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INSTITUTE
OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS |
News and Views |
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eNewsletter for the New England Consulting Community November 2004  |
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In this issue: Member
Feature Article |
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This issue sponsored by
Deltek
Formatting & layout services sponsored by
emerson
consulting ~~~~ |
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Looking For Articles The
Newsletter Committee is looking for articles. Please contact Mike
Kayat at
if you have an article you'd like to
submit. |
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I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and a chance to get with family and friends. The newsletter is an opportunity for you to provide news on your achievements and learn about your fellow consultants' activities. As always, we are on the look out for content. This is my first edition of the newsletter as editor and I had to produce the article and the book reviews! Please send your articles, book reviews and commentary for the next newsletter. Also, we are interested in hearing about any instances of where you have received project leads from other IMCNE consultants, or opportunities to provide articles or make presentations. Have you teamed up with other IMCNE consultants on projects? Good
consulting! |
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Effective
Networking - Making contacts that will work for you |
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Member
Spotlights Bonni Carson DiMatteo, CMC (Atlantic Consultants) reports that Atlantic Consultants has been awarded the Better Business Bureau Certificate. Bonni also has an article entitled "Does your company have the N.O.M.A.R syndrome?" accepted for publishing in the December 2004 issue of Executive Excellence Service and Sales. Allan B. Haberman, Ph.D. (Haberman Associates) is the author of an article in the September 15th issue of Genetic Engineering News entitled "Therapeutic Strategies in Animal Models: the Case of Alzheimer's Disease". Michael Oleksak (Trek Consulting, LLC) attended the IMC USA Confab, October 23-26 in Reno, NV. Michael reports that Confab was attended by over 200 consultants from predominately the Western US states. Mark Swartz (Accretive Consulting Group, LLC) was one of three panelists at the recent Idea Pitch of the Entrepreneurship Forum of New England 2nd Annual Forum on October 21st at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence, RI. This appearance was the subject of a feature article in the Providence Business News, October 19-24. Isn't
it your turn to be in the spotlight? Send your name, your business
name and 1) recent awards/distinctions/professional certifications
you've received; 2) public speaking engagements; and 3) published
articles. (Be sure to include key facts, such as when, where and
for whom.) You must be an IMC member or affiliate to be featured.
Email them to Mike Kayat at
, Subject: IMCNE spotlight. |
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For all of your who have been contemplating becoming CMCs but haven't known where to start, IMCNE will soon begin a 6-month mentoring program aimed at helping you not only get started but also get finished! With the help of an established CMC as your guide, you will complete all CMC requirements and finally get your goal of CMC status off the back burner. For details on this program, contact Bill von Achen, CMC at 978-440-8022 or . An
invitation to IMCNE CMC members — This section is dedicated
to you. If you have commentary you'd like to share, here is a forum
for you. Send your commentary to our Editor, Mike Kayat, for consideration.
