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.

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Key Takeaways:

Here are some of the key takeaways from Episode 11:

• The most common challenges consultants face in growing their business

• The steps consultants can take to increase the likelihood of their success when starting their practice and building their existing business.

• The two key prerequisites that should be in place before consultants start marketing their practices

• How the ‘magnetic message’ can help consultants get the attention of their ideal clients
• How the 'scarcity mindset' can hold consultants back from growing their business

• How the CMC designation provides value for consultants in growing their firms

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:

• Fagan Taylor’s unique career journey from a non-profit, community-based role, to working in governance, leading a start-up, and working as an executive coach and management consultant.
• How ‘work culture’ should be defined.
• How management consultants can offer a language for executives to talk about workplace culture.
• How company culture should be considered inseparable from business strategy.
• A helpful framework for assessing workplace culture. 
• Case study examples of how Fagan Taylor helped bridge the gap between workplace culture and strategy.
• How companies are incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as part of conversations about workplace culture. 
• How employees are valuing workplace culture in their decision-making on employment opportunities; including the importance of a sense of belonging and a flexible work environment.
• How customer values can shape internal workplace culture.

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:

• What management consultants (and everyone) should know about Truth and Reconciliation 
• How business leaders can embrace Truth and Reconciliation throughout the year and in their everyday lives, and not only on Canada's National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30
• The increased demand in Canada for Indigenous Consulting Services and collaboration between Indigenous Consultants and Non-Indigenous Consultants
• Helpful background on the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and the 94 Calls to Action.
• How to explore new business opportunities with Indigenous communities; and the importance of dialogue and preparation to build new and lasting relationships. 

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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:

• Three unique stories of resilience and renewal and how Burgener, Pregler, and Rosen were impacted by the pandemic, personally and professionally.
• How management consultants can be change agents for their clients
• The importance of self-reflection, self-care, authenticity, empathy, and transparency to deliver sustainable results for clients
• How CMC-Canada supports its members to connect in pursuit of intellectual and professional excellence, including through its mentorship program
• The value of joining CMC-Canada, a community of experienced consultants, and becoming a CMC

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:

• The outlook for the consulting industry in the years ahead, including projected growth
• Key opportunity areas for management consultants, including in IT, Cybersecurity, Change Management, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), and more.
• A suggested roadmap for addressing the diversity challenges in the consulting profession
• The trend of the disappearing mid-sized firm and its impact on the future of the industry
• The importance of networking and collaboration amongst management consulting leaders and firms.
• Nanos’ journey to becoming a Certified Management Consultant (CMC)
• Where to access / purchase the 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:

• The definition of coaching, and how it’s different from consulting
• What a coaching engagement looks like
• How key principles of coaching can enhance consulting engagements
• Lessons learned from an experienced Certified Executive Coach and Certified Management Consultant.

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

• The biggest challenges organizations and leaders face in implementing change initiatives
• The importance and ROI of involving all levels of the organization at an early stage of any change journey.
• The value of knowing upfront what both the organization and individual employees will achieve by the planned change effort.
• How the type of change being proposed will impact the action plan to execute on that change initiative.
• Why some employees are resistant to change and how to overcome this challenge.
• The importance of involving both internal and external stakeholders to better flesh out your change objectives – discover the hidden risks senior leaders may not be aware of.
• The impact of employee trust (or distrust) on your change initiatives – and why rebuilding trust with your employees will save you time up front in your change efforts
• Helpful examples of effective approaches to change initiatives.
• More information on Louise’s Change by Design Certification Program – a great learning opportunity for consulting leaders.

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:

• What inspired Keleigh and Pierre Cormier to become management consultants
• Why Keleigh and Pierre became Certified Management Consultants (CMCs)
• How the CMC Code of Professional Conduct can and should guide consultants
• An exploration of the relationship between consulting and coaching
• The importance of transparency / honesty in the client-consultant relationship
• Why there's a strong need for consultants to help Small-Medium sized enterprises
• Brief case studies of award-winning projects led by Pierre and Keleigh
• What award opportunities exist for consultants in Canada

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