Insights
RTI’s President and CEO Tim J. Gabel recently announced three new executive appointments effective Jan. 1, 2025. As part of these C-Suite developments, Executive Vice President Mike Kaelin transitioned from Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to Chief Operating Officer (COO) where he will focus on RTI’s overall strategic growth and development. He joined RTI in 2007 and became CFO in 2012 where he played a crucial role in managing and optimizing the institute’s financial resources, which surpassed $1 billion for the first time. We recently sat down with Mike for a candid look at what has contributed to his 30+ years of success in financial management and operations.
What’s one goal (personal or professional) you’re currently working towards?
My 2025 goal is to use a generative AI tool every day to enhance my productivity but also to create a better understanding and foundation of how these technologies work and how they might add value in our business and society in general. The 1st week of January has been really fun!
Reflect on a major mistake in your career. What did you learn from it, and how did it impact your approach moving forward?
Early in my career, I followed a leader I respected to another company. My mistake was trusting the leader’s view without creating my own view of the organization and my role in it. It was clear in a short period of time that I made a bad decision. From that point forward I built a framework on how I would evaluate opportunities that led to better experiences and ultimately led me to RTI.
How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?
To maintain a healthy balance, I blend my work and home calendar and treat them equally and manage them diligently. This was learned and honed over time through some trial and error. Two things that work for me to ensure this happens are structuring exercise into my daily calendar and maintaining my weekly calendar. Structuring exercise gets the highest priority because it is the foundation for everything else. I keep my schedule organized using five calendar folders (Monday-Friday). The trick that works for me is to print my daily calendar along with any supporting materials. I use those to prepare the next day, but it also ensures I do not focus on things that do not matter in the present.
Disclaimer: This piece was written by Michael H. Kaelin, Jr. (Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer) to share perspectives on a topic of interest. Expression of opinions within are those of the author or authors.