Connector Newsletter 12-2023

by IMC USA admin | Dec 4, 2023 | Newsletter | 0 comments

President’s Message

As we approach the end of the year, I am reflecting on the progress we’ve made.

We held a series of Volunteer Leadership Meetings from March 2023 to June 2023 to share the state of the institute, insights about the future of IMC USA, and obtain feedback about leadership, communication and the annual conference. We conducted a series of professional assessments to identify areas where IMC USA is making progress; gain insights into our perspectives on business, and help us to prioritize where we should focus our attention.

In keeping our mission focus, we launched “The Ethics Hour”, a quarterly series focused on understanding the intersectionality of business and ethics. Hosted by Liz Weber, our new National Ethics Chair, our inaugural segment explored the ramifications of ethical violations and how adhering to an enforceable Code of Ethics can help both clients and consultants guard against ethics breeches. In the future, we will welcome special guest speakers, from policymakers, organizational leaders, corporate leaders, and industry leaders to discuss relevant and hot topics in a webinar format.

We streamlined the CMC® Certification process and changed the panel interviews to occur on a quarterly basis. The timeline for new applicants from submission to completion is now between three to five months. Additionally, we hosted a series of Town Halls for existing CMC®s and those that are interested in pursuing the certification to share the latest information on the IMC USA Competence Framework. In case you missed it, you can register for the next one scheduled for December 7, 2023 by visiting this link.

We helped 40+ consultants enhance their consulting and practice management skills through IMC USA’s signature online Mastering Management Consulting, QuickStart, and ISO 20700 Certificate Programs.

I am also delighted to share some exciting news about the Board of Directors’ Strategic Planning Retreat and our plans for the upcoming year. Our key objective for the two day planning meeting was to determine “What will IMC USA look like beyond 2024?”. I challenged each board member to remain fully engaged as we assessed where we are, aligned our priorities with IMC USA’s mission, and committed to hold ourselves accountable to make progress on our priorities.

During the retreat, we engaged in rigorous discussions, brainstorming sessions, and decision making, all aimed at aligning our vision with our mission. We revisited our core values and reaffirmed our commitment to ethical business practices. Together, we crafted a strategic roadmap that will guide us through the next several years, put us on a path to fiscal sustainability and ensure we remain at the forefront of the management consulting profession.

One of the key takeaways from the retreat was our renewed focus on promoting excellence and ethics in management consulting through certification, education and professional resources. We recognize that our members are the lifeblood of IMC USA, and their success is our success. To that end, we have outlined several initiatives for the coming year:

Consult-Con 2024. We appreciate your understanding as we made the difficult decision to postpone the 2023 conference. We have started the search for a location in a central part of the country. We are looking to line up keynote speakers and session content to create an engaging experience in late September or October. Stay tuned for more to come.
Partnerships. We are actively exploring partnerships with consulting firms, organizations, and professional associations that share IMC USA’s core values, have synergistic missions, bring value to our members, sponsors and corporate partners and create revenue generating opportunities.
Enhanced Professional Development: We will continue to offer high-quality professional development opportunities, including webinars, workshops, and networking events, to help our members stay ahead in a rapidly evolving consulting landscape and drive non-dues revenue.
Membership: We plan to foster deeper connections among our members by exploring affinity groups that link common interests and connections; provide increased opportunities for member engagement; attract new members, partners and corporate sponsors; enhance communication; align messaging, marketing and programming with the IMC USA mission, reduce insurance risk; and raise awareness of IMC USA in the marketplace.
Thought Leadership: We will continue to leverage the IMC USA Competence Framework, CMC® Certification, Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct and other resources to become a hub for thought leadership in the consulting field, regrow IMC USA and strengthen our leadership position within the profession.
Technology. We plan to explore technologies that enhance communication, improve stakeholder engagement, streamline volunteer recruitment, support data driven decision-making, increase overall efficiency and expand IMC USA’s reach and impact.

These initiatives are just a glimpse of what lies ahead for IMC USA in the coming year. However, to turn these plans into reality and continue our organization’s growth, we need your help. IMC USA thrives on the collective efforts of our dedicated members. Volunteering is not just an opportunity to give back to the profession, but it’s also a chance to develop leadership skills, expand your network, and contribute to the future of management consulting. Whether you can spare a few hours a month or want to take on a more significant role, there’s a place for you in our future.

