Workforce, Culture, Talent and Authentic Leadership with Calvin Farr, CEO of PWCSA

Today, Aquasight founder and CEO Mahesh Lunani sits down with Calvin Farr, Chief Executive Officer of Prince William County Service Authority, providing water and wastewater services for over 360,000 customers.Calvin talks about changes to workplace culture in his two decades in the industry.  The days of a two-generation workplace, where Baby Boomers order around Gen X'ers, are gone.   Now, with 4 generations in the building, there's a much more collaborative approach, where employees aren't afraid to challenge the status quo and engage in open dialogue with their superiors.  He's also seen more collaboration and less adversarial relationships under consent decrees.Calvin talks about the size of PWCSA, and the fact that he inherited a great organization that takes pride in customer satisfaction. One of his biggest concerns is the rapid growth in his area, and being able to serve an increasing customer base.  But despite being one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, they need to take care of underserved communities.  Mahesh and Calvin discuss how the bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL) can help with that.Having a "deep bench" is also a big issue for Farr.  Folks are no longer working the same job for 30 years, and the pandemic has caused "the great re-evaluation."  It's important to recruit the next generation of employees.   It's also important to have a diverse team at PWCSA, reflective of the community they serve.  The CEO has modified the core value of respect to now be respect and inclusion.We also talk about cybersecurity and the real threat that now poses to water systems.  And how can advances in technology be leveraged to improve service to PWCSA customers?  Calvin says we are now "data rich."Our guest also talks about being an assertive and authentic leader, building a network of stakeholders within his community, and taking pride in watching his employees grow.PWCSA Website: https://www.pwcsa.org/Calvin Farr Bio: https://www.pwcsa.org/executive-managementAquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/ Aquasight Website: https://aquasight.io/