Email Mike at
, Subject: CMC Commentary. |
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The
Consultant and the Entrepreneur CEO Many of us provide consulting services to small businesses that are focused on delivering products and services at a profit to their target markets. Working with growing start-up companies lead by first-timer or repeat entrepreneur CEOs is exciting, demanding, fast-paced, involving long hours, requiring the right balance of diplomacy, persuasive skills and strong advocacy for recommended actions. In addition to the many strategic, tactical and operational issues there are a number of unique challenges to working with entrepreneur CEOs, particularly for an emerging company, which has launched a first product and is entering a growth stage. This is often a critical stage in corporate life as many companies fail to sustain the innovation engine and market focus. The consultant can play a vital role since management teams are usually incomplete. This is usually how a consultant begins an engagement. The effectiveness of the entrepreneur CEO largely determines the success or failure outcome of the company and the consultant must achieve the influential trusted advisor status early in an engagement. When an opportunity to work with an entrepreneurial company comes along consultants must understand whom they are dealing with. By their nature, entrepreneurs are leaders, not managers, generalists, not specialists. They are risk takers and opportunistic, decisive and goal-oriented, competitive and action-oriented, creative and visionary, confident and ambitious, have a sense of urgency and are adept at multi-tasking. The entrepreneur CEO is interested in using resources to achieve goals. This is why many of these CEOs will rent expert resources and subcontract projects. The successful consultant should adapt their behavior to effectively communicate with the typically dominant and influential personality of the entrepreneur CEO. This means being very specific, very focused, very well prepared and well organized but the consultant must raise any issues, ask logical questions, provide guidance and alternatives, together with a way to get to consensus decision-making. Efficiency and delivered results impress. The entrepreneur CEO will be involved in all aspects of their organizations, from product strategy to engineering, from sales to strategic partnerships. This can create challenges in many areas that consultants have to be aware of and overcome. This is important for the success of any long-term engagement. There are many opportunities for consultants to assist the entrepreneur CEO along the path to success. The critical areas include: corporate strategy and tactical planning, product creation and strategy, industry expertise, business development, sales and marketing services, team building, capital management, manufacturing quality, and customer outreach services. With trusted consultants, the entrepreneur CEO can move from corporate start-up, through survival to growth stages. Michael
Kayat is Managing Partner of Metrisys, LLC, a strategy, sales,
marketing and business development consulting services firm focused
on emerging technology companies. You could be sharing your wisdom and observations with your fellow IMCNE members. Submit your article of 250-300 words for consideration to News & Views Editor Mike Kayat at , Subject: IMCNE article. |
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Breakfast
Brainstorms Calendar Monday,
December 6, 2004 Monday,
December 13, 2004 Want to host a Breakfast Brainstorm in your area? Contact for details. Strategic
Partner Events — Check out our Calendar of Strategic Partner
and Other Events on our web site for more information on events
of interest. Click www.imcne.org/spcalendar.html,
then click on the appropriate link for detailed information that
could save you money. |
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Confidence:
How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin & End This book is about how high-performance organizations are created and produce winning streaks then how losing steaks can develop and last for years. Based on hundreds of interviews with CEOs, sports coaches and sports figures, Kanter has developed hypotheses for success and failure then gathered survey data. Kanter then presents a systematic view of both organizational structures and leaders. Open leadership and good management that can execute with corporate cultures that promote collaboration, initiative, personal accountability, rewards and optimism, are key factors for sustaining a winning streak. How many of our clients have all these factors in place? Blindsided This book about business paranoia is another take on the undermining effects of disruptive innovation on large corporations by smaller competitors and presents a wide range of appropriate examples. Harris discusses how companies miss out on new product technology shifts, new business models and major market changes that happen quickly. He points out that there are organizational and leadership issues that naturally resist, suppress or ignore changes occurring in a company's business environment. Harris then lists practical techniques such as scenario planning and customer focus groups that are helpful in trying to identify trends early and prepare to handle their reaction to the next sudden change in their businesses with strategy analysis. In a sense, Harris focuses on the personal need to adjust to change and take advantage of new opportunities, rather than the organizational focus expounded by Christensen and others. Leaders must give up centralized management and encourage individual initiatives. As Grove at Intel said long before the current crop of innovation books, "Only the paranoid survive". Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Pfizer, and GE better watch out! You may have clients who are the next disruptive market maker. Or you mahy have clients who need help with a changing business world. Reviewed by Michael Kayat (Metrisys, LLC) Please
send book reviews to Mike Kayat at
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Advertising Rates Would you like to advertise an event, product or service in this e-letter? Request our advertising fee schedule by emailing IMCNE's administrator at or by calling 800-696-7399. About IMCNE Learn more about IMCNE's programs, membership details and services to New England consultants by clicking here or calling us at 800-696-7399. News and Views Editor Mike Kayat Metrisys, LLC - Sales, marketing & business development services for emerging technology companies Phone: 978-371-0823 Email: Mail: IMCNE "News & Views", P.O. Box 774, Westford, MA 01886 Copyright © 2004 IMC New England |