Newsletter, May 2021
Diversity from adversity…
What a difference a year makes! This time last year New Zealand was preparing to move to Covid alert level 2, Donald Trump was touting disinfectant injections as a valid cure and Covid numbers were climbing exponentially worldwide.
We are now learning to co-exist with Covid. The US vaccine rate averages over 2 million doses per day, the Bank of England predicts the UK economy will experience its greatest growth in 70 years, our own vaccine rollout has started and our travel bubble is slowly expanding.
Zoom continues to be part of our daily routine, working remotely is now an accepted option, online collaboration and communication a norm. Significant opportunities to change the way we work and engage with others have been created, along with ensuing challenges.
Disruption is permanent – new technologies, shake downs in industry models, stark and sudden world events such as Covid. As consultants we need to embrace disruption as a constant, continually adapt and amend our approaches and processes so we can, in turn, help our clients position themselves where they can achieve the greatest success and impact.
New Zealand is a country built on small business – and this extends to our consultancy practices. We need to reach out to each other, share lessons and experiences and look at ways to collaborate and cooperate. Being part of a global network such as ICMCI benefits us all – with increased professional development opportunities, networking across continents and the globally recognised CMC certification. We can share and access resources with other member Institutes and have developed new expectations of collaboration. We are not isolated in a country with closed borders, we are part of an innovative and forward-thinking global consulting community!
On behalf of IMC New Zealand, I wish you success and tenacity as we negotiate the changes coming over the next few months. I look forward to catching up with you at one of our future events and hope to see you at the AGM on Wednesday.
Jacquie Hamer CMC
Immediate Past President
Annual General Meeting
This year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Wednesday May 12th at 5:30pm. You can attend via Zoom or, if in Wellington, join us in person at 8/108 The Terrace. You can register your attendance online at https://imcnz.org.nz/events/#!event-list or just Zoom in. Zoom login details have been circulated along with the agenda and background papers – if you are yet to receive yours let us know.
We will also be voting in our Council members so if you are interested in putting your name forward do get in touch – it is a great way to share your experience or grow your skills while contributing to the development of our profession. The majority of current Council members have now had a two or three year term so we do need new members to put their names forward! If you are interested please email secretary@imcnz.org.nz.
Upcoming Events
We are continuing to hold our informal end-of-week drink-and-chat Zooms each second Friday. These have proved a great way for members from around the country to get to know each other and share views, insights and experiences. The next will be held on Friday 14th May so whether you are a regular attendee or are yet to join us you are welcome to Zoom in.
AOG Consultancy RFP
MBIE are currently undertaking a refresh of the AOG Consultancy Services Panel. This gives new suppliers the opportunity to join and existing suppliers to extend or amend the services they provide. We hosted a forum in April to discuss how the process works and how Panel members can best benefit from being on a Panel – the session was recorded so if you were unable to attend you can still register to access the recording https://imcnz.org.nz/events/#!event-list.
The Panel application process continues until June 30th 2021.
ICMCI Asia Pacific Virtual Hub Meeting – Harnessing Technology
IMC Singapore are hosting a virtual and complimentary session Harnessing Technology – the Future of Consulting on May 27th. A great line up of experienced and speakers will discuss how technology is transforming the environment we operate in and the challenges and opportunities this can bring. Register here https://www.cmc-global.org/content/icmci-asia-pacific-hub-meeting-2021
Consulting Skills Course
We will soon be launching a Principles of Professional Consulting course that will run over a few weeks. Participants will gain a comprehensive overview of management consulting, an awareness of internationally benchmarked best practice and a combination of skills, knowledge and techniques that will be immediately applicable.
More information will be circulated soon and posted on the website.
ISO 20700:2017 Self-Declaration Checklist Training
The ISO 20700 Self-Declaration Checklist training is now well underway with sessions scheduled throughout the year. The programme has been extended to include an additional module for non-CMCs. The Checklist is a practical tool management consultants can use to demonstrate their work conforms to the ISO 20700:2017 Guidelines for Management Consultancy Services. The ISO Guidelines provide a global minimum standard for the delivery of management consultancy services and ensure transparency between consultant and client.
Registration details will be added to the website as the dates are confirmed.
A Little Miscellany
Membership Renewal and Professional Development Returns
A gentle reminder that if you have not yet paid your 2021 membership fees, or submitted your 2020 PD return, then your prompt action to do so would be appreciated! Your membership renewal notice would have had a link to pay online – if you have any queries about this please contact treasurer@imcnz.org.nz.
You can also file your 2020 PD return online at https://imcnz.org.nz/professional-development/. Professional members must complete a minimum of 30 hours PD annually, and Associates 20 hours in order to retain active membership. Attendance at our regular events counts towards this.
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.
Becoming a Certified Management Consultant (CMC)
We are continuing to highlight the value to clients in engaging consultants who meet professional standards and who adhere to a code of conduct. If you have recently completed an MBIE All of Government Consulting Service Panel application you will have noted there is now a section for providing details of professional memberships and accreditations when. This makes it more important than ever to show that you are part of a professional community of practice and increases the value of the CMC designation.
Holding the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation identifies a consultant as meeting standards of competence, experience and ethical conduct. CMC is an internationally recognised professional qualification available to Professional members with the appropriate skills and experience. 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/.
ICMCI Updates
The latest issue of the ICMCI newsletter, CMC Today, is available here: https://www.cmc-global.org/newsletter/cmc-today-april-2021-0. This also has links to a number of ICMCI hosted webinars.
Customer Service Podcasts Continue
Dr. Jason Price’s customer service podcasts continue with a recently released mini-series on improving online customer service delivery. The first episode looks at a case study of multi-channel dis-service and the role of customer trust in adopting new services and includes three actions customer service leaders can take to improve their own organisation’s online service delivery. The second episode looks at a case study of service failure in the banking industry, and how the silo mentality leads to customer inconvenience. It’s a challenge we’ve known about for two decades, so why is it that organisations continue to put internal restrictions ahead of learning and improving broken customer service processes?
You can find the show notes for all episodes at priceperrott.com/podcast and subscribe at your favourite choice of podcast provider (links on the show notes pages).
Visit and Follow our IMCNZ LinkedIn Company Page and join our IMC [Institute of Management Consultants] NZ LinkedIn Group to stay up to date with events and items of interest. This is also a great way to meet and network with other consultants across New Zealand and throughout the world.
Your Council
Members will be voted on to Council at Wednesday’s AGM. Contributing to the development of our profession is important and we would love to see more people getting involved in our day-to-day operations. Council membership is open to all membership classes and being a Council member isn’t overly taxing – we have monthly meetings via Zoom and periodic strategic planning days (usually one per annum). We also have a strong group of engaged professionals who share the load. If you are interested in being nominated, to share your experience or grow your skills please get in touch.
Council contact details:
| 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 | Wellington | ipp@imcnz.org.nz |
| Gurdeep Talwar CMC, Secretary | Auckland | secretary@imcnz.org.nz |
| Michael Iddon CMC, Treasurer | Auckland | treasurer@imcnz.org.nz |
| Scott Rodgers CMC | Wellington | scott@linkconsulting.nz |
| Karl Gallimore CMC | Wellington | karlgallimore@hotmail.com |