Welcome to the May edition of Leading Edge.

A hallmark of good management is anticipating changing circumstances and possessing the foresight to prepare for these events. At times like these, it is empowering as well as reassuring knowing that you are equipped with the information, capabilities and appropriate options to respond when such situations arise. That’s why in this edition of Leading Edge, I’d like to highlight just some of the ways that we as a community at IML ANZ can help each other to prepare for major management and leadership moments.

Handling challenging situations is part and parcel of taking on a management role. Therefore, it is prudent for us to prepare ourselves with the appropriate knowledge and strategies to deal with complex challenges involving our teams. So, at our next Development Day in June, we’ll take a comprehensive look at potential challenging circumstances managers face when guiding and supporting their staff through such times. Leading industry experts will guide us through crucial topics, including how to deal with problem behaviours among staff, how to help staff overcome conflict and how to manage up. As always, your access to Development Day is entirely free as an IML ANZ Member. You’ll find all the details about how to book your spot for the next Development Day in this month’s Leading Edge. 

As the business landscape continues to stabilise, significant opportunities for career growth and progression have certainly increased. That is why continuing your journey as an IML ANZ Member is an excellent way to prepare for whatever the next big step of your career may be. This year, we are making your career progression our priority by supporting you with the development opportunities, resources, and community engagement you need. You will have received communications about renewing your annual Membership. I encourage you to speak with the team at IML ANZ if you are unsure about any aspects of your Membership.

For some in our community, stepping into a more demanding leadership and management role might be the major career move. Those new to management may find themselves struggling to shift from a ‘doing’ mindset to a ‘leading’ approach. One skill that could help strengthen the confidence and focus of new managers is delegation. However, we recognise that it may not be a skill that comes naturally for most professionals. So, the team has created a checklist to help managers, especially those new to their roles, master delegation skills. We took the content for this resource from our highly successful Intentional Leadership Foundations program. You might be struggling with this skill or know someone who needs help when it comes to effective delegation. I invite you to download the resource via the link in this month’s newsletter.

I want to end by thanking you for your support and encouragement during my time as your Board Chair. As I will be stepping down at this year’s Annual General Meeting this will be my final note to you as a member of the Board. It has been my absolute pleasure to serve you as an elected member on the Board and more recently as its chair. As a long term member of this organisation and as a Board member for many years, I’m impressed, and at times surprised, at how far we have come over the last few years since the national merger. We’ve enhanced IML ANZ’s relevance in the management community and are on our way to be the undisputed leader in raising the management and leadership practice standards in Australia and New Zealand.

In closing, I wish you, our Members, and the new IML ANZ Board, all the best for the future.

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

Welcome to the April edition of Leading Edge.

This month I want to reflect on the things that tie our community of managers and leaders together. Sports teams wear uniforms, and that is the physical representation of their ‘membership’. Apart from our post-nominals, we don’t have anything akin to a uniform. But what we do have are traits, attitudes and behaviours that identify us as Members of the Institute. I want to highlight those in this edition of Leading Edge.

Firstly, we are a community of professionals who should demonstrate the highest management and leadership standards — no question about it. Our Membership includes top managers in Australia and New Zealand who lead the region in expertise, experience and by example. It should be no surprise then that we would be a very sought-after group when it comes to recruiting the finest in our profession. That’s why the Institute has introduced a new service for our Members and others in the IML ANZ community – the IML ANZ Jobs Hub. This gives our Members the opportunity to apply for roles with businesses who value our professional excellence and for organisations to identify and hire top managers and leaders. Through this platform, you can post job ads or view existing ads for managers and leaders. You can enjoy discounts when you recruit using the platform (please use the code: IMLMEMDISC). I invite you to read the information included in this edition of the newsletter and explore the IML ANZ Jobs Hub.

Another defining quality of our community is that we genuinely care about the future of management and leadership. We demonstrate that through our top-rated mentoring program, Member Exchange. Cohort after cohort, our mentors and mentees form trusting, supportive mentoring relationships that ensure the voice of experience guides future leaders. In the past year, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of mentoring pairs. There is no stronger evidence of our care and concern for the profession of management and leadership than this commitment to supporting each other, especially when times are tough. If you haven’t been a mentor or mentee before, I encourage you to learn more about the program through the information in this month’s Leading Edge. I have personally found my role as a mentor on this program as a rewarding experience.

