The Only Constant is Change…

So stated Greek philosopher Heraclitus 2500 years ago and the words are no less relevant today. Change is a norm, change is a constant, we all know things will change. As management consultants we are frequently on the edge of change and are likely to have driven change. We have a toolkit of tried and tested resources and techniques we bring with us. But Covid-19 has driven change like never before. The full impact of it has yet to be felt, but already the speed and reach of the change that has occurred is hard to fathom. We have felt the impacts both personally and professionally. It has touched every individual, every organisation and every country.

Certainly there will be new challenges, equally there will be opportunities. We will need to look at different ways of doing things. As our borders are likely to remain closed for some time yet, we need to focus on alternate ways to stay part of our global communities. As experienced and trusted advisors we need to look at innovative ways to support our clients and get our economy moving. Sharing our experiences with other consultants is a key way to help our profession evolve. Look out for the opportunities we will offer over the next few months to hone your skills and stay globally connected with IMC.

During the lockdown we started holding informal Friday drink-and-chat sessions. These proved a great way to expand our bubbles, share stories, experiences and perspectives. They also proved a welcome opportunity to get to know other consultants across the country, many of whom we would never get to meet and now we feel we know well and regard as colleagues. We will continue to hold these for the next few weeks so if you haven’t joined us before do Zoom in.

Having served as IMCNZ President for two years my term has come to an end, although I will still remain on Council as Immediate Past President. Our new President is Phil Guerin and Karen Clarke is Vice President. Both Phil and Karen will be familiar to many of our members and they both bring tremendous energy and passion to their roles. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the exceptional team on Council and all those engaged and supportive members who have contributed to repositioning the Institute as we have.  There is an incredible sense of community apparent in IMCNZ – this is a real strength and something we can all be proud of. It is also this strength that will take us through the Covid recovery and on to further development and growth – as an Institute and as professionals.

Jacquie Hamer CMC

Immediate Past President

Events

Covid restrictions necessitated the cancellation of the various face to face events we had planned for the second and third quarters of this year. Instead we offered a number of webinars in association with our global partners and will have a few more coming online over August and September. We also plan to trial a return to in person events in Wellington next month. We will keep you updated through the website.

The next webinar is Management Consulting in Times of Acceleration, to be held via Zoom this Thursday at 10pm. Hosted by IMC Singapore, speaker Volker Friedrich, Founder and Managing Partner at GBP International, will discuss how COVID-19 is accelerating key trends in the digital economy; key challenges facing the global consulting industry, and; rethinking and reshaping strategies for management consultants. To register or for more information https://imcnz.org.nz/events/#!event/2020/7/31/management-consulting-in-times-of-acceleration

We held our first fully virtual AGM on May 14th via Zoom. Thank you to all those who attended, it was great to see how both the technology and users facilitated a meeting that proceeded smoothly and in a timely manner!

ICMCI Updates

CMC-Global have been supporting member organisations by offering a series of webinars discussing ways to work through the impacts of Covid-19. These were a timely reminder that we are part of a global network and the ongoing importance of sharing information and learning from each other. While the scheduling was not always very convenient for our time zone, recordings have been made and are available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbIZ7oUZX2BgtxYdk4Dhlg/videos

The next CMC Global Conference ‘Digitalization in Consultancy and Transformation in Future’ has been was to be held in October this year in Yerevan, Armenia. This has now been rescheduled for 2021.

ICMCI are producing a book on Consultancy Skills, compiled by Simon Haslam, Chair of the ICMCI Academic Fellows. This will be a globally relevant and practical resource looking at how to win clients, deliver successful consulting projects, build a consulting business, and develop skills and capabilities as a consultant. It will be based on the experiences of people in the ICMCI community. If you would like to share a piece of advice about delivering successful consulting projects, between 50 – 200 words, please contact Simon directly simon@researching.co.uk.

The latest issue of the ICMCI newsletter, CMC Today, is available here https://www.cmc-global.org/newsletter/2020cmc-today-june-july-issue.

ACC Initiative

As part of ACC’s plan for helping reduce the immediate impact of COVID-19 on businesses, they are delaying all invoicing by three months. Invoices for the 2020/21 financial year would usually have been sent from 1 July and will now be issued in October. Payment options will be available to further assist businesses in managing their payments.

ACC is also providing the option to continue to be invoiced as per normal.  You can simply log in to your MyACC for Business account or complete this form to opt out of the delay and choose to receive your 2020/21 invoice at the normal time.

If you have a CoverPlus Extra policy with ACC you will have been contacted by them directly about your levy invoice being sent in July. These invoices are normally sent in April but were delayed by three months to help ease any immediate financial pressure. To find out more about the delay to invoicing visit acc.co.nz.

A Little Miscellany…

Becoming a Certified Management Consultant (CMC)

We have a number of longer term and recently joined Professional members who have the appropriate skills and experience to become a CMC. The CMC designation is an internationally recognised professional qualification; being a CMC identifies you as a consultant who meets standards of competence, experience and ethical conduct. We are continuing to highlight the value to government in engaging consultants who meet professional standards and who adhere to a code of conduct, which in turn increases the value of the CMC designation. If you are interested in becoming a CMC completing the Assess My Consulting tool on the website is a great place to start. Alternately contact us for more information or apply directly https://imcnz.org.nz/certification-cmc/.

Fellow Emeritus

IMCNZ is in the fortunate position of having several senior Fellows who have made valuable and long term contributions to the Institute. In recognition of this, and to continue to benefit from their experience, we have established the new honorary membership class of Fellow Emeritus. This also provides retired Fellows who no longer receive a significant consulting income an opportunity to continue to be involved in and contribute to the profession.

Action Day

The new Council held an Action Day earlier this month and agreed a number of steps to add more value to membership and reinforce value. Physical events will step up as people come back to work and we will be looking to expand events into Auckland and other centres in new ways.  We are also developing new online learning opportunities in collaboration with CMC-Global. We will keep you updated as we progress.

Membership Renewal and Professional Development Returns

Once again, a gentle reminder that if you have not yet paid your 2020 membership fees, or submitted your 2019 PD return, then your prompt action to do so would be appreciated!

Please also ensure your personal contact and public profile details are up to date – these can be accessed through logging in to the Members Area on the website.

Customer Service Podcast

Wellington member Dr Jason Price has just released a new podcast in his customer experience series – this one outlining three key components for providing a better customer experience. These are relevant to all organisations and provide a timely reminder that how we engage with our clients, at any level, has a lasting impact. Link to the podcast: https://www.priceperrott.com/our-thinking/podcast/5-three-lessons-for-world-class-cx.

Your Council

The current Council were voted in at the AGM in May and we are pleased to welcome one new member this term, Karl Gallimore. Karl is based in Wellington and specialises in Project/Portfolio Management Office roles.

We continue to receive and appreciate a high level of support and engagement from many of our members outside Council.  We are here to represent and support our members – this is your professional Institute – so if you are interested in getting involved in any of our day to day operations at any stage do get in touch. This is an opportune way to share your experience or grow your skills while contributing to the development of our profession.

Phil Guerin CMC, President	Wellington	president@imcnz.org.nz
Karen Clarke CMC, Vice President	Wellington	vice-president@imcnz.org.nz
Jacquie Hamer CMC, Immediate Past President	Auckland	ipp@imcnz.org.nz
Michael Iddon CMC, Treasurer	Auckland	treasurer@imcnz.org.nz
Gurdeep Talwar CMC, Secretary	Wellington	secretary@imcnz.org.nz
Scott Rodgers CMC	Wellington	scott@linkconsulting.nz
Karl Gallimore CMC	Wellington	karlgallimore@hotmail.com