Dr. Joan Cassidy CMC, President, Integrated Leadership Concepts, Inc., has often been referred to as a true "Renaissance Woman." She is a Certified Management Consultant, executive, professor, professional speaker, and author. She attributes her success to the fact that she has held leadership positions in both the public and private sectors for over 25 years. Twelve years ago she founded Integrated Leadership Concepts, Inc. Since then she has used "whole-brain" concepts to help Fortune 500 companies and other organizations improve productivity, quality and customer satisfaction. (more on Dr. Cassidy or ILC).

More details about the program and speakers can be found on the IMC NCR website.

Summary of Last Month's Program. In April, Valerie Graff talked about "Consulting is More Than Just the Deliverable: Effective Project Implementation. She explored how clients hire you to help them do better -- whether through improved program management, information technology, accounting systems, or training. Rather than just do an analysis and leave, Valerie showed us that, while it's important to define clear outcomes and give our best expertise, we (and our clients!) succeed when our clients actually implement our projects, which we are in a unique position to influence.

Baltimore Network Group. On April 16, the IMC NCR-sponsored Baltimore consultant's network group held its second meeting. At the April breakfast, we reviewed emerging trends in the consulting business in the Baltimore/Central Maryland region. We also have developed an informal partnership with Business Division of the Howard County Community College.

We will have our next meeting on Friday, May 21, from 8:00-9:30am, in Room 230 in the ILB building on the HCCC campus in Columbia, Maryland. The Baltimore group plans to meet monthly on the third Friday of the month, to explore ideas for programs and activities, to network, and to discuss topics of common concern. At the May breakfast, a representative from HCCC will talk about their activities and their new entrepreneurship program. If you plan on attending, please email Beth Bloomfield or call 410-626-6008. Please note there is a Starbuck's on the 1st floor of the ILB building where you can get coffee and pastries before the meeting, starting at 7:30am. There's plenty of parking in the lot right next to the ILB building.

2004 IMC NCR Golf Outing. The Chapter is making plans for our Third Annual Golf Outing in May of this year. Our plan is to gather on May 22nd, at Renditions Golf Club in Davidsonville, MD, and make this a routine annual event - in preparation for our hosting of the May 2006 North American Conference for Management Consultants. If any of you have had the pleasure of playing the course, you'll know that it's a combination of some of the more famous golf holes in the world. (You have to see their "rendition" of Augusta National's "Amen Corner" or the 17th at Sawgrass, yep, 132 yards over water to an island green...) If you'd like to be included in the event, please let our outstanding Events Executive, Harold McDonald CMC, know (mcdonajh@aol.com).

Taking Flight With Your Practice. IMC USA has completed its professional development offering targeted at improving your consulting marketing skills. Taking Flight with Your Practice: Client Focused Consulting Practices is an interactive multi-week program where you work with others to develop a marketing plan for your business, and benefiting from the wisdom and perspective of peers taking the program with you. Part One - Developing the Engagement - covers strategy, marketing, selling, proposing and professional conduct and ethics. Part Two covers delivering and disengaging from the client.

This correspondence-based workbook provides a framework for marketing and selling your consulting services. It has proven popular with individuals repositioning a consulting practice and with smaller firms seeking a good training and orientation program for their consultants. IMC NCR will provide group and mentoring sessions around this framework starting later this year. Measurable one-on-one client simulations help you refine your client and selling skills when you choose the mentoring program while you gain feedback from experts and peers alike. Those who are interested in this program should contact Karen Buehler, Chair of IMC NCR Continuing Professional Development.

IMC NCR members Elected to National Office. IMC USA held its annual conference in Nashville this week and elected two chapter members to national office. Baldwin Tom CMC will serve as 2004-2006 IMC USA Board Chair, and Mark Haas CMC will serve as Vice Chair. Other IMC NCR members involved in strengthening the national organization include, Dave DeBaugh CMC, Bryan Peregoff CMC, Gene Razzetti CMC, Dave Rogers CMC, and Harry Feely CMC.

IMC NCR Website Traffic Skyrockets. Increased site marketing and interest in IMC NCR by prospective members and businesses has more then tripled site traffic over the past few months. We are getting more than 3,000 unique visitors per month, well over our target of 2,000 for 2004 (and compared to our actual traffic of an average of 1,000/month for 2003). Visitors come from 46 countries, increasing numbers of visitors are coming from search engines, and more people are looking for specific consultants or consulting expertise (chapter member James Dalkin wins this month's "most popular consultant" prize with 67 specific searches for his name that brought visitors to the IMC NCR site).

IMC NCR Mission: Get Smart, Get Friends, and Get Business

Join IMC. If you're satisfied that IMC is the right professional organization to help you "Get Smart, Get Friends, 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.