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Transcription
The speaker expresses gratitude for the mentors who have shaped their leadership journey. They emphasize the importance of humility and learning from others. They recall specific mentors who challenged and supported them in their career. The speaker also discusses the challenges and rewards of being a CEO and the need to balance various responsibilities. They mention the importance of public health and safety in their role. They reflect on the unpredictable nature of their job and the need to adapt quickly. The speaker mentions their circuitous route to their current position and the diverse opportunities they have had along the way. They acknowledge that leadership is a continuous learning process, and share a personal anecdote about their approach to leadership. Oh good Oh Okay No problem, thanks in advance Brendan You Thank you very it's truly an honor to be here I'm very grateful for you inviting me to answer a couple questions Yeah Yeah, well, thanks for that I you know, I guess as a leader there's a lot of humility there and in terms of The we're the product of our mentors really truly and so there's the current job I sit in but it's also just that leadership journey along the way my entire career and even before that I just said I'm grateful for those that Really invested in me early in my career gave me the time and the tools But also showed me what what works and so as a leader we're all going after our own style and so looking at others and Watching what they're doing and what what fits me? I you know when I first started my career I had a mentor who was Still one of my closest friends You know really challenging me to Explore things that analytically and so create a sound and sound foundation and then you know moving into other Opportunities when I when I first started my career as a consultant I was I just joined a large engineering firm and and one of the senior senior partners Asked me to go after a project for a small system acquisition private entity taking over from a Buying for a municipality it was a no big deal process. Yeah Sorry Okay It's almost and I apologize I Yeah, I was when I heard it, it's good. They just had used it You can you can tell we we invest in old machinery I Can how about I heard the question and let me just I'll just I'll just riff from the top So, you know the quite the questions journey as a CEO as a leader and so, you know In earnest, I believe we're a product of many mentors along the way You know as you as you look at others and how their leadership styles you're picking the best that fits Yourself and there's a lot of humility leadership is hard. I just straight up. I think that's a reasonable statement And when you you look at those that brought you along your career path really gave you opportunities Where we sit today where I sit today as the general manager of just an organization I am I couldn't be prouder to serve This journey was not my own it was really made from from many people along the way from One of my first mentors. He's still one of my closest friends Really pushing me to to on the analytical side really getting to know the the topic There was a there was a senior manager and I joined an engine large engineering firm He didn't know me from from Adam. It gave me an opportunity to go after an acquisition of a small private utility in Arizona on behalf of a growing city I think we beat 15 different attorneys and accountants and those way senior than me And it was just a fun project that's the way I viewed it but that year at the annual shareholder meeting he He said hey, I just want to tell everyone we have this person internally that works on non-traditional design projects and businesses business case, you know sort of things and you really should pull them in That just launched my career within that organization Shortly thereafter. I had a my direct boss he said just go do things and so he allowed me to start my own organization with the organ within an organization and You know just all the way along my career I just I've had such wonderful opportunities given to me by by great people and so I think the last thing I'd say to that is That rest is self-recognition of I didn't do it alone. It's a very powerful Motivating event to or thought to continue to say, you know what? I owe that to other people too. And so for that it's you know, I'm I'm very grateful for for those that supported me along this journey Yeah Yes Probably more lucky to have them around me than than me being so smart to seek them out. I remember Being early 20s early. It was my first council presentation. I was so excited Yeah I'm doing great things and I saw to my That point in my life the most inane decision I had ever seen made and I was just you know just livid and so we get out to the car and My mentor Ed he said, you know, this is a really important life lesson for you you can't force good government, but you can sure as hell try and That was just a lucky bit of picking a great great firm Later in your career when you have when you have a choice and you have agency to decide Okay, I want to work on this versus that. Yeah, there's there's absolutely an opportunity to to seek out great leaders But you know in some some some circumstances, it's kind of happenstance who you happen to be around I've just happened to work with some pretty wonderful people I try I Can honestly say it's something it's fresh It's at the top of my mind all the time. And so I hope to deliver on that We could talk to others to see how well I actually deliver You Yes, yeah, it was a I was it was a fun it was a fun highlight I had offered someone a position and you know, she wasn't sure if she was ready for it and I gotta think about it and It came back a couple days later and then Okay, hold on. Hold on. Stop. Hey, what about me makes you think I would ever let you fail? Okay, I'll take it And then still, you know always working towards not