Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting

In this episode, co-hosts Ashka Wirk, CMC and James Grieve, CMC chat with Heidi Hamilton about the important connection between coaching and consulting. CMC-Canada’s new Affinity Partnership with Erickson Coaching International offers substantial discounts on Erickson programs to our members and this episode highlights how coaching and consulting can work together to benefit both client and consultant. Heidi Hamilton is a Fellow Certified Management Consultant (FCMC) the highest designation in her field. She is also Dare to Lead certified and completed the Coaching Competency for Leaders ICF certified program and The Essentials Art and Science of Coaching Program with Erickson Coaching International.

In this episode, co-hosts Ashka Wirk, CMC and James Grieve, CMC sit down with Michael Zipursky, CEO and Co-Founder, Consulting Success®, to discuss how to build exceptional consulting practices. Many management consulting leaders possess extensive expertise in various fields but many lack the sales and marketing skills needed to start and grow their consulting businesses. Michael Zipursky has been helping entrepreneurial consultants grow profitable, predictable, and strategic consulting businesses for over 20 years. In this podcast, he reveals essential best practices for management consultants to consistently expand their businesses and attract their ideal clients. -- Key Takeaways: Here are some of the key takeaways from Episode 11: Hosts: James Grieve, CMC, Ashka Wirk, BSc, MBA, CMC, ACC Guest: Michael Zipursky

In this episode, co-hosts Ashka Wirk, CMC, and James Grieve, CMC sit down with Kate Fagan Taylor, CMC to discuss how to build exceptional company cultures that can support and propel your business strategies. Fagan Taylor is a management consultant and organizational culture strategist, with over 20 years of experience as a strategic leader and executive across a wide range of industries. The topic of workplace culture can be overwhelming for executives and management consultants alike. In a fascinating discussion, Fagan Taylor explains the importance of ‘culture with intention’- and how management consultants can help raise awareness of workplace culture with executives, so that it can be assessed, improved, and celebrated. Key Takeaways: Here are some of the key takeaways from Episode 10:

In this episode, James Grieve, CMC and Flavio Caron, Flavio Caron Business Consulting, discuss what management consultants – and everyone – should know about Truth and Reconciliation. This important conversation explores the role Reconciliation plays in economic development in the Canadian consulting industry – and how starting with Truth, and understanding Canada’s mistreatment of Indigenous communities, is crucial to creating a more inclusive environment for all, nation to nation, neighbour to neighbour, business to business. Indigenous communities contribute billions of dollars to the Canadian economy annually, and there are growing opportunities for both Indigenous consultants and non-Indigenous consultants to support these communities in a wide variety of sectors with preparation. Learn more about how education is the right place for non-Indigenous consultants to start to achieve better partnerships, outcomes, and economic opportunities. Key Takeaways: -30-

In this episode, James Grieve, CMC and Ashka Wirk, CMC talk with three consulting award winners about their stories of resilience and renewal: Paul Burgener, FCMC – Lifetime Achievement Award Kurt Pregler, CMC – Excellence in Collaboration Award Michael Rosen, CMC – Rising Star Award Following the CMC-BC Institute's Awards Night, our hosts sat down with these consulting leaders to hear their deeply personal stories about the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and associated challenges. Hear how these leaders stayed resilient in the face of adversity and what advice they have for up-and-coming consultants. Here are some of the key takeaways from Episode 8:

In this episode, James Grieve, CMC and Ashka Wirk, CMC talk with Nik Nanos, CMC about CMC-Canada's latest study of the management consulting industry in Canada. This study was undertaken by Nanos Research on behalf of the association – and is our 7th in a series, which began in 2005. It provides an in-depth perspective on the management consulting industry, including trends, practices, challenges, opportunities, and outlook. Nanos is a leading corporate business strategist, conducting market and public opinion research and providing counsel to diverse organizations, including Fortune 500 companies and non-profit groups. A Certified Management Consultant (CMC), data scientist, speaker, commentator and author on economic, social, consumer and business trends, he is a sought-after resource for insight on the latest forces reshaping the world. Here are some of the key takeaways from this episode: CMC-Canada Industry Report

