Connector Newsletter April 2022
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Message from the Chair/CEO, Julia Demkowski CMC®
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Something positive about the past 2 years is that we have all gotten together virtually and seem to have connected even more by using Zoom or other virtual platforms. I had not used Zoom before 2020 and now, like many, I am zoomed out! While it is nice to “see” who you are talking to, Zoom has taken over and I find myself actually saying “how about just a phone call” to folks now!
I personally am so excited to announce that we will be having an in-person conference this year in Louisville, Kentucky! Our 2022 conference is going to be amazing. I am a people-person and I have missed everyone so much! We have had two virtual conferences and as good as they were - nothing brings the energy and excitement out like gathering in the hall or at dinner with other members of IMC USA. We are an amazing group of consultants. If this is your first opportunity to attend an IMC USA conference, you will not be disappointed. If you have not been to one in a while - this will be a great conference to return to.
Our breakout sessions this year will be interactive and “how to” focused. You will learn from speakers and from collaborating among peers. I have learned so much from other members because we are all so willing to help each other - one of the reasons this community is so amazing!
The planning team has so many ideas we cannot fit them all in. Please be on the lookout for a brief survey from the Conference Committee and be a part of building this year’s program. The survey will only take a couple of minutes.
Please put November 18-20, 2022 on your calendar and help spread the word. If you know other consultants, the conference packages always offer a fantastic opportunity to combine membership and the conference. Stay tuned for program information and early bird announcements coming soon.
Please see the message from the Recognition and Awards Committee in this newsletter. It will be awesome to recognize our members in person and celebrate all we have accomplished this year.
Omega Notes has launched. This is a member-only benefit but you must opt-in to receive the information to set up your account and join the different communities. If you have not already opted-in, please CLICK HERE today.
Communication is a continual struggle for IMC USA, as with any associations. IMC USA has many opportunities to connect in addition to professional learning and development. We continue to brainstorm how to get the word out to members without jamming up your inbox. We send so many announcements via email and still we have people say they did not know of a new program or activity.
I cannot wait to see all of you in Louisville!
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IT IS HAPPENING, 2022 IMC USA CONSULT-CON, NOV 18 - 20!
Save the dates and mark your calendars!
Join your colleagues at the 2022 IMC USA Consult-Con Conference November 18 - 20, Louisville, Kentucky, at the historic Brown Hotel, an iconic destination.
This exciting conference is triggered by the theme, "And We're Off!" Attendees will be infused with a winning spirit for taking on 2023.
You will soon receive a survey asking about your conference needs. Please be sure to complete this so that your voice is heard.
The conference will be affordable with sleeping room rates at $149 a night. Hotel reservations are currently being accepted via the following reservation link or by calling the hotel directly at 502-583-1234. If calling, please mention you are attending the IMC USA conference to qualify for the group discount rate.
Hotel Reservation – CLICK HERE!
Spouses and partners are welcome to attend! More information will follow in the coming weeks.
The official conference website is: www.imcusaconference.org. The site will be updated as planning continues.
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Welcome February - March New Members!
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- Jacob Bergman, At-Large, Houston, Texas
- Nasser Hammad, At-Large, Orlando, Florida
- Nakelintouba NIKIEMA, At-Large, Manhattan, New York
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Member Stories: What IMC USA Means To Me
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A series of stories by our members. Add your story here: https://imcusa.org/testimonial-form
Jim Park, Certified Executive Coach, of Advanced Performance Associates LLC focuses on improving performance by increasing efficiency, maximizing leadership and engaging employees in innovative organizational transformation.
"I have found the personal and professional relationships I have developed through IMC USA a great benefit. Serving on the National Board has given me a chance to give back to the IMC USA community."
Learn more about the benefits of IMC USA membership today.
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Jim Park
Principal
Advanced Performance Associates LLC
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Members! Have you opted-in to the IMC USA Community Board - Omega Notes? If not, please CLICK HERE today to opt-in and receive a special invitation for upcoming training.
Register for initial training to set up your personal profile by April 15th: https://bit.ly/yourboardprofile.
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Thank you to our affiliate members for supporting IMC USA!