We are currently seeking volunteers for various committees, including Membership, Ethics, Education, Marketing, and others. Your expertise and passion are invaluable assets that can help us achieve our goals and ensure the success of IMC USA in the years to come.

In conclusion, our Strategic Planning Retreat has set the stage for an exciting year ahead. We are committed to enhancing member experiences and maintaining our position as a leading authority in the consulting profession. I invite you all to join us on this journey by volunteering your time and expertise. Together, we will continue to make IMC USA a thriving professional association that empowers consultants to excel and make a meaningful impact. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact me ([email protected]) or a member of our staff.

Thank you for your unwavering support, and here’s to a successful and fulfilling year ahead.

IMC USA Announces New Membership Committee Chair

Exciting News!

We’re delighted to share that Wayne Krebs has been appointed as the new Chair of our Membership Committee! With his exceptional passion and vision, Wayne will guide our efforts in enhancing membership engagement and growth. Thank you Wayne for your support in this crucial role!

Wayne Krebs is a seasoned business consultant with a distinguished career spanning over 25 years. With a wealth of expertise and a proven record of delivering impactful results, Wayne has dedicated his career to the complexities of small business management consulting and operational optimization. His time at EMK Business Consulting LLC stands as a testament to his unwavering commitment to assisting organizations in attaining sustainable growth and operational efficiency.

Throughout his career, Wayne has consistently demonstrated a keen ability to identify problems, analyze data, and develop sustainable solutions that yield tangible results for a diverse range of clients. His dedication to professional development and industry engagement is evident through his active involvement with IMC USA – Dallas Chapter, where Wayne served as a board member, committee member, and webmaster. Wayne’s participation as a judge for prestigious awards such as the Stevie and American Business Awards underscores his commitment to contributing to the broader professional community.

What sets Wayne apart is not only his experience but also his commitment to continuous learning. He prioritizes staying current with industry trends and best practices through ongoing education and professional development. Wayne’s ability to engage stakeholders, craft high-level strategic plans, and troubleshoot effectively has been honed through years of hands-on experience.

Wayne possesses a proven history of success, evident in his previous consulting businesses and his service in the U.S. Army. His unwavering commitment to ethics, a solid foundation for growth, and fostering a dedicated team that shares a commitment to success are non-negotiable principles for him.

Wayne is enthusiastic about assuming the role of National Membership Chair for IMC USA. Thriving on collaboration, he embraces all input aimed at advancing IMC USA closer to success. Wayne firmly upholds non-negotiable principles, including a steadfast commitment to ethics, laying a robust foundation for growth, and nurturing a membership committee oriented towards achieving success. He is confident that his involvement will result in a substantial and positive impact on IMC USA’s goals and objectives.

Elevate Your Consulting Career: A Guide to CMC Certification

Do you want to differentiate yourself from the other management consultants in the field? Have you thought about certification, but you had some questions? Are you preparing to recertify in the near future and need to know the latest information?

The Certified Management Consultant ®️ (CMC®️) credential stands as the globally recognized “gold standard” certification for management consultants. IMC USA serves as the certifying body in the United States. IMC USA’s rigorous CMC®️ certification process provides a robustly valid and reliable set of measures of a consultant’s understanding of the processes and ethics required for providing high-quality consulting services.

In this 45-minute session, IMC USA’s CMC Committee will present the components of the CMC, the requirements and qualifications for candidates, and the process. This virtual meeting will cover the latest information and updates from CMC Global (formerly ICMCI), the organization that sets the standards for the CMC. Attendees will learn about resources available to prepare for the CMC, the CMC process, and the requirements to attain and renew the CMC credential tri-annually.

This meeting will be recorded and distributed to registrants. By registering, you agree to be present during this recorded session.

Register here.

Become A Certified Management Consultant® (CMC®)

Management consultants who seek to better serve their clients, grow their business, improve their skills, and/or practice within a solid ethical framework are encouraged to go through the certification process.

The Institute of Management Consultants (IMC USA) offers management consultants in the United States the opportunity to become a Certified Management Consultant (CMC®) – an internationally recognized credential as the gold standard in business consulting certifications. The CMC® serves as a differentiator for consultants and provides their practice and their clients additional value within a framework of Business Insight & Aptitude, Practice Capabilities, Consultative Behavior, plus Ethics & Professional Conduct.

Show Your Level of Knowledge

Certification as a Management Consultant from IMC USA (CMC®) demonstrates to potential clients a high level of expertise and knowledge.