letting that person down but nevertheless, it's a you know Shot in the arm of support goes a long long way for all of us You All right I Think that's appropriately said Public health and safety, right, you know, we when when you and I talk to legislators We lead with that, you know, we've got this policy. Do you understand the implications of what that means for protecting public health? And so it's that's the way we all view our job being a general manager CEO in general It's it's a difficult but yet rewarding position You know, we we answer to the public we answer directly to a board of directors That really know my job very well They had they're in charge of the strategic direction Then my job is to implement their strategic direction and help and communicate directly what we're doing oh, by the way I also need to run an organization and train people to be good leaders and have them train their folks to be good leaders and Do it in the right cost, you know at the right cost for the community It's a it's a it's a rewarding because of the challenge that it is And and I'm I'm very grateful to be in the seat. You know, one of the challenges that people Don't necessarily know about our job and I include you in that various We're required to bounce from idea to idea and meeting to meeting and on a dime And we have to do it while smiling the whole time, you know, so when things are somewhat chaotic in the background Never show the chaos and so and then you know, that's just part of that comes part and parcel with the job But it also is it's it's the fun stuff and so I Really enjoy the the challenge that we you and I face every day I You know, I think there's only a couple people that even know this job exists especially as a five-year-old So and that's because their mother or father that's in the role No, I was always very jealous of my friends that Knew exactly what they wanted to do when they grew up, you know doctor lawyer I had a friend in high school that was going to run the Ritz and he went to Cornell Cornell to go get his degree so he could do so and I didn't know like I my father was a chemical engineer and I Thought what he did was, you know exciting like every child thinks of their parent And so I assumed I would have something related to that But but I truly I truly had no idea Just quickly. I had a bit of a circuitous route to getting into this seat my undergrad was government in history and double and I just finished my government degree within the first two years of college and so well let me just you know continue and continue something else and then my but math is my True aptitude and chemistry in particular. So so well, let me become a patent attorney and And so I two weeks after I graduated I went into chemical engineering and then my father introduced me to his patent attorneys He was a senior executive at a multinational chemical firm and I realized that was not my personality and not my calling and so I You know pivoted and had some really Just really great job opportunities and Wall Street and some other and I There's prospects and I said, well, I'm going west and so I took this job at this little firm out in Seattle and it was Co-founded one of one of whom was the former CFO of URS and so for those that don't know URS is one of the largest engineering firms in the country and So I said well heck I really want to go backpacking and skiing and this is a great opportunity to Get in the work world and it'll be two years. And so, you know what two decades later. I'm still doing the same thing so I To say I fell into it's an accurate statement You Yeah, I think that's fairly sad You know, I Think you I think you might have already said it but leadership is a journey There's very few amongst us that are natural-born leaders. The rest of us are you know, trying to trying to Climb up that that rung so to speak and continue to improve as leaders, you know, I I think about it I think there's a you know moment of as much of oh gosh. I hear look I'm doing a great job and more of here's where I'm not doing a good job, and I remember in high school so I'm a child and Loved playing sports and my senior year. I was Captain of the football team and that preseason, you know 17 years old. There was there was a sophomore it's just a natural talent and we went to a small school and and He was going to start on varsity and he's just kind of just yeah lackadaisical when it came to Drills and things like that. So I always come on here right riding him a little bit if that's the right phrase That lasted about four days and that's not me at all And I don't I'm not gonna that's not going to be the way I act I rather encourage and try to lead by example, etc. And That was a pretty important life lesson You know as a child and it's interesting that you know a long time after that I still remember that moment. And so I think that's that's more That was pretty pivotal It Was and so I You know, it was it was it was fun it was you know the The first time I became executive I was really young and I was you know that that small company. I was appointed to the board and so that was in my Early 30s and a bit of small company and then I went to the back to a larger firm and and you know Continue to grow as an executive and then in 2017 I had the opportunity to to move over to Santa Margarita water district as the assistant general manager and Then a few years ago come over here as a general manager as a consultant and the reason I referenced that part of my career is I Had the opportunity to work with I believe 250 agencies throughout the country and so I've seen a lot of people promote up into the general manager spot and I can honestly say that that transition is about two years and There is some comfort in knowing that you know, it's not you know, it's a curve, but there's that okay I'm gonna we're gonna Suffer and hopefully not suffer through it And it's not a fake it till you make it but I really want to do a good job But but