2017 International Leadership Institute

I represented IABC Wellington at the annual International Leadership Institute in Dallas in late February, joining IABC leaders from as far afield as South Africa, Toronto, Malaysia and London to share leadership and professional development best practice with colleagues.
 
The annual event is a chance to hear the latest developments from the IABC’s chief executive and, in this case, to be part of the development of the next three-year strategy IABC1720.
 
By way of operational context, the International Executive Board outlined the top three challenges for communicators according to the recent IABC members survey: being included in strategy development, demonstrating value, and keeping up with the pace of change.

​IABC research also headlined some of the environmental issues facing the profession in 2017 including increased ‘fact checking’, the need for business acumen, data-driven insights, the rise of chat bots and virtual reality, the growth of video and the ‘battle for the lock screen’. In this environment, the challenge is to remain relevant and to find a way to reach audiences with meaningful content.
 
Delegates then had a sneak preview of the proposed new IABC vision and purpose statements and the opportunity to put forward ideas as to how IABC might further develop, advance and connect communications professionals – both at an international and a local level. The final strategy will be released at World Conference in June.
 
I also took part in a panel session in leadership with other successful global leaders, and break-out sessions provided the opportunity to hear from other chapters on how they are delivering value for members through professional development events and activities. There was plenty of food for thought as we plan our 10th anniversary programme for Wellington. Watch this space!