Leading Edge: September introduction from John Withers CMgr FIML, Chair of the Board

Welcome to the September edition of Leading Edge.

As leaders maintaining positivity during what could be the most trying economic and social test of our lifetime is a tough task. However, when we encounter adversities beyond our control, a new outlook might just be what we need to keep ourselves in balance. Indeed, our response to situations that impact our teams and businesses can be one of the only things we can control as leaders.

Talking to my network of professional colleagues around Australia I recognise these challenges and impacts vary significantly and therefore influence how we need respond.  In Tasmania where I reside, I recognise from an external perspective it may seem that we have been largely spared from the more significant impacts of Covid19. However from my personal experience in managing my own team the impact of the pandemic is pervasive at many levels and continues to test and question my leadership approach almost on a daily basis.  I expect that will resonate with many of you.

This month, Chief Executive, David Pich MA (Cantab) FIML had the pleasure of speaking with one of the world’s leading experts in the field of positive psychology: Tal Ben-Shahar. Tal’s views on happiness rejects ideas that it is simply a superficial, fleeting joy. Instead, he discusses with David the science-based evidence of how a positive mindset can help lift the performance of leaders and their teams. I encourage you to read and reflect on the points made in the article that we’ve included in this edition of the Member newsletter alongside other highlights from across IML ANZ I recommend you explore this month.

Often our mindset determines how we handle situations. A positively focused mindset enables leaders to stay focused on ways to progress, to reach goals, be open to change and improve. Delving into the leadership mindset is one of the cornerstone learnings of our Intentional Leadership™: Foundations program. As the new cohorts begin next month, I urge you to think of a colleague, friend or team member who you feel would benefit from gaining a more profound mastery of the skills, attitudes and mindset that sets them on the path towards becoming an intentional leader.

Of course, improvement only comes after we’ve considered our previous actions and plan to do better in future. So the reflective process of becoming a Chartered Manager is a vital step for any manager looking to elevate their leadership ability. For Chartered Managers, the confidence that comes with their accreditation can be a real catalyst for building a positive leadership mindset. If you are thinking about the next step in your leadership journey, speak to the IML ANZ team to see if accreditation is the right move for you.

Another aspect of our professional lives that contributes to a positive mindset is our interaction with people. Connecting with peers is one way to receive support, even if it’s just through the exchange of ideas. Remember that as an IML ANZ Member you have access to complimentary events that aim to shed light on some of the most pressing topics in leadership today. For instance, we will be looking at trust and ethics, organisational culture and what leaders need to keep in mind while managing their businesses through a recession. As most of these events are held virtually, why not invite a friend or few?

Keeping a positive view amid challenges does not deny that tough times exist. Part of a leader’s task is to do everything we can to ensure our teams and organisations move forward, even if that might be at a slower pace than we are used to. Negativity depletes the energy required to achieve that goal.

Let us remain realistic but hopeful, cautious but driven and spread a bit of positivity whenever we can.

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

Leading Edge: July introduction from John Withers CMgr FIML, Chair of the Board

Welcome to the July edition of Leading Edge.

At the start of this new Membership year, I’d like to reflect on how IML ANZ continues its 80-year-long commitment to strengthening leadership skills and standards for practitioners around the trans-Tasman region, especially when our communities need good leaders more than ever. This new Membership year will see our continued investment in providing support and development to assist Members at every stage of their career to lead through whatever lies ahead.

No doubt the upcoming suite of complimentary webinars will bolster your leadership capabilities and equip you to face various challenges as we resume our business operations. I’m also thrilled that we are about to run another cohort of our popular Member Exchange mentoring program. If you haven’t been on either side of mentorship, please consider joining us in September. These constructive partnerships are an invaluable source of new leadership ideas, solutions and opportunities. In this edition of Leading Edge, we’ve provided a glimpse into all the fantastic complimentary opportunities the Institute has designed to help advance Members’ leadership careers in the new Membership year.