where I wasn't getting everything right. It's a permission to say. Okay. There's a growth period and It's really fun. It was really fun to see now my peers good friends promote up from directors of engineering or AGM's Etc and see them now as I would truly call them leaders Compared to where they were in their previous seats very different individuals And and so we you know again, we all hope to continue to grow and And that's you know, that's no different for me you know, it was the I am very fortunate that I came into an organization that has a Fantastic team and so you go in and it's usually two different scenarios one You got to change things or two don't mess it up and luckily I came into the latter You know can continue to support and I also have a really exceptional board that basically their motto is go do great things and that to me that fits what I want to accomplish my ambition and so That was that made my transition a lot easier than many I would say You You Yeah, it's you know management is hard and And you know your seat my seat. It's a lonely place, right? We can't you can't go down the chain and say well You know, how do I solve this and you really can't go up the chain and say well You know tell me how to solve this and so it's I appreciate what you just said about having good peers to to balance those ideas off of and but also surrounding yourself with an executive team where you can have those trusted conversations of This is what I'm thinking Give me the honest feedback. What are we doing? And so that you're you're not functioning in isolation. I think that's a really Critical thing for me in particular. I truly value that a silly story. I'll tell quick I was I was really I was early in my career I had a big project for for a large city asset management project and I got a call from the partner and said I don't know if you know this but so-and-so fired the Phoenix team from the project and I said, okay. Well, thank you for the call I will take care of that immediately. And so I get to the office and I hear to do that you know footsteps running towards my office and that that colleague of mine said So-and-so is a pain in the neck And I said I just sat there and smiled and I said remember when I said management is hard I meant it. So let's okay. We can't fire the our colleagues from this project What are we going to do to execute in a productive way? So let's go solve that You Right Well, like I said, you know, it's a journey we're all imperfect It's not said of the false flattery by any mean and false modesty see me by any means the But setting up a structure where we could grow together I think is paramount And so, you know, where are we going? You know having that direction but then giving people the tools to to lead and to grow And so I'll give you an example of I think this kind of typifies my style and my leadership philosophy We when I joined we had a executive training coach come in and just let us talk as friends and It was really nice feedback and that the coach said hey you might be a young team or a new team But you're functioning very well. And so you're on your growth period new trajectory. So that was really good feedback but the you know, as we all know that the sergeants run the army and so You know the setting up a management and we're going to kick it off in January a leadership training program from our mid managers and then for our supervisors and foreman and So the mid managers really focusing on four areas one leadership 101. Who's Rancho? What do we do? to Finance, you know, do you know the budget? Do you know budget beyond your own department and division? How do you do a business case and not everything we do deals with, you know cost efficiency some we deal with a lot of Regulatory issues, but how do you make a cogent argument to say this is what we need to do Leadership board, etc public and here's why we're moving forward Next HR, you know, that's that is one of our biggest liabilities if we get it wrong. And so You talk about leadership Candid conversations, you know, you just got promoted up from being, you know, shoulder-to-shoulder with someone and now you're their boss Are you prepared to have good? supportive candid conversations Anyone can be honest and sometimes honesty is really hard But are you doing in a way that's productive and then finally communications? And so All right, you know it's presentation styles oral How do you communicate an idea in a way that your your you know team can understand it? And how do you give a good presentation to the board where you're incorporating that business case and you know And then, you know while we're having those those four pillars then reading books together and Harvard Business Review articles there's this chance for those mid managers to break bread and Function as a team across their divisions and I really truly think that's critical at my organization's under 200 employees So, you know, it's a mid-sized water agency and the scheme of things is a small company But but really thinking outside of their own division is critical And then the last thing I'll just to end with this is the supervisors of Foreman So if anyone's listening that's not familiar with our world, you know, they're you know They're the ones that are the sergeants so to speak really running it, you know When who's who's the first one in line when something goes wrong with H in an HR circumstance? it's really it's really those those folks and so giving them the tools and the training so that they they they know when they have to How they act and how they then bring things to HR Helping them understand the strategic direction, but the budget where they fit into that. I Think is really critical for you know Promoting good leaders when when I I said I came from an engineering firm The old adage is you seven years of putting your head down you become a great design engineer Don't not talking anyone now. You're in charge. Good luck. You know, that's