Watch your inbox and the IMC USA website Events calendar for upcoming programming. Each affiliate member will offer an introductory webinar to better acquaint IMC USA members with their services and how they can help you grow your business. IMC USA members must log into their IMC USA account to register for these events.
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Certified Management Consultant (CMC®)
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CMC Certification Committee and Volunteers
By Certification Committee Chair, Gregory Lunde, CMC® Emeritus
Thanks to all CMC®s who have responded to the recently emailed "CMC® Exam Orientation-Agenda Letter" along with the "CMC® Oral Exam Panel Instructions [Instructions for CMC® Oral Examination Panel Chair & Panelists (Examiners)]."
We continue to welcome and encourage more CMC®s to join our CMC® Certification Committee. Qualified members available to serve as CMC® Oral Examination Panelists allow us to respond efficiently to new CMC®Candidate applicants.
Also, we continue to refine a “roadmap” process for those interested in completing their CMC® credential. For example, the Mastering Management Consulting program and the developing Boot Camp program offer pathways for IMC members to pursue and complete their CMC® credential.
Being able to advise and recommend pathways for attaining the CMC® will help shape and grow IMC USA. That’s why the more CMC®s we have who join the Certification Committee the greater chance we have of advancing IMC USA.
The Certified Management Consultant® (CMC®) mark is awarded by IMC USA to consultants who have achieved a level of performance that includes professional standards in technical competency and ethics, and global standards in consulting competencies, professional behavior, client and project management, and personal conduct. Learn more today!
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Professional Learning and Development
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From Bias to Belonging
First-of-its-kind IMC Academy offering!
Close your eyes. Picture an African American woman. What are the first associations you make? What do you assume about her? Now, picture a white woman. Next, a black man. A gay man. A Mexican immigrant. A progressive. A conservative.
What you associate with these thoughts is intimately tied to your own experiences and identity. What we assume about others is born from our conscious and unconscious biases.
From Bias to Belonging
Experienced consultants know that working within their clients’ organizations requires they interact with a variety of employees and stakeholders who have different backgrounds. There’s a strong connection between the success of a consulting engagement and the consultant’s ability to build effective working relationships.
Various types of biases interact and continuously shape our environment. And this is the focus of IMC’s newest and first-of-its-kind Academy 3-workshop course, From Bias to Belonging.
Adapted especially for IMC USA, this course provides an opportunity for consultants to learn how different biases unconsciously influence our assumptions and behavior, explore impacts on client relationships, and engage in a virtual experiential activity.
** This course will not be recorded because it will be highly interactive, and our intention is to create space for participants to authentically share their insights.
Course dates: April 21, 28 and May 5
Course times: 3:00-4:30 p.m. EDT / 12:00-1:30 p.m. PDT
Click Here for Details & Registration
Sign up now so that you don’t miss out on this rare learning experience!
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Ken’s 2022 Thought Leading All-Star Revue
April 19, 2022, 2-3 PM ET, ZOOMCAST - Register Today!
On his website, featured speaker Michael Katz lists three “needs” for attracting the clients and referrals you want:
1. Be viewed as expert
2. Stay top of mind
3. Appear trustworthy and likeable
That, we can all agree, can separate each of us from the competitive pack and ensure that potential clients come to believe that we can help them.
Joining Michael will be Roberta Guise who adds, “You have great ideas bottled up inside that you want to unleash, or you’ve published articles and appeared on a few podcasts — and you know you could make an even bigger difference in the lives of others. The way to make change outside of the work you do is by communicating your ideas so they’re accessible, digestible and quote-worthy.”
Roberta will focus her half of the discussion on traits that thought leaders possess, touching on such themes as:
- How to spot a thought leader across the room
- Transitioning from great expert to thought leader
- Why aspire to thought leader status
- The nifty science of how ideas spread
- The intersection of reputation, influence and thought leadership
- Handling imposter syndrome, limiting beliefs and other confidence issues
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About Roberta Guise: A trusted advisor to professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs on growing their influence, expanding their thought leadership footprint, and developing their personal brand with confidence so they build a reputation as a leading authority, Roberta also guides small business CEOs on growth strategies and marketing. She’s creator of Rock Your Reputation® live online program, and Principal at Guise Marketing and PR.