As our contributions to leadership in our region also continue to strengthen, I’m excited to share that we’ve relaunched our migration skills assessment this month. After 20 years as Australia’s sole approved professional assessing authority for persons seeking to apply for skilled migration under a number of management occupations, we’ve innovated the manual process by taking it completely online. The new digitised application process now empowers leaders to complete their assessment reliably, efficiently and without the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We’re proud to say the Australian Government entrusts us to assess senior leaders’ professional standards.

In addition, IML ANZ is also continuing to shape more future leaders through our Higher Education Partnerships. I’m pleased to introduce our newest partners: Pacific Training Group, JCE Positive Outcomes and Queen Anne School of Management Australia. All these organisations are respected private education providers across Australia and New Zealand. These partnerships are key to our Leadership Matters strategy. By offering tailored solutions we enrich their curriculum, enhance their students’ experience and increase employability outcomes. I’m excited to see more students join our Membership community and begin on the pathway towards Chartered Manager.

That is why I believe that there’s never been a better time to be a Member. Ours is a community of professionals who actively raise the standard of management and leadership. For those of you who haven’t yet renewed your Membership, I strongly encourage you to do so. Your investment in your leadership will impact your career in so many ways. Please call 1300 661 061 in Australia and 0508 465 269 in New Zealand if you have any questions about your Membership.

We lead at a time when the importance of good leadership has become undeniable. Our community and the vision we all share now resonates stronger than ever. It is up to us to do whatever we can to become better so that we can help others to reach their full potential too. Despite the uncertain future, we can all take heart that our goal is clear and that it is infallible.  

Let’s start this Membership year by being better managers and making a positive impact on those we lead.

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

Leading Edge: June introduction from John Withers CMgr FIML, Chair of the Board

Welcome to the June edition of Leading Edge.

As we prepare to enter a new IML Membership year, I am eager to share this month’s update about your Institute on behalf of your IML Board.

First of all I would like to thank all our Members who attended our first ever completely virtual Annual General Meeting last month. It was very encouraging to see so many Members attend the meeting despite the challenges that this extraordinary period brings. I’d also like to use this opportunity to farewell and thank the departing board members for their professional contribution and passion for IML ANZ. I’d also like to congratulate Marie-Louise Pearson FIML on her re-election.

I am extremely pleased to introduce the latest instalment of our Intentional Leadership series – Leadership Essentials. This program has been designed to be fully virtual and it is offered as a management and leadership toolkit that is aimed at developing the core (and essential) skills required for management success. By offering the program virtually, we’re opening the opportunity to managers and leaders across Australia and New Zealand. We have listened to IML ANZ’s growing number of professionals in regional centres who have indicated a need for more flexible learning options. Please visit our website for more information about the Essentials program, and I encourage you to direct colleagues, friends or anyone you think might need access to essential leadership skills development to this comprehensive new resource.

We are seeing increased Membership engagement in many areas of our business, despite or because of the current pandemic, which is encouraging as well as demonstrating the value of being part of this organisation.

As Chair of the IML ANZ Board and on behalf of the Institute I remain optimistic about the futures of both Australia and New Zealand as both countries emerge tentatively from their respective COVID-19 lockdowns.

My personal view is that Membership with IML ANZ has always been important, but arguably it is even more critical in times of crisis. The events that we have witnessed so far in 2020 have underscored the importance of belonging to a professional community of likeminded managers and leaders. At IML ANZ we believe that easy access to benefits such as one-to-one mentoring, complimentary webinars, extensive learning resources, and a wide variety of networking opportunities serve to reinforce our ability to lead well through tough times. Leadership matters, and its importance is only amplified when times are tough.

If you haven’t already, I invite you to renew your Membership with us so that we can continue to support you on your leadership journey. If you have questions or would like to talk to someone about your renewal, please feel free to get in touch with our dedicated Membership team on 1300 661 061 in Australia or 0508 465 269 in New Zealand.

Finally I would like to thank you for your commitment to the Institute and to the cause of sound management and leadership.  

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

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Leading Edge: May introduction from John Withers CMgr FIML, Chair of the Board

Welcome to the May edition of Leading Edge.

