INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
New England Chapter

News and Views

In this issue:

Upcoming Events

News from
the Board

IMCNE Members
in Print

IMCNE Member Profiles
Carol Bergeron
Jack Veale
Bill Evans

Business Book Reviews
The Long Tail

Share Your News

Upcoming Events

Friday, April 6, 2007
Consultants Roundtable
Just Say Maybe:
Encouraging more creative thinking on client teams
Rebecca's Café, Waltham, MA
8:00 a.m.

Jeff Govendo will introduce a 5 step process that helps keep members on a team more open-minded to new thinking, thus encouraging creativity within the group. Time permitting; Jeff will engage the group in an experiential activity using this process, followed by discussion and feedback.

Target Audience: Any consultant who works with client teams to encourage innovation and creative problem-solving.

Jeff Govendo is founder and president of The Innovative Edge Inc. http://www.innov-edge.com a consulting and training firm in Massachusetts that helps client organizations tackle tough challenges through creative problem solving.

Based on a recent Enterprise Performance Management Study of over 100 executives, gain insight into how some companies are able to consistently achieve and exceed their goals. Carol Bergeron will review study highlights (so access the Executive Summary in advance by clicking here) and discuss the valuable take aways and their implications to your consulting practice.

Target Audience: Consultants who help their clients perform better.

Carol Bergeron, President of Bergeron Associate http://www.bergeronassociates.com is a human capital & organizational performance consultant and coach. She has over 24 yeas experience in: human capital strategy and planning, the design & implementation of highly interdependent talent solutions and the professional development of individuals, teams and enterprises.

This is the first national convention being produced with IMC’s new partner, the American Management Association. ConsultingWorld™ will focus on the business side of the engagement. You will discover how you can better serve your clients, improve value, and uncover new money-making opportunities. The program includes keynoters Oren Harari and Steven Covey, workshops, results of national client satisfaction survey, many networking venues, new practice areas, marketing strategies, changes in the consulting marketplace this year, and more. For more information visit http://consulting-world.org/

News from the Board

Our Peek into the Future

What attendees had to say about our March evening dinner program on Web 2.0:

“This was fantastic. Absolutely cutting edge information.”

“Kathleen and Pito did a great job of presenting and discussing tools that we can (and will) use today to increase our brand awareness with the world!”

“Excellent. I walked away with a lot of ideas that I want to implement immediately!”

As you can see, the energy was high. Kathleen Gilroy and Pito Salas ignited our imaginations about the possibilities of blogging for our businesses. They also provided a number of practical tips. So you might want to check out their presentations again.

Kathleen’s presentation is here:
http://www.ottergroup.com/blog/_archives/2007/3/16/2810036.html

Pito Salas’ presentation is here:
http://www.salas.com/stories/rssprez.pdf

Ethics Roundtable Review

On a rainy morning earlier this month, we had a gripping discussion about (believe it or not) ethics. One attendee said that until we got into the case study, he thought ethics were a black and white issue—and that it should be easy to know the right answer. Using the case used in IMC-USA’s on-line simulation, we went step by step through a case about a consultant discovering that his client had a faulty product. We discussed the right strategies for managing an engagement in a challenging situation. Everyone around the table agreed that it was an extremely valuable time.  

We also talked about the role of ethics in IMC—our Code of Ethics is one of the things that set IMC members apart from the huge number of unaffiliated consultants. This is an important differentiator—and something that the large consulting firms have declined to do in any meaningful way.  Let people know about this and distinguish yourself in the market. For more information, visit http://www.imcusa.org/ethics/.

Submitted by Mary Adams, CMC, IMCNE President

Next Event: Featuring You?

Have you read a good business book lately? Do you have a question that you would love to ask a group of consultants? Are you one of our New England members that is tired of all our meetings being held in Boston ? Do you have a challenge that you are facing and would like to get feedback? Do you have a case study that would fuel a good discussion? THEN USE THIS RESOURCE!! 

It takes about three minutes to fill out a Roundtable Proposal. You give us a title and description; we’ll publicize it and handle registrations. This program helps our members Get Smart, Get Known, Get Business. What are you waiting for? Download the form today from our Programs page (http://www.imcne.org/programs.htm)

The Next Step in Your Professional Journey

IMCNE Members in Print

Allan B Haberman, Ph.D. (Haberman Associates) http://www.biopharmconsortium.com was quoted in an article entitled "FDA and Accomplia: Stuck on Each Other", by Beth Herskovits, in the March 7 issue of Pharmaceutical Executive's weekly newsletter PharmExec Direct. The article was about the novel obesity drug Accomplia. It can be seen by clicking here.

IMCNE Member Profiles

She Likes It Hot!

Carol Bergeron is one of eight kids--the middle child. And there are lots of nieces and nephews now ranging in age from 9 months old to late 20s. So large does not frighten her.

