CMC Spotlight on Cynthia Currence
Monday, November 1, 2010
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Sometimes it helps to have
persistent friends. That was the case when Cynthia
Currence CMC, decided
to hang out her shingle as a management consultant two years ago. "The advice
and counsel I received from Manola Robison meant a great deal as I made my
transition to private practice,” says Cynthia, who is CEO of Currence
Associates and past Georgia Chapter president. "Manola said, if you’re going to
be a consultant, you need to do it right. Then she made sure I did it.”
Cynthia teamed with David
Shavzin, who
was also a Chapter Board member, to start the CMC process. "We challenged each
other and set deadlines to get our certifications. It was good to have a buddy
getting certified at the same time,” she says.
Going through the
certification process was an opportunity for Cynthia to think about the things
that were core to being a good consultant and articulate the value she brought
clients. "The CMC is something that helps me stand apart as a consultant – it
means I’ve taken the time to meet the high standards set for certification,”
notes Cynthia.
The CMC Code of Ethics
provides a strong internal ethical compass for Cynthia and she is now more
thoughtful about the nuances of client situations. "Without your internal
compass aligned,” Cynthia points out, "you can be drawn into situations where
the grey areas become difficult situations. You need to think: what are the
ethical boundaries here and how should I be handling this differently. What’s
ethical and right for the client should be the priorities.”
As a consultant, Cynthia has
a knack for seeing assets in new ways, and she brings this ability to her
clients at Currence Associates. "I always look for areas where we can listen to
stakeholders and what we can learn,” she says. "This often leads to
opportunities to leverage assets in a more competitive way. I like to think of
it a as a treasure hunt.”
Before starting her firm,
Cynthia was VP International Marketing for the American Cancer Society for 18
years and had been Senior VP of Marketing and Communications for the United
Way. She chaired two national American Marketing Association conferences on
strategic marketing, is leading the 2010 conference and Senior Marketers’
Summit, and serves on the AMA Foundation Board of Trustees.
She is also on the editorial
board for Social Marketing Quarterly and is an international lecturer on
branding and cause marketing. She was recently appointed the cause branding
expert for the Global Marketing Network. She has a B.A. in Psychology and a
Masters in Education.
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