Future Leaders Forum Craig Doyle CEO Mackay Regional Council

Mackay LGA

Mackay Regional Council Approx. 1080 staff. 7,622 Km2 of area under Council control. Annual budget of between $300 – 400M per annum. Assets in excess of $4B (book value). 117,000 residents and 51,811 rateable properties. Spend $100 – 120M per year on capital. Mayor and ten Councillors.

Councillor Locality Areas (No Divisions)

Some History

Council Recent History – CEO’s Start Date Duration in role Permanent or Acting P Franks June 2008 4 years Permanent D. McKinlay Sep 2012 5 months Acting B. Omundson Feb 2013 2.4 years D. McKendry June 2015 4 months B. Hayward Oct 2015 4 weeks J. Devitt Nov 2015 3 months ME Feb 2016 Still here Fair to say a lot of change in period from 2012 to 2016.

Council Recent History – Councillors New Mayor – Mackay local very prominent. Campaigned on major change. 3 of 10 Councillors were re-elected so major change. Of remaining 7 only 1 had previous councillor experience. Rest “green”. Major diversity – ex Aus. Rugby league player to canefarmers. Major learning curve for most. Wanted change to happen quickly. Most not involved in my appointment and did not know me. Not political Council but definitely two groups.

About Me My Background. Recruitment process very unusual. Came on Board 2 months before election. Previous Mayor and Council recruited me not new Mayor/Council. Major change was occurring.

Issues that I walked into

Immediate Issues Public sentiment toward council prior to election was generally negative – as result Mayor and seven councillors not re-elected. No EA had been negotiated for 2.5 years so negative employee sentiment. New Shared Services Structure was also causing angst. General feel from senior management group of no job security and “foetal position” thinking. Generally not a great environment to come into.

Employment Data Major change in economic activity in Mackay. Low to high and coming back again.

Immediate Issues Public sentiment toward Council prior to election was generally negative. Economy struggling. A lot of expectations. New Councillors elected on platform of major change. Relationship between CEO’s and elected members not good for 4 years (or that was the perception). Most employees thought I would not last long (same as previous). Difficult to trust that things were going to change.

Immediate Issues No divisions at MRC so every Councillor (new or re-elected) wanted change quickly for their areas. Brought in Localities to try and spread load New Council generally critical of some previous decisions (not a surprise) My probation period ended within one month on new Council coming in.

Managing Upwards – First 100 days and beyond

Internal Issues downwards - Priority Elected member relationship important however must have internal attitude corrected as priority. Staff were disillusioned and wanting change – but fearful. Was I a “toe cutter” from private? Sorted EA issue and Shared Services issues as priority. Started communicating frequently and widely.

Working with New Councillors Key is relationship with Mayor as priority. Have a chat ensure on same wavelength. Make sure any messaging internal/external not inconsistent. Identify what each Councillor’s main priorities are and why they came onto Council – establish issues and variability of expectations. Start to form relationships with each Councillor – must earn respect and credibility very quickly. Make clear to elected members what you want to achieve – be honest.

Working with Councillors Increase communications upwards and downwards. Be more accountable – more reporting of performance and priorities. Be humble when did not achieve expected outcomes. Form relationships – form relationships – form relationships. Ensure employees see common messaging Catch-up with Councillors regularly 1:1

Similarities – Private to Local Government Same issues in any business – safety, financial governance, risk management, strategic planning etc etc. Good people - need direction. Councillors and Boards have some similar goals for their shareholders/stakeholders. Requirement to be clear on expectations. Demand from “customers” similar but different. Reasonable focus on longer term strategies however mainly on key assets.

Major Differences – Private to Local Government More “customers” with views on how you do the job. Private Board usually targeted skill base to fit business which is different to popularly elected process. Focus on continuous improvement not as prominent in LG. Financial focus immediate and future more pronounced in private. LG can be very reactionary. Typically Councillors have a wider view on each topic than a Board. Private tends to be more outcome focused.

Managing Conflict Many types of conflict involving elected members: Difference of opinion/priorities Behaviours Complaints. CEO is critical in managing these. Try and let your key staff get on with the job while you manage. Keep Smiling.

HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS THANK YOU