Ask not what your Institute can do for you...

Since I came back from the Christmas break this phrase has been popping into my head. I actually said it in a meeting the other night and people agreed with me so I thought I would use it today.

So, what do I mean?
Well, I hear so much about what The Institute is, should or could be doing (or isn't doing) for its members. I just wanted to consider what the members might do for The Institute.

How about promoting professional marketing to the wider business community, how about shouting about your achievements and proudly displaying your DipM, ACIM, MCIM, FCIM or Chartered Marketer status? How about encouraging others to study, attend events and generally undertake CPD?

Have you done any of this recently? If not, then I implore you to do just one and support your institute.

Scene setting

Following on from last week, I thought I would set the scene for this year with a podcast. At the end of 2008 Mary Davies interviewed me for the My CIM Newsletter. Because we covered a wide variety of topics, giving an insight into the regions and branches, I have turned it into a podcast available at http://www.cimnorth.co.uk/podcasts.php

Happy New Year 2009!

Well another year has gone by and I my New Years Resolution is to reincarnate this blog for a second time. To make it more relevant, useful and hopefully therefore more interesting.

Over the holiday I read Allan Leighton's Leadership book and was most interested in the section on dealing with complaints. I have considered the ways in which people bring issues to my attention - usually face-to-face, sometimes on the phone and quite often in emails - but there are other ways, and ways in which I can share my responses so that anyone who might have been thinking the same thing but hadn't raised it can seek my take on it.

So, I have decided to throw this blog open to comments, more so than I have done before, and to do more podcasts with the people that I meet and have constructive conversations with. I hope this goes some way to improving this blog and our relationship.

Diane