On making things happen: An interview with Lee Gardiner

Lee, what are the most impactful leadership skills you use?

I have three skills or words that I use to describe my leadership style: Courage, Curiosity and Connection. I would say that those skills have been engaged when I have been at my most impactful as a leader. I love a good bit of alliteration but the fact that they all start with ‘C’ is just a coincidence!

What are diversity goals and initiatives at Citycare Property, and why is a diverse workforce important to your kaupapa?

Our goal at Citycare Property is to ensure that people who have not enjoyed the traditional ‘tailwinds’ that are afforded to most people have as much opportunity to grow and succeed as anyone else. We have an ESG Strategy which declares our goals around wāhine and Māori participation and opportunity, but our overarching objective is to ensure that our people can bring their ‘whole selves’ to work and know that they will be accepted and can thrive.

"Have confidence and believe in what you can achieve and if you are not in a position to make a change then learn and develop and get yourself to a position where you can."

Why is Citycare Property supporting Powrsuit’s new membership network??

Because we love what you do and because the women in our business deserve to be a part of a new way of achieving leadership and networking skills and capability. We are very energised in this space and see that in Powrsuit. We love that you are declaring the real gaps for women and then working to help close them in new and contemporary ways. Also, making hard conversations around the challenges for women in the workplace easier and easier to have is something that we are totally on board with and want to be a part of.

Can you recall a specific moment or experience that shaped your leadership style?

A few years ago, I was bullied in the workplace, and it ended in the termination of the employment of said bully. This experience taught me so much about the value of standing up for yourself and others and what you believe in and visibly demonstrating to your people how hard yet worthwhile it is. This has really shaped my leadership style and made me so much more attuned to how people can be impacted by the words and actions of others.

What’s something you are most proud of in your career?

The one thing I am so proud of in my career is having the privilege of building and leading teams of high performers with shared values, strong work ethic, high levels of accountability and a ‘get in and get stuff done’ attitude. When I think back on the impact that these teams of high calibre individuals have achieved on behalf of organisations to deliver on strategy - it gives me chills. Also, I am really proud of the fact that we had a fantastic and fun time doing it.?

What advice would you give to those feeling a bit stuck in their careers??

Make a change—either inside or outside of your organisation. Generate. Generate. Generate—make stuff happen. Many of us feel stuck, but we lack the courage (or the support) to leave something comfortable or do something different.?

Say yes to opportunities as they arise. If you are worried that you might be better off staying where you are, then think about the fact that you have a 50% chance that something new could be so much better. Have confidence and believe in what you can achieve and if you are not in a position to make a change then learn and develop and get yourself to a position where you can.

Lee Gardiner, General Manager of Transformation and Social Infrastructure

Lee Gardiner is an experienced executive leader with 20+ years of senior management experience, predominantly in the HR, people and culture transformation space, including health and safety and change management. Since gaining her law degree from the University of Canterbury, Lee has held senior people, culture, marketing, and operations roles in a wide range of publicly listed, government and privately held organisations.

Passionate about organisational success through robust people practices, strong engagement programmes and by supporting the leaders of today whilst building the leaders of tomorrow, Lee is a strategic thinker, a strong executor, a high performance team builder and an energy generator. Lee is Ngāti Tūwharetoa and is a champion for Māori development and achievement, equity, and inclusion and is an ally of the LGBTQA community.

Lee commenced her governance career as an Associate Director on the Citycare Board of Directors before joining them full-time in 2022. Lee is currently the General Manager of Transformation and Social Infrastructure at Citycare Property.