Inspiring women:
 Dawn O’Neil – CEO, Lifeline
“I think that you have to be a role model when you are in a leadership position. Women still today need strong encouragement to believe in themselves, their abilities and right to leadership roles.
"Women make excellent leaders because by nature they often have the necessary qualities of personal humility and professional will to build greatness.”
Soon after high school, Dawn headed overseas, spending half a year travelling across Africa.
This, combined with other events, had a life-changing influence that opened her eyes to humanity's struggles, sparking a lifelong interest in social justice.
For her laudable and tireless work with Lifeline, Dawn was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2009.
What path has your career taken to date?
I began my working career straight out of high school in banking but soon decided this wasn’t the career I wanted to pursue. So I headed overseas for three years travelling extensively. I spent six months in Africa, and this combined with other events had a life-changing influence that opened my eyes to the many struggles we face as humanity and sparked a lifelong interest in social justice.
Once I returned to Australia I worked for a further 10 years in the business sector largely in marketing roles in IT and media, while pursuing my interests in social justice largely as a volunteer in my spare time. However, I longed for a way to combine my business skills with my real passion. Lifeline provided this opportunity and ultimately in 2000 I became the CEO of Lifeline Australia.
Ten years on I am now the Deputy Chair of the Mental Health Council of Australia, a member of the Commonwealth’s National Advisory Council on Mental Health, the Australian Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, the Advisory Council for the Sydney based Centre for Social Impact, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. I was voted as a finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year ACT in 2008 and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2009.
Where do you find inspiration? Who have been your role models?
I love learning and I read a wide range of books and magazines to stay abreast of emerging trends and new business practices. I am a great believer in learning from the wisdom of others. I try to find new ways to challenge myself every year and set goals accordingly. Recent inspiration has come from Malcolm Gladwell and some of my favourite business thinkers are Jim Collins and the late Peter Drucker.
I also find inspiration from everyday heroes – particularly women who work tirelessly and selflessly for their communities and generally never seek recognition. One of my favourite historical role models is Elizabeth I. She was an amazing leader who brought the people together for a common goal to form an empire and government that grew and prospered for over 40 years. Now that’s staying power!
Do you see yourself as a role model to other women? Please elaborate.
I think that you have to be a role model when you are in a leadership position. Whether I am a good one or not is for others to judge.
Women still today need strong encouragement to believe in themselves and their abilities and right to leadership roles. Women make excellent leaders because by nature they often have the necessary qualities of personal humility and professional will to build greatness. I hope that other women will see from my experience that the sacrifices one makes taking on a leadership role can pay real personal dividends of increased professional satisfaction, the ability to continually grow and develop, have amazing experiences, meet talented and inspiring people and many other rewards that come from being in a leadership role. It’s not all just hard work and sacrifice – although there is plenty of that too.
What experiences are you really proud of?
I consider a stand-out achievement to be increasing Lifeline’s ability to answer more calls, which came as a result of lots of difficult decisions and organisation-wide changes; and made possible through federal government funding. This enabled Lifeline to create a virtual call centre operating from 60 sites across Australia, so that we could make the most of our volunteer resources and better match demand with supply.
In addition, major changes to the governance structure have enabled improved decision-making on a national level, as well as increasing service capacity in communities and nationally such as a domestic violence and sexual assault helpline, domestic violence training for rural and remote practice nurses, and a national suicide prevention program.
I am particularly proud of the role I have been able to play, in partnership with other fine leaders in the social sector to influence federal government policy and funding decisions. For example, the COAG Mental Health Reform program of $1.9 billion in 2006 and the ongoing advocacy for desperately needed further reform to improve mental health services in Australia. More recently I have been able to play a key role to gain support to hold a Senate Inquiry into Suicide, which is underway right now.
I was also humbled to receive an Order of Australia for my work with Lifeline in 2009.
What has been your biggest challenge? What have you had to struggle with in your career?