She founded Bergeron Associates in 1998 to help executives with their most pressing people talent problems, problems that can get in the way of achieving goals and organizational success.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Carol Bergeron:

1. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, it would be… any Thai cuisine including the hot stuff
2. If I weren't a business person, I would be a… an art supporter who connects artisans (even the weekend dabblers) with people so their artwork can be enjoyed by many
3. Something I would like to do, but haven't had the chance… live a few months in the French or Italian countryside as home base while visiting other parts of Europe
4. The last concert I went to…  does a rendition of the Black Eyed Peas “Get It Started” by a 3, 5 and 7 year old count? If not, then Bruce Springsteen
5. My favorite toy as a kid… my bicycle because riding was fun, vastly expanded the world to be explored and afforded greater flexibility in my social life
6. When I'm not working, you'll find me… visiting with friends & family, speed walking or dabbling in the art/design world
7. My favorite TV show is… was West Wing, now it’s CSI, who wouldn’t want the challenge of solving a good murder mystery?
8. If I could be any animal, I would be a... dog perhaps a lab since labs like swimming, are ready to have fun on a moment’s notice and are always happy to see you
9. The last movie I saw was… The Devil Wears Prada when I confirmed that I am not a slave to fashion (but you knew that already, didn’t you?)
10. If I could have dinner with a famous person, dead or alive, he or she would be… Abraham Lincoln

Learn more about Carol and her business by visiting her firm’s website
http://www.bergeronassociates.com

The Family Guy

Jack Veale married his college girlfriend nearly 30 years ago. They raised two boys, the youngest is attending Bentley College as a junior, and the Oldest is in DC working for an international collection firm. The family enjoys golf, sunshine and beaches... the boys Scuba Dive, while Mom enjoys people watching or reading at the beach. Jack's biggest success is "staying Married with GREAT kids" and his biggest surprise was "when my wife told me she was pregnant with each child."

Jack started PTCFO, Inc. in the late 1980's as a part-time CFO but it evolved into the 90's as "Professionalizing the Corporate & Family Organization," as he found himself working family issues more so than finding money. They still offer Part-time CFO work, but it is NOT their bread and butter PTCFO has over 20 years experience advising families and closely held businesses on succession, ownership/management transitions, strategic and operational planning as well as providing seminars and retreats for developing the next generation of Management.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Jack Veale:

1. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, it would be... milk.. I'm told it's the best all around food.
2. If I weren't a business person, I would be a dead person.... I love business, I love what I do.
3. Something I would like to do, but haven't had the chance... Dive in the south pacific.
4. The last concert I went to... Paul McCartney.
5. My favorite toy as a kid... my bike allowed me to travel beyond my neighborhood.
6. When I'm not working, you'll find me... reading, searching the web, or hanging around with my girlfriend for life.
7. My favorite TV show is... football playoffs and bowl games.
8. If I could be any animal, I would be a... wild Parrot... long life, great lifestyle, travel by air, good family life.
9. The last movie I saw was... Return of the King (The Hobbit).
10. If I could have dinner with a famous person, dead or alive, he or she would be... I thought of many great historical figures and leaders, but I definitely would NOT have dinner with CEO Jack Welch as his family values are so awful, and what knowledge he can offer, others can provide.
11. My biggest lesson learned is... it's all about people and people skills are the key to growth, learning, opportunity, and fun/happiness.
12. My biggest break happened when... I quit my job, and could not find work, so I started consulting to feed the family.
13. In the next 15 years, I plan to... move away from a single practice as a job, to a business with a team of people.

Learn more about Jack and his business by visiting his firm’s website
http://www.ptcfo.com

Bill Knows His Way Around

Bill Evans is the oldest of four children, the only one born at home (for which my mother is extremely thankful). His interests are clear writing and speaking, classic film noir, simple food with multiple flavors (see # 1 below), baseball, politics, and maps of any kind.

Bill founded WorkSense Consulting Group in 2000. WorkSense helps midsize firms run better by working with decision-makers and small groups. Services: streamline work, refine business outcomes, reduce the risk of bad decisions, and pinpoint the best returns for business improvement efforts. His greatest success to date was finding a series of errors that resulted in $764,000 of refunds for a client. This was before I knew about value pricing.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know about Bill Evans:

1. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, it would be… fettuccine primavera. Lots of ingredients, less chance for boredom.
2. If I weren't a business person, I would be a…professional chef with a keen business sense.
3. Something I would like to do, but haven't had the chance…write a book.
4. The last concert I went to… was too long ago to remember.
5. My favorite toy as a kid… was Matchbox cars because it is never too early to start learning about cars. I still have them, which makes me a big hit with younger relatives.
6. When I'm not working, you'll find me… cooking, reading, or listening to music.
7. My favorite TV show is… "House" for drama, "The Daily Show" for comedy, "Frontline" for education.
8. If I could be any animal, I would be a... leopard. By far the stealthiest hunter on the planet.
9. The last movie I saw was… "Little Miss Sunshine".
10. If I could have dinner with a famous person, dead or alive, he or she would be…Mark Shields, a Massachusetts native and PBS commentator who explains politics with patience, grace, and humor that you do not find on cable news programs.

Business Book Review

The Long Tail –
Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
By Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson, editor in Chief of Wired magazine, examines the impact of digital technology and the World Wide Web on today’s retail businesses. He focuses his discussion on certain industries (bookselling, music distribution, general merchandise, media and video), and describes how “selling less of more” will become the predominant model as the availability of greater selection becomes the norm due to the minimal cost of digital inventory.

Anderson also addresses the impact of blogs and public opinion forums such as Wikipedia, MySpace, and Craigslist (tastemakers) and how they influence choice and sales

Although the writing is a little dry, the book is essential for anyone who needs to understand the state of retail as we start 2007.  To read definitions that relate to The Long Tail, visit Wikipedia.

Submitted by Mike Oleksak, Trek Consulting (http://www.trekconsulting.com).

Share Your News

Share news about your firm with our community by submitting information on collaborations with other members, upcoming speaking engagements, and new publications. Eligible publications are books or articles that have been published recently by a print or on-line magazine. We are happy to post a copy of your article on the IMCNE website if you send us a Word or .pdf document with the full text.