Profile: Anne Lehrke, Statistics NZ
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Anne Lehrke
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What do you do?
As the Contact Centre Manager I have 35 staff to work with, including 3 Team Managers.
Describe a typical work day.
My days are mainly made up of meetings. I am responsible for co-ordinating the collection of up to 140 surveys, which means many staff meetings are required. I am also kept busy making arrangements for new technology we are installing. In the next 6 months my challenge will be to refine our performance agreements, improve our collection process and introduce additional quality measures.
What results are expected in your position?
We are measured on the survey response rates, that is, what percentage of those requested to complete the survey actually do respond. This target is different for each survey. We are involved in up to 140 questionnaires and 22 different survey systems.
How did you get here? What has been your career path?
I started my career path as a primary school teacher in Canada and felt I wanted a change. I decided to move to New Zealand and met my husband. We started a film/video production company that was in operation for 16 years. From there I moved to Telecom New Zealand working initially as a Centre Manager in Wanganui then managed the 123 Contact Centre in Palmerston North.
The next step in my career was to manage the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) Contact Centre for 4 years. This was during the time photo driver licenses were introduced – an extremely busy time! After my time with LTSA, I moved to Auckland and worked for the Inland Revenue as a Team Leader before joining Statistics New Zealand in my current position.
What's your career highlight?
LTSA – being part of the project team involved in the photo driver license launch was an incredible experience. It was such an enormous campaign!
What's the most unusual thing that's happened to you at work?
Standing on the side of the road at Bulls (near Palmerston North) at the weigh station checking the Road User Charges labels on trucks as they came in. When I was at LTSA we would take teams of CSR’s out there so they would understand first hand what this all meant.
What's the best and worst thing about your job?
Best thing – Watching people develop, improve, shine and do their best. I really enjoy working with the staff and like to watch them find the right position in their work life.
Worst thing – There are so many demands on my time. I sometimes feel I am not giving things the attention they deserve.
How important is it to plan your career? Have you?
Certainly in the last 3 years I have considered my career choices but previous to this it all just happened fairly unplanned. I have been extremely lucky in that when I’ve finished career placements, opportunities have presented themselves.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A hairdresser – but I was not encouraged in this and had to educate myself and be a teacher.
What is your dream job?
I think I’ve got my dream job! I wanted to be able to implement a new contact centre in a smaller environment and I wanted to live and work in Auckland. I’ve now lived in NZ for 33 years but only lived in smaller areas so was ready for this change.
What is the most important factor in a successful career?
Flexibility and seizing opportunities when you see them. For example the opportunity to work with Telecom 123 and LTSA in Palmerston North meant I had to commute from Wanganui to Palmerston North for 6 years – but it was well worth it!
Any tips on how to get and stay ahead?
Always treat everyone with respect. No matter whom you are speaking to always give respect and listen. Make your own judgements. If you truly listen you are bound to get ahead. Stay true to your word.
How do you maintain balance between your work and personal life?
It is difficult. I’m conscientious and always wanting to do my best however I know that if I’m not rested and happy in my personal life my working life is affected. To help me maintain this balance I do yoga every day, walk along the beach twice a week, give time to other interests and hobbies, and of course life with my new partner helps me keep things balanced. I also try to encourage my staff to maintain a healthy balance between their work and personal life.
How do you encourage loyalty with your staff and clients?
I really appreciate being employed and I try to lead the staff in this by being an example of one who practices loyalty. I try to keep the staff focussed on who the customers are – the internal and external customers. I’m currently organising more training for the staff so they have the right tools to do the job well.
What are the important qualities required to be a good manager?
- Respect others
- Have an analytical mind so you can clearly sort out information you receive
- Be a good decision maker
- Have the courage to act on your decisions
What do you think the biggest issue in your field is - and what should be done about it?
The contact centre industry is a highly measurable environment. Recently I think the industry has been too measurable and driven staff out by over measuring them. We are trying to get the right balance between measuring and freedom. We want to keep staff but still maintain high levels of efficiency.
If you could invite five people, living or dead to dinner, who would they be?
- John Banks
- Cat Stevens
- Winston Churchill
- My Mother
- My Father
Who has been the biggest influence on your career? And who do you admire the most?
Biggest influence – Wayne Minnell (he gave me my job at Telecom)
Admire the most – Rosalie Orr (my boss at LTSA)
What or who are you incapable of working without?
My Franklin Covey Diary
What do you think employees want from their employer? And what does your company do for its staff that you feel is different from what other companies provide?
Employees want to feel valued. We are always looking for ways to express this but it can be challenging on a limited budget. They also want time with you. In recognition of this we are implementing a Performance Plan to ensure one on one’s are conducted and are valuable. The work within our department is generally regular, quite repetitive and reasonably predictable but many employees enjoy this, especially the sense of stability and assurance that comes with it.