Roberta’s opinions have been published in such publications as San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, BusinessWeek, Fortune magazine, Wall Street Journal, The Nature Conservancy Magazine and Bird Watchers Digest. She has guested on a range of podcasts and national radio programs and is currently writing a book on personal branding and reputation development.
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About Michael Katz: An award-winning humorist and former corporate marketer, Blue Penguin founder and Chief Penguin, Michael Katz, specializes in helping professional service firms and solos talk and write about their work in a way that is clear and compelling. Since launching Blue Penguin Consulting in 2000, he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Business Week Online, Bloomberg TV, Forbes.com, Inc.com, USA Today, and other national and local media.
Author of four books and more than 500 issues of his twice-monthly email newsletter & podcast The Likable Expert Gazette, read by 6,000 passionate subscribers in 40 countries, he holds an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Psychology from McGill. He is a past winner of the New England Press Association award for “Best Humor Columnist.”
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Register Today!
C2M Host Ken Lizotte CMC is Chief Imaginative Officer (CIO) of emerson consulting group inc., which transforms consultants and their firms into business thought leaders via published books, published articles, virtual speaking and other media. Active in IMC for over two decades, Ken has been Chair of Consult-Con 2020 and 2021, president of IMC New England and member of the IMC USA National Board. Author of eight books, Ken is a popular professional speaker and consultant. Visit his website www.thoughtleading.com or email [email protected]
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Call for Nominations for our Most-Respected National Awards
Do you know IMC USA members who deserve to be recognized as Fellows of the IMC USA (FIMC) or with Lifetime Achievement Awards (LAA)? If so, now is the time to submit those nominations. For more information and to download an application, visit https://www.imcusa.org/national-awards. All award submissions must be received by June 30, 2022.
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Upcoming National & Chapter Events
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IMC USA produces several programs each month. Please visit the online calendar to plan your participation. The majority of these programs are included with your membership! You may search by category and month.
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The Women Consultants Group
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Meets on Zoom – Join us Thursday, April 7th, at 5 PM Eastern for our monthly discussion. The purpose of the Women Consultants Group is to highlight IMC USA women consultants and facilitate a community that supports the success of all. For more information or to attend the event, contact Jennifer Beever CMC®, MBA by email [email protected] or phone 818-347-4248.
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Nonprofit Consultants Network
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By Nonprofit Consultants Network Chair, Ed Potter, CAE
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Nonprofit Consultant Network (NCN) event:
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
10:00-11:30am PT, 11:00-12:30pm MT, 12:00-1:30pm CT, 1:00-2:30pm ET
Nonprofit Consultants Roundtable
Register at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/demystifying-data-and-analytics-for-nonprofit-consultants-and-their-clients-registration-292599532077
Demystifying data and analytics for Nonprofit Consultants and their clients
with Michiko I. Wolcott, CMC®, Msight Analytics
Data has been and continues to be a hot topic, however, the hype has resulted in many misconceptions about what data and analytics truly are. Nonprofits have challenges that can be addressed with data, but few do so effectively because of non-technical obstacles. Nonprofit consultants first need to help clients figure out the right questions to ask.
This session dispels common misunderstandings by simplifying and providing clarity into this often-intimidating topic. A key objective is to establish that it is much easier than you think and is in fact far easier than the widespread ineffective attempt at data and analytics.
You will learn how to identify opportunities to address clients’ challenges with data and analytics as well as how to engage the right resources. We will then discuss a wide variety of real data and analytics use cases with a spotlight on Statistics Without Borders, an all-volunteer professional services organization, for some examples of how data and analytics can help you and your nonprofit clients. You will leave the session thinking about data and analytics in ways no one else has explained and in ways you have never thought before.
Learning outcomes: Participants will learn:
a) What “data” and “analytics” really mean from the practical perspective.
b) Some examples of data and analytics use cases in nonprofits.
c) How to identify opportunities for leveraging data and analytics in nonprofits.
d) Whom and how to engage for the data and analytics needs of nonprofits clients.
Hope to see you there!
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There are 10 chapters throughout the United States that serve members on a local basis – including programming and networking. Please click here to determine the closest chapter to your vicinity.
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