EDITOR’S LETTER : Room with a view

As anyone who ever played with kaleidoscope will know, sometimes it only takes subtle shift for whole new picture to emerge. That’s happening right now across raft of issues and, in the process, opening world of new options and opportunities for New Zealand corporate and public sector leaders. We live, as the old curse goes, in interesting times.
Take the latest round of announcements surrounding climate change, for instance, which together are painting new global pattern as carbon trading regimes and emissions standards are created and consolidated. Such sweeping changes overseas are joining forces to pose real risk to New Zealand’s much-touted environmentally friendly image. Are we, as Vicki Jayne asks in her article “Counting the carbs” (page 36), well prepared for carbon judgement day? Or will we fade to paler shade of green?
On more clearly positive side of the ledger, consider the transformation in the corporate sponsorship space where the hackneyed “chairman’s choice” has given way to bold new set of parameters centred around both rock-solid values and the bottom line. This, after years of yo-yoing between the two. Philippa Stevenson’s article (page 28) is an inspiring read for anyone pondering how to mesh their desire to give back to their community with well-entrenched corporate yearning for earning. It is possible.
On similarly upbeat note, comes series of practical tips on the now widespread bugbear of how to hold on to good staff (page 54). They come from well-known industry commentator Ian Taylor who, as director of executive recruitment firm Sheffield New Zealand, is more than usually well placed to see the repercussions among organisations that fail to get their retention strategies right.
Finally, and most recently, after much activity behind closed doors, bunch of groups are now locking into place week of inspiring, encouraging, thought-provoking and downright practical stuff to celebrate and energise our nation’s management capability. These groups span the public and private sectors and together provide the backbone to much of this country’s management muscle. This year’s Management Focus, as the week will be known, will run in July and will be the first of regular annual events. Details were being finalised as we went to print. We’ve outlined its scope on page 11 of this issue. Check our website (www.management.co.nz) for more information as it emerges. Attend this kind of stuff and you can throw away your kaleidoscope.