that's not a recipe for strong strong leadership So trying to trying to address that up front Mm-hmm Right Right Right Mm-hmm Well You know what it's one that you can relate to because you've been You and see me way I've been the forefront and supporting us the other new carb regulations in terms of vehicles And so thank you to you and Patrick and Frank and Danielle the whole crew and so in January 1st 2024 is a specific demarcation and so we probably need to buy some heavy-duty trucks in order to get us through this transition period where we Candidly don't know what the world's going to look like And so we had a we were having a conversation to my director of operations and the manager of field services who has a fleet and It was a very qualitative conversation. And so it's fine, you know, let him talk and then I finally said, okay I'm done with the qualitative. Hey, let's get into quantitative. What does this mean? And You know and it was a nice this because I was hearing Ah, they wouldn't let us replace trucks for all these years And I have a I have two sayings one you have a two of five and a seven congratulations Those are the cards you have. What are you doing now? And then the the rest is I've only been here for three years So the ghost of Rancho past Jacob Morley is not a friend of mine. I don't know him so, you know if it's a if it's a complaint about past practices, I What are we doing now? And and but then and my director of operations did a fantastic job of saying, okay got it now Here's the business case we need to develop we went to the board Actually yesterday for a request for two and a half million dollars to buy vehicles It was the first time that we took it to him officially I talked to the board all the time, but there's so much trust from the board. They said yes first shot and We laid out the business case of here's the kind of the win the lottery Case to here's pragmatically what we're going to do and how it gets us through and so that lesson for a young manager That's overseeing fleet. It was invaluable. And again, this is this is a thank you to my director of operations for taking that opportunity to Teach him about how you make a cogent business case argument. And so, you know, we're all we're all teaching all the time so to speak Mm-hmm Yeah, so it's important But the entire organization to feel like you have a direction And I say feel because a lot of this is perception, right? They if I talk to and I know every employee here and I think the world of them and that's that's the joy of Working in an agency of under 200 people But if you're talking to a foreman in construction, they're you know They're focused on the backhoe and you know how that helps him, you know address a leak at two in the morning But do they understand what we're doing from a water reliability standpoint and a water safety standpoint? I think that's really critical. And so it's from the strategic direction we have a meeting once a month all hands and I'm talking about what's going on on the board and Clearly communicating that the board is in charge of strategic direction We are in charge of implementing that direction and giving them the information or for them to you know to set that direction but I Point being is I it's critical for every person in the organization Regardless of their role to know the trajectory of where we're headed Because it gives because it gives purpose one of the things that we did recently was update our strategic plan the We didn't actually change things much. It was really well done as my predecessors but the existing strategic plan itself that document was It wasn't really a strategic plan. It was a business plan It's very tactical and that's not the role of the board. The board is the role is to set your strategic direction It's mine and then staffs Requirements implement that and so going through that process and I still remember one of the board members said, what do you Rob? What do you need in order to lead this organization? Because that's what we're going to give you. I mean that what a great partnership you know the last thing if I can make one last comment to your question is That strategic plan that direction, you know You deal with the mission the vision and the values and so one of the things that I did right when I joined was Our values what was in place. It's kind of kitschy, you know pride and you know was spelled out pride but it really it wasn't actionable and I felt like that those values as guiding principles need to be actionable. And so I Stealing borrowing from good friends and people you admire One of my good friends up in Northern, California large organization that put this process in place and I said That's the one that's the model and so I extricated myself from the process gave it to my director administration I said implement this and he got managers throughout the organization and they came up with new values for pillars the personal responsibility and accountability approach to work community first and then stewardship and And In there, they then developed we statements. We will hold ourselves accountable. We will support each other It was very different from what we had before and so again that strategic direction Having that and for people to buy into that I think it's paramount and I'm really proud of my team for having Delivered such a great product Yes You How much time do you have I'm sure you've gotten that response before Yeah, no, I Are you referencing that that draft report during negotiations once I probably went on it, you know six hours too early maybe no But you know, we're in earnest, you know, we're You know, we're all we're always growing there's always those rookie mistakes, but I'll say one of the things that I've If I think about it one of the things that I've learned And continue to reflect on that I see as a rookie mistake and because it's a hard part of leadership is making good decisions and making them timely and So, you know as you