Outstanding Consultants Honored at 20th Annual Meeting this week

SAN DIEGO, CA — The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC), the leading global association of independent consulting professionals, today announced the winners of the Corrie Shanahan Memorial Award for Advancing Consulting. The awards were presented at the 20^th annual meeting of the organization, held in San Diego this year with a virtual option to allow global participation. other solutions will be required. Four-day workweeks are more attractive, so that employees can achieve work-life balance. Leaders will have to step up to figure out how to position their companies for the future instead of dictating the past.”

The Consultant of the Year was awarded to Christian Milaster of Annapolis, Maryland. There are two recipients of this year’s award for Creativity & Innovation, Mark Cioni of New Hartford, NY and Heather Lenz of Cleveland, Ohio.

“Consultants continue to play a critical role in helping clients navigate the everchanging economic environment,” said Linda Popky, co-executive director of SAC. “We’re excited to be able to again honor the best-of-the-best with these awards.

“This year, in addition to honoring the outstanding consultant of the year, we are also recognizing two SAC members who each displayed outstanding creativity and innovation—both in their own practice, as well as in how they work with their clients,” she added.

About Christian Milaster

Christian Milaster is passionate about enabling the sustainable delivery of extraordinary care. He is driven to increase the personal satisfaction medical professionals by applying systems thinking principles and implementing systems solutions..

Rooted in German engineering and systems thinking, Christian and his team optimize care delivery by designing and implementing pragmatic improvement and optimization solutions, drawing from a wide range of disciplines, including agile, lean, Baldrige, design thinking, requirements engineering, servant project management, change management, and many more.

He is the founder and CEO of Ingenium Digital Health Advisors, a boutique consulting firm focused on accelerating the adoption of digital health innovation, and of Ingenium Healthcare Advisors, focused on guiding healthcare leaders to get the results they want. Ingenium Advisors now comprises a 16-person team and a consortium of over a dozen expert advisors.

Born, raised, and educated as an Engineer in Germany, Christian started his career at IBM Global Services in Germany before joining the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where he worked in various roles for 12 years before launching Ingenium in 2012. His team is spread across seven countries as well as throughout the United States.

About Mark Cioni

Mark Cioni has consulted globally for over 35 years to a wide variety of clients in private industry and government. His deep expertise in domains, including information technology, cyber security, enterprise architecture & organizational change management, helps to maximize client value derived from decisions, operations & performance.

Mark has worked recently to improve the security, resiliency, and reliability of critical infrastructure and helped clients to exploit customer experience & improvement opportunities at the convergence of artificial intelligence, analytics & machine learning & enterprise automation.

About Heather Lenz

Heather Lenz is pioneering the field of social impact consulting with innovative, data-driven strategies that provide real-time insights about social change for clients. Her approach combines the fields of organizational development, design thinking, and data and evaluation with the field of social work. This has led to measurable reductions in some of the most pressing issues of our time, like structural racism, workplace psychological safety, and more—redefining the way organizations approach their missions and drive change for the betterment of people and communities.

With a vision to revolutionize the trillion-dollar social impact industry in the U.S., Heather emphasizes accountability and effectiveness by helping organizations build outcomes-oriented intelligence systems. She is at the forefront of integrating AI and open-source tools into consulting practices, working toward a future where technology seamlessly enhances the nonprofit and government consulting fields, ultimately creating a more impactful and dynamic approach to social change. Her firm, Sangfroid Strategy, has invented new ways to conduct market research on the nonprofit sector, spearheaded innovative solutions for the field of philanthropy to put the commitment to racial and gender equity into practice, and created organizational operating systems to improve the effectiveness of the nonprofit sector.

The Advancing Consulting Awards

The awards are given to independent consultants who have done the most to advance the profession in the previous year. They’re named in memory of Corrie Shanahan, a SAC member who passed away in 2019. Corrie Shanahan was an expert in rapidly strengthening organizational performance, productivity, and corporate culture, and the author of Do it, Mean it, Be it: The Keys to Achieve Success, Happiness and Everything You Deserve at Work and in Life.

“We are excited to recognize consultants that symbolize the “best of the best” in the consulting profession,” said Lisa Anderson co-executive director of SAC. “Just as Corrie exemplified a zest for continuous improvement and achieving outstanding client outcomes, our nominees stood out above the crowd.

“This year’s pool of nominees again was highly qualified,” she added. “In a year of volatility and business change, we were pleased to see so many consultants innovate and thrive. We greatly appreciate the award committee, led by chair Vanessa Khan, for all their hard work to review submissions and evaluate applicants based on a set of pre-defined criteria.”

“Our commitment to create superb value for our clients is a core value for SAC’s consultants. In a world where technological advances, societal evolution, and political shifts result in uncertainty and rapid change, we cannot stand still—we must advance, we must evolve, we must innovate,” stated Christian Milaster.

“To be recognized this year by my peers for having contributed to the advancement of the consulting profession is a true honor—and equally a strong encouragement to continue to do so,” he added. “I’m grateful for the continuous inspiration and support by my fellow SAC members and past award winners that motivated me to reach new heights. I’m thankful for the volunteers who created and coordinated this recognition in honor of an outstanding consultant, Corrie, and I’m humbled by the testimonials of my clients and references that confirm my approach to consulting demonstrates my deep commitment to creating superb value for clients.”

Mark Cioni noted, “I’ve been able to engage more actively with SAC since 2019 and want to thank the entire membership for welcoming me into their community. I’m grateful to receive their guidance and for the opportunity to contribute. This journey was entirely unexpected and I’m humbled to know that the community recognizes my Creativity & Innovation.

“Although I never got to meet or know Corrie Shanahan, I am well aware of her legacy. I can only hope to face my own adversity with a fraction of the courage, tenacity, and joy that Corrie embodied and, if I do, I will count myself a success!” he added.

