President's Message

Attend The Remaining IMC SoCal Planning Meeting!

All IMC SoCal members are invited to our second (and probably final) planning meeting for next year. Our first planning session produced the outline of an excellent series of programs for next year, based on the IMC Body of Knowledge - what consultants need to know and be able to do. Now we need to figure out how to take it to the world through membership development, marketing, and other supplementary activities.

Our May dinner program continued the excellent series Mike Grimshaw has put together this year. The workshop explored one of the benefits available to us through IMC USA. Don McNamara CMC shared his experience with the Prevue Assessment System, a versatile tool for evaluating the match between job candidates or job holders and the requirements of a position. He also explained how to choose the most appropriate tool for the consulting project at hand.

Bill Wagner then showed us a way to assess ours own personalities objectively against that of a successful consultant, to see where we might need to compensate for weaknesses (the sales part is especially bad for us typical IT consultants!)

We also held a very brief Annual Meeting, announcing the election results and the state of the Chapter (finances holding steady, membership up slightly, several Certification candidates, and an impressive roster of dinner and breakfast meeting seminars).

Best wishes,

Margaret Chock CMC, President

Regional Breakfasts

LAX IMC BREAKFAST MEETING - June 1, 2007

 "How to have difficult conversations with upset clients" with Tom Drucker

We've all been there. A client is upset with us and we want to have a conversation with them that makes a difference. In this interactive presentation we'll have a chance to learn and practice a method based on the practical experience of over 30 years of consulting combined with recent research in neuro science. The promise of the session is you'll leave with a methodology you can refine to your own personality and to the circumstances you may encounter when faced with someone who is upset. Please bring examples from your own practice.

About Tom Drucker
Tom began his business career working directly for the Chairman of Xerox Corporation, having been recruited from a PhD program at UCLA's Business School, combining operations research, anthropology, linguistics and behavioral science. Before that, Tom had received a degree in clinical psychology from UCLA while working with and being mentored by Abraham Maslow and Viktor Frankl. In his 15 year career with Xerox, Tom developed a reputation for practical and cost-effective methods to design and implement new strategies and sustainable organizational changes. Among his many accomplishments he ran a global business improvement division, helped Xerox win the Baldridge Quality Award and led the re-engineering of the world- wide Service and Manufacturing functions.

Tom left Xerox in the early 80's to start Consultants in Corporate Innovation. The results of CCI's engagements can be measured in improved leadership, profitably, quality, customer service, as well as in the introduction of new business models and processes to sustain innovation and idea management.

Whether it's teaching customer service at Cisco, coaching financial executives at GE on leadership in the era of Sarbanes-Oxley, transforming the HR function at the Ford Foundation into a customer focused team, or helping transition a father turning over the operation of his business to his daughter at Playboy, Tom is known for impacting the lives of leaders by enhancing their ability to harness the collective intelligence and imagination of the people they lead. He's known for making the tools of big business available to the owners and leaders of mid- market companies and professional service partnerships.

Tom serves on the Board of the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles where he has started a mentoring program for young artists.

Time & Location
DATE: Friday, June 1, 2007
TIME: 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
LOCATION: The Lakes, 400 S. Sepulveda, El Segundo
PRICE: $20 for IMC members and $26 for non- members. Cash or checks payable to: Barbara Mather/Mather Consulting Group. Sorry, no credit cards accepted.
Contact & RSVP for further details:
Barbara Mather at (310) 348-1959
Barb Mather

 "What is PR, and What Can It Do for You and Your Clients?"with Wendy Weber, Public Relations Consultant

When it comes to building your reputation as a consultant, public relations (PR) delivers more bang for the buck than other marketing communication tools. When practiced correctly, the results can be very rewarding.

Don't miss this all important breakfast meeting on June 14, which will be very relevant to building consulting sales and also a great networking experience with your fellow consultants in the greater Orange County area. Expect lots of anecdotes and lively discussion, and bring your questions and insights related to promoting your consulting practice.

Time & Location
DATE: Thursday, June 14, 2007
TIME: 7:00 - 9:00 a.m.
LOCATION:Mimi's Cafe, 4030 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine, CA 92604
PRICE: $10 for IMC members and $15 for non- members, exact change appreciated. This includes any choice from the IMC hot breakfast menu, tax and tip included. Park in the structure. Parking will be validated.
RSVP:Via email to Harald Weiss

Election Results

Treasurer: Robert Josefek
Secretary: Don Gilman

Board of Directors
Jim Ayers CMC (Certification Chair*)
Jennifer Beever CMC
Becky Collins (outgoing Membership, incoming Marketing Chair)
Ed Conrow CMC (incoming Program Chair)
Peter Crosby CMC (Membership Committee)
Don McNamara CMC (Professional Development Chair)
William Mooney, CMC (outgoing Secretary)
Tom Northrup (Membership Committee)
Jerald Savin FIMC, CMC (National Board Liasion)
Donald Stukes (incoming Membership Chair)
Harald Weiss (Orange County Breakfast Chair)

The following are continuing into the second year of their two-year term

President: Margaret Chock CMC
Executive Vice President: Dale DeHart (outgoing Marketing Chair)

Board of Directors:
Bob Fisher (Public Relations Chair)
Mike Grimshaw (outgoing Program Chair)
Lee Holden (Database Chair)
Lynda Roth (San Fernando Valley Breakfast Chair)
We also want to recognize the following active members who will not be serving on the Board next year:

Kim Athmann-King (outgoing Treasurer)
Edith Bodnar (outgoing Mentoring Chair)
Mark Friedman (Facilities, Equipment and Contracts Chair)
Marsha Lewin, FIMC, CMC (Advisor to the Board)
Barbara Mather (LAX Breakfast Chairman)
Dennis McCue (Past President)

* Chairmanships are noted as a matter of interest - they're appointed by the Board, not elected positions

Member News

In Memoriam: Arnold M. Ruskin, Engineering Faculty Pioneer

Arnold M. Ruskin, professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd College from 1963 to 1973, died on December 28, 2006.

Ruskin developed the basis for the materials engineering course, which is now part of the core program for all engineering students. He was a significant early contributor to the innovative engineering Clinic Program, which proved to be a landmark in experiential engineering and has now been emulated by hundreds of colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He recruited many of the initial Clinic projects that were funded by companies, which paved the way for HMC's current Clinic model. A full professor of engineering and the Union Oil Fellow in Engineering, Ruskin participated in key committees that helped pioneer and solidify the foundation that would establish the college into national prominence. "Arnie Ruskin was the most energetic, hard working, conscientious individual that I have ever known," said Oliver C. Field Professor of Engineering Donald Remer, who worked with Ruskin for over 30 years.

Ruskin left HMC to accept a position as engineering manager at Everett/Charles Inc. He then became the vice president and program manager of the Claremont Engineering Company. Subsequently, Ruskin co-founded the Claremont Consulting Group, which has become a highly acclaimed organization in training, coaching and consulting for Fortune 500 companies as well as small entrepreneurial enterprises, government agencies and national research and development laboratories.

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