The certification also helps business consultants and consulting firm owners/principles run their business more efficiently and have stronger relationships with their clients. Certified Management Consultants® are supported by a Code of Conduct that ensures you keep market value and attractiveness into the future.

What it Takes to Be a CMC®

Achieving a management consultant certification is a worthwhile goal. To become certified, IMC USA has several requirements for eligibility and steps to ensure those who gain the CMC® certification have thoroughly presented their ability to work at a higher level among the current pool of consultants.

While this process can feel daunting, IMC provides education, tools and community to help raise the bar for each individual consultant and help the industry to elevate in ability, knowledge, and ethics. The bottom line is this: certification through IMC sets the standard and provides the support for consultants to move to the next level in their career.Get started today!

Professional Development for Management Consultants

Enroll in IMC USA online, on-demand budget friendly programming to accelerate your consulting practice and achieve your professional goals:

QuickStart
QuickStart is an online interactive training program that:

Teaches the essentials to create a successful consulting practice
Serves as a proven foundational framework which includes consulting process and ethics facilitated by an experienced Certified Management Consultant (CMC®)
Provides a peer group after the training to support your business growth.

Management consultants should attend if:

You’re just getting started in consulting or if you’re an experienced consultant adapting to an ever-changing marketplace.
You are uncertain about methods to find prospective clients.
You are struggling to articulate the value of your consulting services.
You’re looking for a peer group to help you grow your business

ISO 20700
Establish yourself as a credible and reliable consultant in the eyes of your clients with the help of the ISO 20700 Guidelines.This course will help you understand the ISO 20700 guidelines for the effective delivery of management consultancy services. The use of this ICMCI checklist tool will help you apply these guidelines on all your projects, creating transparency between you and your clients.

Any management consultants interested in furthering their professional education should considered this valuable three-module program.

Mastering Management Consulting
In this course, individuals can learn the fundamentals of management consulting from successful, experienced consultants.

Do you want to deliver more value for clients?
Are you just starting a new or re-focusing an existing consulting practice?
Would you like to have more confidence about the right steps in a consulting project?

Participants will learn how to identify client needs, create winning proposals, win more projects, deliver better results, design effective project plans, and execute successful consulting engagements.

The Ethics Hour Quarterly Webinar Series Starts Strong

On November 15, 2023, IMC USA kicked off its new quarterly live, webinar series, The Ethics Hour, to delve into the critical intersection of business and ethics. This timely, inaugural webinar was entitled The High Cost of Ethical Lapses and focused specifically on the tangible impact of ethical lapses. Through a highly informative panel discussion and Q&A session moderated by IMC USA’s Ethics Committee Chair, Liz Weber, CMC, CSP; panelists Angela Dingle, CMC, CGEIT (IMC USA’s Chair and CEO), David Norman, CMC-AF, FIMC, (IMC USA Board Director), highlighted the high price consultants pay when they violate their client’s or the public’s trust. By discussing two recent, well-publicized cases of ethical lapses by global consulting firms, the panelists shared numerous insights into how the staggering legal, financial, and reputational damage these firms have suffered could have been avoided had they adhered to IMC USA’s enforceable Code of Ethics.

Join the conversation next quarter when The Ethics Hour again shares insights designed to help you be a more informed and effective consultant.

Welcome New Members

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15 For 12 Membership Offer

There is no better time than now to join IMC USA to begin taking your consulting practice to the next level! Join today and receive membership through December 31, 2024. That is all of this year for free and a full year in 2024 at the regular dues amount:

$325 Professional Membership plus $50 application fee.
$195 Young Professional Membership plus $50 application fee.
$95 Student Membership, no application fee. Student ID or transcript required
$80 Associate Membership, no application fee. Must be a member of a global institute.
$995 Affiliate Membership, no application fee.

Membership is your passport to success. Enroll in a number of online, on-demand programming at discount rates for all career levels. Begin your path to the globally recognized Certified Management Consultant® (CMC®) designation. Connect with your colleagues in your city, coast to coast and internationally. Take advantage of several membership perks. Attend our annual conference. Special invites to webinars and town hall meetings. Participate in business development sessions. Get known by potential clients in our online directory. Become eligible for an award. Develop your leadership skills by volunteering.

At IMC USA, there are resources for just about every management consultant. Join today, save money and begin taking your practice and clients to new heights! https://www.imcusa.org/membership/.

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