whether you're a mid manager or a senior manager or executive You know actually making a difficult decision is hard and Time does not solve problems And so, you know, that's that's the you know, I would say that I've made that mistake, you know multiple times It's easy. It's easier when you're dealing with an apathetic business problem, etc You know you take the information you have you look at the consequences of your action and sometimes you have to make really quick decisions This is part of the game. Sometimes you a little more time, but when you're dealing with personnel in particular It's really easy to let things linger when they should be addressed either through support or otherwise and I would say that's the classic rookie mistake that I definitely Definitely I fell victim to Yes You Well, I guess two separate paths personal growth and you know, I I would say I'd love to read but I have an hour commute. I love audibles And so, you know, so I'm always listening into a business book or leadership book and they're really enjoyable I Enjoy having those conversations with my with my team And so, you know getting something and tie chewing it over That's that personal growth that leadership growth from a technology standpoint Mentioned a little bit earlier that you know, our board's philosophy is don't go do great things and Not just for Rancho before, you know water community in general And so I you know, I am ambitious in terms of trying to do the next best thing and so We're always pushing the envelope and so you've heard me talk about our energy costs or half of what they would otherwise be because we have We've built an optimization. We've received a lot of grants to do really neat things you know, I just had a conversation the other day about neural networks and Something that is going back to you know, kind of my previous experience and implementing that how do we have our systems in place to have us make better business decisions and Then pulling people in so they're part of part of that process You know the intellectual pursuit I think it's important for everyone and so I you know, therefore I have my own as well Okay Well as We were talking I'm really bad at guitar, but it's fun. You know, it's just show me a couple chords and his is but no I love to get outside as you also know I took up golf and a couple years ago and and that's a Long long journey, but just being outside I think one of my favorite things in the world is to put on a backpack and get lost in the woods and so my father and I used to Backpack till he's 72 and we would go for a week at a clip and that's pretty special So yeah, just being getting the blood flowing getting outside is a great thing You know, it's a What you know, I will two weeks ago. I think it's two weeks ago a couple weeks ago The new Elon Musk book came out Isaacson, it was pretty interesting. I was, you know fascinating to learn. I didn't know much about him But I don't have a favorite book either the when I was Really young my father gave me catch-22. I still I Still one of my favorites, but yeah, you know, I think you asked about music. I love music We might we love to go see live music and music is always on at the house And so I guess that goes back to your unwind comment as well No, I you know, it's My wife's from Buffalo. So we should support Buffalo Bills to support her father but I played Football in college, I can't string together the rules of the game at this point. It's dare I say You Know I I jokingly say Frequently I should be Italian and Mexican as much as I love the cuisine. I'm neither just I love their food, but you know, we we cook a lot at home and I should the process of cooking Regardless of what it is. I just is just a blast You Um You know, maybe it's what I hope people think of me and I want people to think of me as is a nice guy who is a contributor and You know, and so the good role in that I you know You and me and our peers were we're all ambitious But we're very fortunate in what we get to do the water industry that electric industry. It attracts good people stable people and You know, I just want to be I want to be part of that and pull people along with me Appreciate that You You know, I mentioned the one early on about you can't force good government, but you can sure as hell try that's those are words to live by it one of the the The large engineering firm I came from the number two in command. He's just I just He's the best of the best I just it's just a wonderful person smart as I'll get up and He was giving me some management leadership advice when we were driving from a project and he said yeah, I got this advice early on and that was Management's like a nice edge right when you think you have a balance it goes left to right and Yeah, that's that's pretty accurate. And so you just can get back up there quick, right? So, but I've had a lot of good good advice I try to live by Go on vacation. You've got plenty of time to start your career You know interesting interesting being an interesting person is a really important thing So, you know get take take time and I'm really bad at that So as to as I say, you know as I do I used to be really interesting when I was young I used to travel a lot. I didn't need to get back on that bandwagon But and the other thing I would say for especially at this point in you know I'm not that old so I can't say in my day but the For someone coming out of school even early in their career is Test out what you like because the You know the path you're on may not be the perfect path. And so look at what attributes make you happy not just seeking out a title and And if you do that all in your career, you should have a fun time where where work is You know an enjoyable part way to spend a good chunk of your life And I think that's a really important thing. I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing I think that's a really important thing Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you