In this episode, host James Grieve CMC talks with coach and consultant Ashka Wirk, BSc, MBA, CMC, ACC. Ashka introduces the concept of coaching, what it is, how it differs from consulting, and how she uses coaching and consulting to serve her clients. On this episode of Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting: Host: James Grieve, CMC Guests: Ashka Wirk, BSc, MBA, CMC, ACC More on Ashka's Wirk

In this episode, host James Grieve CMC and Louise Harris, PhD, CMC, CCMP discuss the valuable role consultants play in helping their clients create and execute great change management initiatives. Louise aims to equip consulting leaders with great tools & techniques to help them in their change management efforts. That includes how to use empathy and clarity to execute your change initiatives with much less effort and stress. On this episode of Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting Host: James Grieve, CMC Guests: Louise Harris, PhD, CMC, CCMP Resources Resources: 1. Change by Design Certification Course, Module 1: How to Manage Change for Success More information and training on enabling successful change

In this episode, host James Grieve, CMC is joined by Keleigh Cormier, FCMC and Pierre Cormier, CMC. They discuss their fascinating career arcs in management consulting, and what inspired them to get started in the profession. Their stories provide inspiration to the next generation of consultants looking to get started in this challenging but rewarding field. On this episode of Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting, you’ll learn: Additional Resources: ClearThink™ Group To read more about the case studies for the Constantinus International Award, please see the links: ClearThink™ Business Coaching Program – Town of Sylvan Lake, Alberta Back to Business Coaching Program – Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta

Today, host James Grieve, CMC and Tim Kist FCMC discuss the challenge of creating a great customer experience. You’ll learn key customer experience best practices, why a customer centric approach is crucial to success, and what implementation of a positive customer experience program looks like. On this episode of Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting, you’ll learn:

Today, host James Grieve, CMC and Dr. Dawn-Marie Turner, CMC discuss the importance of a readiness mindset in leading change initiatives. You’ll discover how a readiness mindset breaks the cycle of resistance and allows you to tap into the brain’s innate curiosity and desire for learning, enabling people to move towards change without resistance. On this episode of Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting, you’ll learn: ● A fascinating career arc in management consulting and organizational change leadership ● The importance of understanding change on an individual level. ● Key characteristics of healthy organizational change ● How companies often approach change initiatives vs. how they should approach them to create sustainable, healthy change ● Defining a resistant mindset vs. a readiness mindset ● How employees typically respond to change in the workplace; and how it is often misinterpreted by leaders as ‘resistant’ ● How to adopt a readiness mindset, regardless of type / size of organization ● Common challenges / barriers faced by leaders in change initiatives ● Why you should remove ‘resistance to change’ from your vocabulary ● How a readiness mindset is a helpful tool for consulting leaders ● The positive organizational impact of a fully-adopted readiness mindset. Additional Resources: Four Organizational Change Myths Leaders to Know - https://thinktransition.com/podcast.

Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting Episode 1 Show Notes: Exploring the 6 Key Components of a Sound Business Strategy Today, host James Grieve, CMC and Connie Siu, CMC discuss her journey in consulting and goes into detail on the key components of a sound business strategy, and how to develop that strategy to help ensure long-term success. On this episode of Your Expert Advantage: A Higher Level of Management Consulting ● How Connie Siu got into the consulting profession and transitioned from a career in engineering ● The most rewarding aspects of consulting work ● How best to define the term ‘Strategy’ ● The importance of Strategic Planning for businesses ● The difference between sound strategies and mediocre strategies ● The 6 characteristics to an effective business strategy ● The value of an action plan and importance of a structured approach to strategy ● The tools that consultants can use to help companies develop their strategic plans ● The value of the CMC designation from the client’s perspective ● 5 areas that companies tend to overlook in their strategic planning process ● How consultants help companies sustain their efforts and continue to grow and develop ● What’s the role of a Certified Management Consultant (CMC)? ● How the ‘fear of missing out’ impacts organizations when developing their strategy ● How to manage consulting engagements where companies are resistant to change ● The importance of the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) and monitoring the results of your strategic goals; what are the meaningful measures that businesses should be using. Your Expert Advantage: A higher level of management consulting: https://www.cmc-canada.ca/management-consulting-podcast Connie Siu’s New Book : https://cdcsynectics.com/book-get-results-that-count-guide-for-business-results-measurement/