For ten years I have been grappling with how we as a not-for-profit organisation can effectively meet the rising demand for our services. As is the case for most social sector organisations, demand is rarely a problem; however, supply almost always is. Remembering that those who use our services are not those who pay for them, we end up with a complex mix of stakeholders to relate to.
Convincing funders to pay for a service that provides an anonymous emotional support service over the telephone has been a big challenge. Mental health is now being spoken about much more than it was 10 years ago when I began in this role; however, it is still not a cause that people readily donate to. And suicide prevention, which is the heart of our work, is still taboo and has scarcely any resources to provide quality services with. The struggle to attract adequate resources to deliver quality services is ongoing.
What advice would you offer other women who are struggling to reach positions of leadership?
- I think you have to have an all absorbing passion to want to serve. Leadership is largely a service to others. It requires sacrifice and humility to do well.
- I would also encourage women to remain authentic and make being a leader who you are and how you are defined as a person in all parts of your life: at home, work, with friends and at rest.
- Women not only need to be competent and effective as leaders, but they also need to find their own individual voice. This vital aspect of developing and honing your communication skills so that others can hear what you personally bring to the leadership role is critical.
- As CEO you are chief communicator, chief fundraiser and chief strategist: you must be passionately committed to being the best you can be at all of these at all times.
What do you look for in recognition for your achievements?
My aspiration to join the third sector was triggered by my desire to accomplish my own personal mission statement which is ‘to leave the world a better place than I found it in – no matter how small the change may be’. As a result I get most personal satisfaction when I have achieved the goals I have set for myself to the standard I expect from myself.
I don’t actively seek recognition for my achievements, however like anyone I like to be thanked and rewarded.
Have you ever mentored/provided support to other women around leadership issues?
I am very passionate about supporting women to succeed, particularly professional development opportunities surrounding the challenges that women face in leadership roles.
I have previously mentored three women, two of whom were completing the Vincent Fairfax leadership scholarship program; the other was completing a volunteer scholarship program with her employer, AusAid, in Cambodia. I’m more than willing to offer support to women to help them succeed in leadership roles wherever I can.
Have you ever been mentored? Please elaborate.
I haven’t been formally mentored, but I have had a number of professional peers, coaches and others to encourage, support and help me over the years.
I am currently a member of The Executive Connection (TEC), which is a fabulous program aimed at supporting professional development through coaching, training and peer support to people in similar roles to myself. It is extremely rewarding and I would recommend it to anyone who is in a similar position.
What hurdles do you think women face today?
Women today have more choice in regards to what they want to do; and much more freedom than previous generations. I for one am grateful for the women who have gone before me to fight for these rights. However, hurdles still exist. Achieving gender balance at executive levels, on boards and generally in leadership is a key one. And we need to work towards better supporting family needs with work in an equitable way.
How do you think women can support each other in their ambitions?
We can encourage other women that it is possible to have a successful work-life balance through telling our own stories of how we have managed to juggle both demands. We must continue to lobby for better workplace policies that provide greater flexibility for women juggling family and work. And importantly we must support each other to achieve equity in salary payments especially at executive levels.
What challenges are on the horizon for you?
In the next decade, I believe I face three key challenges in my sector. The first is sustainability, both in terms of financial sustainability and attracting a skilled workforce, both paid and volunteer.
Secondly, governance and organisational structure will continue to be a significant challenge. To address this we will need to become more flexible and creative with our structures, taking the best of what is emerging from business, government and not-for-profit organisations, and adapting that to suit our own mission and objectives.
Our final challenge is that we need to find a way to effectively measure the social impact of our work. We need to be able to go to our donors and funders with data that clearly demonstrates our true effectiveness. We have to be constantly open to change and strive to improve our effectiveness and, in turn, the benefit we provide to the community.
Is there a quote you stand by or rules of thumb you live by?
‘I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.’
– George Bernard Shaw
Learn more about Lifeline Australia here.
Dawn O’Neil will be speaking at the Fourth Annual Womens Leadership Symposium in Canberra, 16th & 17th August. For more information, including registration details, click here.
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