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Christine Kalin
Christine Kalin  Christine Kalin has held the position of chief executive officer for the Odyssey House Trust in Auckland since February 2004. Christine graduated in nursing from Wellington Polytechnic in 1985 and spent the first 15 years of her career working within clinical services in the health sector. This included paediatric, medical and mental health nursing. Working within the mental health sector sparked her interest in the field and as a result she decided to train as a psychotherapist, and was certified as a transactional analyst (specialising in clinical applications) in 1999. Christine worked her way into both senior clinical and management positions within the health sector. She also operated a part-time private practice. During 1999, she decided to commence an MBA via extramural studies from Henley College in England. Christine completed a stint away from the health sector, and worked in a change management department for the Adelaide City Council. During 2000, Christine was recruited into the not-for-profit sector, as a senior operational manager for a trust based in Christchurch. This position developed into a national role that included responsibility for a range of social services, including mental health, disability and youth services. In 2003, Christine completed her MBA. Christine currently co-chairs the ‘National Committee for Addiction Treatment’, and chairs a number of regional interest groups related to alcohol and other drug abuse. What was your first significant business experience and what did you learn from it? While operating a part-time private counselling and psychotherapy practice for eight years, I learnt that satisfied clients are your most effective marketing strategy. If you could start your corporate journey again, what key business skills would you make sure you had in hand to ensure your success? A broad range of sector-appropriate skills is the key to success. I initially became a registered nurse and then trained as a psychotherapist when I moved into the mental health sector. Then when I moved into management, I completed a MBA. Today, all of the qualifications and experience I have gained over the last 25 years contribute to the way that I manage my role as a CEO. What were some of the challenges you had to overcome on the journey to achieving your personal and corporate goals? Managing workload has been a constant challenge. This was especially so when I completed external studies in addition to a full-time job. The other significant challenge comes from working within an environment that is highly political and often subject to change, that is, the health sector. You’ve got to be able to stay on top of the detail while simultaneously keeping an eye on the bigger picture. What got you through the ‘tough’ times? The wonderful, wise, and dedicated people I have worked alongside. I think the health sector attracts people that first and foremost care about others. I have never felt alone in any of the challenges that I have faced, and this has given me the resilience required to see the tough times through. Who are the mentors/role models that have inspired you and what important lessons have you learnt? It’s difficult to name all of the people that have inspired and helped me along the way as there have been so many. I have always had a keen interest in people and, over the course of my career, there has been a part of me that has sat back and observed the way people respond in different situations. Any approaches that have struck me as constructive and progressive I have tried to incorporate into my personal style. There are a few people I would like to name, however. In my position as CEO of Odyssey House Trust, I have been inspired by Judge David Carruthers, who is currently head of the NZ Parole Board. David has such a robust understanding and insight into the issues and key drivers of crime in New Zealand today. It has helped inform my own opinion about what we can do as a country to improve safety for all. Another person that comes to mind is Professor Doug Sellman, from the National Addiction Centre based in Christchurch. Doug has taught me the important of taking a systems perspective when wanting to improve individual lives in the community. His work on informing New Zealanders about the harm caused by our existing alcohol laws is second-to-none. As a first-time CEO, I feel grateful to have had the Odyssey House Board of Trustees as my first board to report to. It has been an experience that has enabled me to develop my confidence as a CEO and my skill base. Finally, although I have never met her, Kim Hill has been an inspiration to me via her radio show each Saturday morning. Oh, to have that breadth of knowledge and sharpness of mind! I have learnt to keep Saturday mornings free so I can enjoy a good listen. What do you think are some of the essential characteristics of a successful CEO? A successful CEO must be an excellent communicator. The role usually requires contact with a wide range of stakeholders, each with their own wants, needs and perspectives. Coupled with this is the requirement for a sharp focus on strategic direction, i.e., how will the world look tomorrow and beyond, and where do we want to be in it? In addition to this, today’s challenges must be attended to every day, including operational matters, stakeholder satisfaction and incremental improvement. On a personal level, I think it is important to have the ability to stay focused on key outcomes and priorities. There are many distractions, and it takes ongoing discernment to direct energy where it will contribute the most value. It’s also very important to ensure that your work is aligned with your personal values, that you have the courage to confront difficult issues, and the humility to admit when you’ve got it wrong. You must never be afraid to apologise. Treating people with courtesy and respect is, of course, paramount but beyond this, you must develop the ability to inspire and create a strengths-based environment where people can learn, develop, and grow. Oh yes, and try to keep your job in perspective – a sense of humour is essential for this. What challenges do you think women face when applying to join boards? Women often face the challenge of managing work commitments alongside family responsibilities to a greater degree than men face. However, I hope