You can also identify an IML ANZ Member by their diverse professional network. Management is a unique profession in that we bond not through our technical knowledge but in our desire to further our ‘soft’ or people skills. Our Member networking events help us do just that. Not only do we interact with managers and leaders from a broad spectrum of technical fields, but we are united by the topics we discuss at these forums. Thus, we form connections that are unique in the professional world. I believe these events are truly invaluable and would love to see you at one of our upcoming networking events, whether that’s face-to-face or virtual. Please see this edition for more information on events near you.

Finally, we are defined by our expertise in management and leadership. Our Members are often respected experts in their field. We are always delighted to hear from our Members and create many opportunities to build their profiles as managers and leaders in the community. We could profile you in our Leadership Matters newsletter, feature your written contributions on crucial management topics on our blog, or you could even be a guest speaker at a networking event. If you want to build your professional profile or reach more of the IML ANZ Membership, please get in touch with us through the contact details included in this newsletter.

Although we don’t put on uniforms, our behaviours, actions, and attitude towards management and leadership mark us as Members of IML ANZ. Please keep identifying yourself in that way because the mark of great leadership always matters.

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

Welcome to the March edition of Leading Edge.

The beginning of any endeavour is always exciting; a new role, a new way of working or even a new year. What’s challenging is maintaining momentum. That’s why in this edition of Leading Edge, I’d like to highlight some of the ways your Institute can help you maintain and develop your leadership skills.

Like so many vital leadership skills, communication is one that we must continually focus on. This month, IML ANZ Members once again joined our highly successful Virtual Development Day, featuring a range of communication topics. In the first instalment for 2021, we unpacked how you can master workplace conversations. The day consisted of several sessions covering topics such as managing disagreements, performance conversations, and how to be assertive. As always, Members enjoyed complimentary access to the day and the session recordings. If you weren’t able to attend the day, I encourage you to watch the recorded practical and insightful sessions that will help us all continue to build our proficiency in workplace communication.

Much like communication, good decision-making also sits at the heart of outstanding leadership. To assist you we’ve created a quick checklist that can help managers remain focused when making tough decisions. This resource, featured in our Accelerate Leadership program, is an excellent tool that can help you or someone you know achieve their goals by making better decisions. You can download this checklist in this edition of Leading Edge.

Creating a robust and diverse community of managers and leaders is another activity that we want to focus on throughout the year. By bringing in new Members into the IML ANZ community, we can increase and enrich our interactions with other leaders through the ideas we exchange, and the connections we can make. To help with this, we’re offering new Members 15 months’ worth of Membership for the price of 12 months. As an incentive, if you refer someone in your network to join the Institute, we’ll give you a complimentary copy of either Leadership Matters: 7 skills of very successful leaders or Leading Well: 7 attributes of very successful leaders. You’ll find more information in this edition of Leading Edge. 

Finally, following a year of so much change for many of us, it can be easy to lose track of our personal information that needs updating. To assist us in providing you with the most relevant resources and delivering them in the way that suits you best, I’d ask that you take a few minutes this month to check your personal details that we have recorded in our member data. You’ll find a convenient, personalised link in this edition that you can easily update. 

Regards,

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

Welcome to the February edition of Leading Edge.

The Institute is driven by our desire to enrich our management and leadership community and that is the focus of this month’s edition of Leading Edge. I want to give you a quick roundup of some of the ways your Membership supports you in engaging with the management community on a professional, local and global level.

IML ANZ’s Masterclasses are an excellent way to build professional connections and are now a growing pillar of CPD for many managers and leaders. So, with the needs of managers and leaders in mind, we’ve redesigned the way we deliver our Masterclass offerings for 2021. We’ve expanded the depth we cover our most popular topics, and we now offer these as a series. This means that you can master the leadership skills you need at a pace and frequency that suits you, without sacrificing the depth of understanding each Masterclass series provides. Delving deep into critical leadership skills is a great way to unite management and leadership professionals through shared knowledge. You’ll find more information in this newsletter, and I encourage you to check out which series might be relevant to you or to your team.