Across Australia and New Zealand, we’re fortunate that we are starting to see hope as restrictions begin to ease at national, state and local levels. As we prepare to lead our workforces out of the crisis, the primary concern will be of security for jobs and business and safety for our people, without whom we will not succeed.

The priority of IML ANZ and the Board is to assist our Members as we begin to emerge from the immediate impact of this unprecedented pandemic. We can only do that by adapting to the current economic climate and having a realistic outlook for the remainder of the year.

The Board remains firmly committed to enabling the Institute’s vision of creating better managers and leaders – this vision remains through good times and bad. Therefore in this edition of Leading Edge, we focus on the activities that will help managers and leaders on the road to recovery. I’d particularly like to highlight the upcoming Virtual Development Day on Friday 22nd May. I’m sure you agree that now more than ever it is essential for decision-makers to be fully equipped and prepared with the skills needed to lead well. Never before have those misnamed ‘soft skills’ been harder and more needed. IML has assembled six of our very best leadership facilitators to assist managers and leaders with the challenges that lie ahead. Please join these complimentary sessions and feel free to share IML’s invitation with your friends and colleagues.

I also encourage you to participate in the Annual General Meeting on the 28th of May and vote in the current Director election. You should have received an email from the Company Secretary with instructions and information how to take part in both of these important processes. If you have not received these communications then please contact company.secretary@managersandleaders.com.au.

Finally, as businesses begin to think about returning to some sort of normality, let us keep in mind that the crisis we are facing is health-related. As such, the safety of our employees will be of utmost importance in our decision-making in coming weeks and months. The mental and physical well-being of our staff has never been more important than it is now.
Leadership matters now perhaps more than at any time in the almost 80-year history of our Institute.

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

Leading Edge: April introduction from John Withers CMgr FIML, Chair of the Board

Welcome to the April edition of Leading Edge.

There’s no doubt we are all living through a time that is nothing short of extraordinary. As we watch businesses and services shut down or move online, as we need to self-isolate away from friends and family, and as we are forced to make tough decisions to keep our society safe, it can feel like our lives have been thrown into uncertainty.

These unique times bring unique challenges and I am sure we have all noted many good examples of the professionalism, courage and compassion of managers and leaders in Australia and New Zealand, as well as others who have been found wanting. As leadership professionals, the impact of COVID-19 has demanded many of us to step up to adapt and tackle adversity with new skills and knowledge we’ve never needed or utilised before.

Clearly the Board and team at IML are focusing on the challenges to ensure the organisation can weather the challenges to this business but ensure we continue to support and service our Members effectively. During this period, the Institute is prioritising support to our Members – from helping your business manage change and providing best-practice leadership strategies. Our focus is to ensure you and your organisation are empowered and equipped with the right resources to effectively navigate the serious business impacts of this crisis, and to help you facilitate a path to an effective recovery when the crisis passes.

In this edition of Leading Edge, we’ll share a few of the important initiatives we’ve implemented to assist you in leading through this period. We’ve aimed to provide a comprehensive suite of services to help managers and leaders at all levels to develop relevant and timely skill sets and expertise around crisis management. We’ve also expanded the range of free support services available to you through your Membership, so that you can get appropriate support to match your personal situation and needs. In addition our corporate consultants are developing bespoke solutions for organisations to match specific business challenges and to complement commercial responses to the pandemic. As the crisis continues to evolve, we’ll be investing in further timely and relevant services to support you and your business. If you have any requests for specific resources that we haven’t yet produced, please get in touch with our team by emailing membership@managersandleaders.com.au, and we’ll do our best to create a solution for you.  

Finally, in the face of a global health emergency, I encourage you to check in with your staff and yourself regularly throughout this period. The impact of this pandemic reaches far further and deeper than our workplaces. It’s important to put a high priority on your mental and physical health and those you lead. This crisis is a crucial test for leaders at all levels, but it is also one of great opportunity for all of us to step up and embrace the challenge and opportunity it presents. There has never been a greater need in recent memory for a strong and united community of managers and leaders than right now. 

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board