Approving Officer, Economic Development Officer, and Chief Financial Officer concurrently. A CAO in a larger city may take a solely relationship and visionary role but need to coordinate and engage a vast team.

The successful CAO incorporates skillsets of each quadrant, with greater weight towards Leadership and Strategy. Ideally, Vision will come from Council, and Implementation is achieved by management and staff. Where one is lacking throughout the organization, a vacuum fills the capacity through a misalignment of skills and/or roles.

One interviewee stated that a CAO is likely to succeed with certain attributes, such as: the ability to communicate well; ability to understand political realities; knowing how to shape, motivate, and empower their team; capability to inspire trust in their vision; leading by example; and being both respectful and honest. These attributes are only examples, but represent the fact that being a CAO is more than having political, administrative, or financial acumen. While there may be variation in the needed skills from community to community, there are commonalities across the spectrum.

Results of the research indicate that despite variations in specific skillsets, there are common attributes that a successful CAO must have in order to thrive. Through taking a leadership and coaching approach to the CAO career, they can bring teams together, encourage the acceptance of change, set measureable, strategic goals. They can open positive dialogues with elected officials, the community, and with staff. A CAO who truly understands their role within the organization, who possesses the attributes discussed herein, is more likely to be capable of leading change in an organization’s culture. They may also increase their own longevity in the role.

[1] B. Renken, “The City Manager Chronicles.” Public Sector Digest, (2015).

[2] What Makes a Successful CAO? Survey Results, November, 2015.

[3] Ibid.

[4] British Columbia, Community Charter, Chapter 26 SBC 2003, section 146.

[5] British Columbia, Local Government Act, Chapter 323 RSBC 1996, section 197.

[6] What Makes a Successful CAO? Survey Results, November, 2015.

[7] D. Siegel, Leaders in the Shadows: the leadership qualities of municipal chief administrative officers, University of Toronto Press, Toronto: 2015), p. 236.

[8] CAO Interview. Interview by Author November, 2015.

[9] What Makes a Successful CAO? Survey Results, November, 2015.

[10] CAO Interview. Interview by Author November, 2015.

[11] CAO Interview. Interview by Author November, 2015.

[12] CAO Interview. Interview by Author November, 2015.

[13] D. Siegel, Leaders in the Shadows: the leadership qualities of municipal chief administrative officers, University of Toronto Press, Toronto: 2015), p.s 63, 66, 100, 175-177, 219, 220, 272.

[14] What Makes a Successful CAO? Survey Results, November, 2015.

[15] What Makes a Successful CAO? Survey Results, November, 2015.

[16] Ibid.

[17] R. Buchan, “Guide for New Chief Administrative Officers” Local Government Management Association p. 48-51.

[18] What Makes a Successful CAO? Survey Results, November, 2015.

[19] CAO Interview. Interview by Author November, 2015.

[20] R. Buchan, “Guide for New Chief Administrative Officers” Local Government Management Association p. 55-56.

[21] CAO Interview. Interview by Author November, 2015.

NOTE: By no means do I claim to be an expert on the topic of CAO development, nor do I feel that this article fully captures the complexities of multitude of factors playing into a CAO’s success. Success itself can be measured in numerous ways, both qualitative and quantitative. What is success for one CAO may be deemed a failure for another. What I do attempt here is to briefly cover some of the literature, and tell the stories of the CAO’s who responded to my brief survey and interview questions. This was a learning experience for me, and I’m deeply thankful for the chance to speak with so many outstanding community leaders. I hope that this can, at a minimum, provide a good opportunity for us all to reflect on how we can make a positive impact in communities through the leadership roles that we are fortunate to have (even if we are not yet graced with the title of CAO). -JM