At IML, we understand that with so much information now available on demand it can be a little overwhelming. That’s why in creating your Member Portal we’ve made sure that when you login, you’ll receive information that is practical to you. Likewise, the resources available via Leadership Direct are exclusive to Members of IML ANZ and feature tools, checklists, guides, and research focussed on managers and leaders’ needs. Our Member Portal is a key way that we enrich the IML ANZ community by empowering you to curate your own development plan for 2021.

Sound management and leadership practise has never been more sought after than it is today. As such, it might be a good time to reassess whether you are eligible to attain the prestigious Chartered Manager designation. Chartered Managers are part of a global community of management experts who represent leadership excellence. During this month, we are offering $100 off the assessment fee when you apply. As a Chartered Manager myself, I know that the accreditation has helped me develop both professionally and as a leader.

The dedication of our members in raising our management and leadership practice in our various professions and broader society continues to inspire me. In return, we hope that we offer you a suite of Membership benefits that you can equally be proud of. We strive to bring together our local community of managers and leaders and inspire them to realise our vision. That’s where Member Advocates play a crucial role. I believe that our Member Advocates best represent what our community stands for. They support and promote our vision by hosting local events, actively sharing our content via social media, and providing much-needed advice on decisions that will affect IML ANZ’s local Member community. If you want to play a more active role in raising the management and leadership standards in your region, please contact our Membership team.

So, let’s continue to create a community that we can be proud of. We can all play a part in enriching our professional, local and global communities by making the most out of your Membership.

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board

Welcome to the January edition of Leading Edge and of course into 2021.

For many managers and leaders, this year represents I expect not only challenges, but also hope and a fresh start. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that 2020 thoroughly challenged how we work, lead and live. However I start the year confident, knowing that many of us flourished despite the difficulties. That’s why in the first edition of Leading Edge this year, I’d like to update you on some of the exciting changes and improvements we’re introducing.

As our society’s paradigm of the ideal workplace shifts, IML ANZ continues to move with agility to deliver valuable products, services and resources to our Members. Of course in response to government and health guidelines, all our Member Lounges remain closed. But we understand the importance of keeping Members connected, which is why we will continue to deliver virtual Member Connect events in 2021. These virtual events present opportunities to bring professionals from across Australia and New Zealand closer despite the distance. It remains a vital part of our Membership offering as physical distancing requirements persist in many regions.

In 2021, we’re continuing to help leaders deep-dive into crucial topics that deal directly with the challenges of the time. Expect to see more of our highly successful Virtual Development Days in 2021. Last year, thousands of participants benefited from these sessions at a time when managers needed sound guidance the most. So keep an eye out for your invitation to the next Virtual Development Day.

The events of 2020 had helped leaders to rethink the merit of agility in so many ways. We’ve had to reflect on it too, particularly when it comes to the way we keep our Membership informed, engaged and energised by the latest ideas in leadership. We have decided to change the way we deliver Leadership Matters content. Instead of a quarterly magazine, I’m excited to announce that you will now receive Leadership Matters as a monthly newsletter. In addition, we are looking forward to launching our brand-new podcast in 2021. The popularity of podcasts has skyrocketed as it has become a pragmatic way to take in knowledge, information and new ideas. Our goal is to provide you with the leadership thinking you need, in a format that best suits our modern lifestyles.

I know some of you may miss the magazine’s print version, while others may welcome the environmental benefits of the new approach. On weighing the benefits of a more frequent and timely newsletter and podcast, we decided that if 2021 is about nothing else, it’s about fresh perspectives and trying new things. Keep an eye out for Leadership Matters in its new forms – and, as always, if you would like to contribute to the newsletter, then contact us via leadershipmatters@managersandleaders.com.au.    

Our membership offering has never been stronger because many professionals now recognise that leadership matters, especially in tough times. So, despite the extraordinary events of 2020 we had more Membership renewals than any other year in our history. We also saw New Zealand post the highest Member retention rate. I look forward to welcoming more managers and leaders into the IML ANZ community this year.

I hope that you’ve all had a much-needed summer break and reflected on how the challenges of 2020 has made you a better manager or leader. Let’s all look ahead to 2021 and continue to achieve much more for the management and leadership profession.

I believe we begin this year more resilient, wiser, confident and better equipped for new challenges the future might bring.

John Withers CMgr FIML

Chair of the Board