There’s a particular scene you always see watching TV sport. The cutaway shot of the coach. Sometimes they’re issuing instructions, at other times they’re watching with an inscrutable stare. Animated or not, coaches see the game more clearly than even the players on the pitch. That’s their job: seeing things objectively and helping their team make adjustments.

Pauline Cawte is the Branch Manager for Lodge Rentals, and COACH is a good description of her job. Pauline explains.

“I’m here to help our property managers succeed. I do that by standing back and looking at things in an objective way. It’s easy for managers to get emotionally invested in their work, and that can sometimes cloud their judgement. My job is to keep enough distance so I can guide them with clear solutions.

“Part of that is reminding them who they’re working for. Even though they’re looking after tenants, they’re actually serving the property owner. Without the owners, we don’t have a job.”

When it comes to customer service, Pauline is old school. She gets that from 18 years as a travel agent, and from being operations manager at the New Zealand School of Tourism. Treating people well is in her working blood. It’s what brought her over to Lodge.

“I wanted to get back to working with people, to have that person-to-person contact on a daily basis. In my previous operations role, I’d lost touch with conversations and relationships. I needed a change and felt property management would give me a good balance.”

It was the right move.

As well as tapping into Pauline’s management skills, Lodge gives her the personal moments she thrives on.

“The biggest joy I get is from contacting tenants to offer them a new home; they absolutely appreciate it, and you know they’re going to look after the property. I never get tired of making those phone calls.”

The preceding side of that highlight is the relationship with property owners. Pauline has a clear and simple philosophy when it comes to managing someone else’s investment asset.

“I treat these properties like they’re my own. That’s why I feel good when we’re looking after our clients: it’s like looking after yourself. Clients notice. They can tell we’re doing a good job, and they make their appreciation known.

“I had a package arrive yesterday from a client. His gift came out of the blue with a note saying, ‘Thank you for all that you do.’ Now that is special. That gets me out of bed and ready to make good things happen for someone.”

When Pauline isn’t at work looking after others, you’ll find her in the garden or travelling, discovering new destinations around New Zealand or overseas.