LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “An airplane analogy is one way to describe the relationship between council and staff. Think of one wing as political and the other as administration. If either wing is not functioning properly, the plane will crash,” stated Pete Steblin, former City Manager in the Metro Vancouver region

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on October 8th 2024 featured Pete Steblin, a retired city manager who is a dean of chief administrative officers in the Metro Vancouver region. In his story behind the story, he draws on experience in resolving Council-Staff conflict and building a culture of collaboration.

Money is limited, attention spans are short, and choices must be made

“Storytelling is the way we share intergenerational knowledge, experience and wisdom. And storytelling is how we draw attention to what works and what does not, and why,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.  This edition is the third installment in a series of stories behind the story of Metro Vancouver’s Livable Region Plan which is an outcome of the Georgia Basin Initiative,”
“In the 7-part series, I bring forward the thinking that would help today’s elected leaders tackle complex problems while minimizing unintended consequences – the ones that result when one-off solutions are done in isolation of understanding the whole.”

Attention spans depend on the time available to absorb information

“Being consistently successful over time requires an appreciation for the factors that are critical to success, whether they are in alignment, and what would it take to coax them into alignment if they are not,” continues Kim Stephens.

“The litmus test for elected leaders is how much information and advice can they absorb and process in the time available? The corollary is how effective are staff in communicating information and advice so that elected leaders can readily absorb it and make better, informed decisions?”

 

“Attention span is a subtle concept. A wise general manager of engineering once explained it to me in these terms. Kim, he said, my staff have days, weeks and sometimes even months to figure something out. And then I have minutes to absorb what they are telling me. But when I am explaining things to council, I have milliseconds to communicate what matters.”

“This reality check is the context for Pete Steblin’s story behind the story. The time that politicians can spend on any one issue is short. And they are often given more information than can be absorbed in the time available. For elected leaders to be effective as champions,  it is more important than ever for them to understand WHY AND HOW all the cascading factors must be in alignment.”

Table of Cascading Factors – all must be in alignment for success 

“The Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation from 1994 through 2024 is a 500-page tome. Distil, distil, distil. The essence of the past three decades boils down to a table for the purposes of telling a story.”

“Four distinct eras define the past three decades, with the period of time for each varying between 6 and 9 years. In the image below the table, a defining statement characterizes each era.”

 

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Money is limited, attention spans are short, and choices must be made – extracts from a conversation with Pete Steblin 

When Pete Steblin joined the City of Coquitlam in 2008, his first task was to resolve Staff-Council conflict and stabilize a very difficult situation. “It was a giant hornet nest that I had to resolve if we were to rebuild trust and move forward,”  he recalls. This experience provides context for his reflections in this story behind the story. His reflections are presented as three theme areas.

To Learn More:

To read the complete story featuring Pete Steblin, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Money is limited, attention spans are short, and choices must be made

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Pete-Steblin-city-manager-perspective_2024.pdf