that we are now in a place as a society that board membership is based on relevant skills, competencies and experience, rather than whether one is male or female. What do you think holds women back from becoming successful in the corporate environment? Again, I think it is the challenge of developing and managing a career while managing the responsibilities and time commitments that come with having a family. How do you find the balance between the significant social contribution your organisation achieves and having to be accountable in your corporate role? I am fortunate in that the organisation that I manage is strongly aligned with the promotion of social wellbeing. Our accountability as an organisation is to a wide range of stakeholders, so what we do at a corporate level must equate with improved social wellbeing. What are the most important things you have learnt about succeeding in business? There are many ways to view success, so it’s important to use a wide lens and think about success from multiple perspectives with the goal of meeting your key stakeholders’ expectations. Success criteria should be developed with this in mind, and be very transparent within the organisation, with ongoing monitoring of key performance indicators and measures. In Odyssey House Auckland, for example, we use a range of measures, including client satisfaction, family satisfaction, financial security, contractual compliance, client outcome measures and stakeholder satisfaction. What were some of the core values on which you built your successful enterprises? Have these changed over time? I think my core values have remained unchanged over the years. It has always been important for me to work in a field that contributes in some way towards social wellbeing and justice. My current position enables me to do this in a meaningful and real way. Just what, about your current role, keeps you turned on and what have you done to ensure your team is continually motivated? Undoubtedly, for me and the team that I work alongside, it’s seeing our clients turn their lives around from the ruin and devastation caused by alcohol and other drug abuse. And it is witnessing the relief and joy that families feel when a loved one has succeeded in getting their life back on track. What have you learnt about effective leadership and managing people? Well, firstly, one never stops learning. Leadership and management are two separate entities but are intimately linked. Leadership for me is about communicating and living the organisational values – walking the talk. Management is focused on developing and implementing strategies that enable the organisation to achieve the desired results. I think one of the most important tasks as a manager is recruitment – employing staff who not only have the appropriate skills but whose values also align with the organisation’s values. Certainly, in an organisation like Odyssey, you’re only as good as the staff delivering the front line service. What is your strategy when it comes to engaging and managing staff? What can businesses do to attract higher calibre employees? My strategy is to employ people who have a good track record and reputation, and pay them market rates at the very least. As an organisation it’s important to have a range of other strategies that make the workplace attractive to people. For example, at Odyssey every staff member gets their birthday off as paid leave and everyone gets a ‘mental health’ day on top of their annual leave. Another initiative we established a few years ago was a ‘rewards and recognition’ scheme, where an individual or team can be nominated by a colleague or manager for a reward when they have made a significant contribution. There is no silver bullet. It takes a range of strategies for an organisation to remain attractive to employees. Flexible working hours, training and development opportunities, adequate remuneration, a supportive team environment, feeling valued, and the opportunity to make a difference – all of these and others can help to improve your employment ‘brand’. Has being a woman in the corporate environment been an advantage or a disadvantage? My experience in the health sector is that it has been neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. Generally, people judge you on the contribution that you make. This may be due to the fact that women are well represented in the health sector. How important is it to have a supportive and encouraging partner at home when setting up your own business? I think that there are many merits in having a supportive partner at home, irrespective of whether one is setting up a new business or just business as usual. In saying that, I have always ensured that I have a wider group of supportive friends and colleagues around me. How do you manage a work-life balance? Intermittently! The reality is that as a CEO you are on-call 24/7. At some level the job never leaves you. However, I endeavour to maintain interests that are outside the scope of work, e.g., cooking, reading, fishing and trying to include some physical exercise. What are some of your current personal and business goals? I’d like to travel more and read more novels. I’d like to buy a boat, spend more time in my garden, and – like most people – I’d really like to pay off my mortgage. On a business level, my biggest aim right now is to lobby for the transformation of our criminal justice system, so that the young people who end up in it have more opportunities to turn their lives around. Do you have a motto or saying by which you live your life? I have a number of mottos that motivate me but one of my most recent favourites comes from Barack Obama: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” One of my long-term favourite quotes is from Sir Edmund Hillary: “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” What’s your definition of financial freedom? The knowledge that I can still be happy and lead a purposeful life with or without wealth. Are there any books/publications that have helped you in your career? Most of the books I have read have in some way helped with my career. What do you say to people who think it is too late for them to get into a corporate career? It’s never too late. How have you balanced your creativity with the business side of your work? My passion for seeing people strive for their potential requires meeting each person as an individual and embracing creativity. |