Our February speaker is Kelly O'Brien. Kelly O’Brien is the founder and president of TurningPointe Marketing (TPM). She’s been helping organizations reach their markets and become more customer-centric since 1984. With TPM’s help, they get the marketplace to embrace their ideas, and employees to focus on their customer. Prior to founding TPM, Kelly was named a Social Entrepreneur “Fast 50” finalist by Fast Company magazine for her work through MoneyLife. As co- founder and CEO, Kelly led a team that helped consumers “learn to expect more” from the financial services industry, through education, and e-learning applications. MoneyLife also helped Fortune 100 financial service firms tap the women’s market through e-marketing and salesforce training.

Kelly has garnered national attention in media such as the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company Magazine, CBS News, Washington Business Journal, Women’s Business Journal, Training Magazine, CRMGuru.com, among others. She’s a syndicated writer and expert contributor for a number of publications, and her articles appear regularly on websites around the world.

In preparation for the session, Kelly suggests that attendees complete a marketing self-assessment, which can be accessed through her web site at http://www.turningpointemarketing. com/Is_This_For_You.html

There was such a positive response to our January chapter meeting that attendees requested that the book synopsis hand-out provided by Jack Moore be made available to everyone in the NCR chapter. Read and see what you think of Self-Renewal: The Individual and the Innovative Society by John W. Gardner.

1. Growth, Decay and Renewal
When organizations and societies are young, they are flexible, fluid, not yet paralyzed by rigid specialization and willing to try anything once. With age, flexibility gives way to rigidity. Adaptability diminishes with the years. Infants are models of openness, but each acquired attitude or habit makes them less adaptive to change.

Renewal must give emphasis to both continuity and change in society’s long-term values. The scientist engaged in momentous innovations is living out a tradition several centuries old.

The 3rd Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards is the region’s premier celebratory event honoring innovative and trail- blazing companies, industry heavyweights and long- term pillars of the government contracting industry. It gathers the region’s top business leaders for unparalleled networking.

The winners of the 3rd Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards for 2005 are:

• Small Contractor of the Year (McDonald Bradley Inc.)
• Mid-Size Contractor of the Year (Stanley Associates, Inc.)
• Large Contractor of the Year (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Public Sector Partner of the Year (Joann Kansier, FAA & Greg Rothwell, DHS)
• Small Contractor Executive of the Year (Doug Wagoner, Data Systems Analysts, Inc.)
• Mid-Size Contractor Executive of the Year (Mary Frances leMat, Social & Scientific Systems, Inc.)
• Large Contractor Executive of the Year (J.P. "Jack" London, CACI & Ernst Volgenau, SRA International, Inc.)
• 2005 Hall of Fame Award ( Earle C. Williams former BDM International, president & CEO)

IMC NCR is in the process of establishing an alliance with Watkins Consulting, Inc. The purpose of the alliance is to establish a relationship with the company and make IMC NCR members available to Watkins for project purposes. At a later date ,there will be mutual continuing education and development program opportunities.

Watkins Consulting (WCI) is a management consulting company, established in 1990 with a core professional staff of 12 members who are in accounting, finance, management, and economics. Members augment the firm's staff with external project consultants on an as needed basis. The firm is organized into two practice areas: Litigation Services and Management Consulting Services. The firm's clients include governmental organizations, law firms, banks and other financial institutions. Watkins Consulting is affiliated with Watkins, Megan, Drury which is an accounting firm in Bethesda with about 100 partners.

WCI has projects focused on accounting, bankruptcy, business valuations,mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, project management and implementation, and, strategic planning. It is currently staffing up for a large financial services client engagement and needs individuals who have a CPA and some consulting experience. For further details contact R. Mallory Starr, President of IMC NCR at 202-337-6860.

We at the IMC NCR board are proposing a formal Mentoring Program for members of our National Capital Region chapter. Currently, we have 8 people in an informal Mentoring Program which serves as a support system for Chapter members. The different interactions and roles needed for a mentoring relationship are defined as follows:

• Teaching -- the competent teaching of a body of knowledge;
• Tutoring- providing specialized help as a teacher;
• Coaching -- practicing on performance- focused skills and devising a systematic approach to training;
• Counselling-- advising and assisting in personal decision-making processes;
• Mentoring -- providing a caring, sharing, and helping relationship while focused on meeting mentees's needs.

Many candidates, when they join IMC, may want to immediately become CMCs, and take the most direct route to taking the CMC exams and interview panel because they are experienced and ready. They still could benefit from a short term assignment to a mentor who would review with them their application package, and orient them on what to expect in the interview and written exam. They also could review their preparation for the CMC exams with a mentor. This would be a short-term relationship as mentioned. The frequency and kind of meetings could be between mentor and mentee on an "as needed" basis.

There are members of IMC who may have been members for a period of time and who now want to progress to the CMC level. They could benefit from a CMC mentor, in the role of coach and consultant, who is focused on their progression toward the CMC. This CMC mentor could also be an advisor and assist the CMC candidate in terms of skill development and knowledge-building in the areas of marketing, business development, consulting engagement management, debriefing and associated issues.

There are also management consultants new to the field who may be just beginning their careers and thus do not have the prerequisite 5 years of experience. Such individuals could greatly benefit from the experience with a CMC mentor. The mentor could be of assistance to them in terms of orientation to the management consulting culture, the body of knowledge, the development of their specialties, consulting practice development, engagement management, and even introductions to potential business opportunities.

This program is to be expanded to include other members’ expertise. Senior IMC NCR officers Mike Cohen, Roy Steel, and Mel York have agreed to serve as mentors for the Chapter.

Read with your ears

The digital generation has moved beyond ebooks. Now that wordcasts have replaced podcasts and audio players compete with ipods, it's time you looked into electronically downloadable audiobooks. Click these following links to find out more :

• www.Audible.com
• www.nightingale.com
• www.audiobooks.com

IMC USA Mission: To promote excellence and ethics in management consulting through certification, education and professional resources.

IMC NCR Objective: Help our members Get Smart, Get Known, and Get Business

Join IMC: If you're satisfied that IMC is the right professional organization to help you "Get Smart, Get Known, and Get Business," then join IMC online. You will become a member of IMC USA and may affiliate with any US chapter at no additional charge.