Heather Lenz adds, “Innovative thinking is at the cornerstone of reimagining the social impact sector. As consultants in this sector, we must help our clients leverage new technology and ways of thinking to transcend conventional boundaries. As a society, we have waited long enough for the ecosystem of organizations set up to improve the lives of people to work well.

“At this moment in time, we have the resources and the technology to transform our social services landscape into one that creates lasting, meaningful, and measurable impact on the lives they serve—and it is our duty to do just that,” she noted.

About SAC

The Society for the Advancement of Consulting (SAC) is the premier association for independent consulting professionals who subscribe to an industry code of ethics and provide significant consulting results among their clients. Founded by Million Dollar Consulting guru Alan Weiss in 2003, SAC offers a series of in-person and online programs to help consultants share best practices and learn from industry experts and thought leaders in the business world. SAC today has members in 14 countries around the world.

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CLAREMONT, Calif., August 1, 2023/ExpertClick/ — Proactive innovation and disruption are helping businesses to succeed in the current volatile economic environment, according to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC). The best companies are leveraging their culture of innovation and advanced technologies to enhance customer experience. Without it, companies risk extinction.

Advanced ERP Boosts Manufacturing in Current Unstable Economy

“Manufacturers must innovate and use advanced technologies to take advantage of these volatile economic times,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc and manufacturing expert known as the Strongest Link in Your Supply Chain®. “Manufacturers need to do something different than simply trying to navigate increased interest rates, labor costs, raw material, and component costs, while also managing elevated customer expectations.

“Successful executives will create a culture of innovation, so that they are more than simply resilient. They leapfrog the competition and take advantage of opportunities,” she adds. “Instead of focusing solely on continuous improvement, they fast-track progress by expanding the use of ERP with advancements in AI, e-commerce, advanced planning and scheduling, SIOP, IoT, digital twins, and much more. The appropriate use of systems and technology creates a superior customer experience, maximizes profitability, and supports sustainable growth.”

Five Crucial Questions to Standout in a Shaky Economy

“Stand out from your competitors!” advises Kathleen McEntee, president of Kathleen McEntee and Associates Ltd, a full-service marketing firm focused on delivering results by distinguishing businesses with straightforward messaging addressed in the right media to the right audiences. “When the economy gets wobbly, organizations need to shine.”

“Leaders should pose five questions,” she explains. “What is our customer experience? How can it be improved? How do we distinguish our products and services from our competitors? How do we leverage technology to raise efficiency and improve our service and product delivery? And, are our employees true brand ambassadors?”

“Customers want a great experience, with products and services that stand apart from competitors,” notes McEntee. “Technology improves the customer experience, expands our products and services, and creates internal efficiencies. And, our employees should be living the brand.”

Use This Time to Gain Competitive Advantage

Uncertainty and volatility may generate disruption, but they can also create opportunities. Those companies that look for ways to improve their customers’ experiences—in good time and bad—will thrive and prosper, says Linda Popky, president of Redwood Shores, CA-based strategic firm marketing firm Leverage2Market Associates, and author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing That Matters.

“This is a great time to look for innovative ways to help your customers. Some times, that involves technology, but others it may mean adding a more human touch that your competitors are lacking,” she said.

Disrupt or Disappear is the New Business Reality

“The current economic conditions are not unstable but simply part of the New Normal® and new realities that all businesses will face,” says SAC Founder Alan Weiss, PhD. “Go on the offensive and create disruption and volatility if you intend to dominate your market. If you try to ‘wait this out’ you will probably disappear.”

As originally published on ExpertClick on August 1, 2023

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CLAREMONT, CA – Thursday, June 1, 2023: The recent banking crisis exposes the need for stress testing for other industries as well, according to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC). It is time for organizations roll up their sleeves, conduct rigorous stress-tests, and prepare for all eventualities. This ensures not just survival, but robust resilience in the face of potential crises.

Manufacturers Should Stress Test to Secure Growth

“Manufacturers must stress test their organization to ensure they support their quote and order backlog, growth plans, and financial objectives. These should include profitability, working capital, and margins,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc and manufacturing expert known as the Strongest Link in Your Supply Chain®. “To take advantage of the unique opportunities coming down the pike, companies will have to be prepared to scale rapidly without hiring an army of workers, pivot on a dime with changing business conditions, and invest in forward-thinking projects, no matter the economy.

“Successful executives continuously assess the feasibility of their sales forecast. They evaluate their ability to supply their customer’s needs within reasonable lead times, and they audit their projected EBITDA and cash flow requirements,” she adds. “It will be essential to stress test your end-to-end supply chain. If any link breaks due to global conflicts, labor strikes, or natural disasters, your ability to deliver product to your customers will be hit. Additionally, it is imperative to ensure your technology and infrastructure are not vulnerable to cyber-attacks, and that your ERP system and related technologies will support profitable growth.”

Mitigating Business Disruptions: The Imperative of Crisis Planning

“Disruptions and risk can come from any number of areas,” says Kathleen McEntee, President of Kathleen McEntee and Associates Ltd, a full-service marketing firm focused delivering results by distinguishing businesses with straightforward messaging addressed in the right mediums to the right audiences. “Who would have thought the banking crisis would have had the ripple-down effect on so many firms? In some way, every business is impacted.”

“The truth is we are all at risk,” she notes. “It is what measures we take to prevent and mitigate the impact that sets us apart. Have a crisis plan in place, not just on paper. Identify potential crises and have a ‘dry run’ on how you will communicate within your organization, to customers, to vendors, to suppliers and to partners—especially your bank.”

“In addition to a crisis plan, take stock of your clients—volume, profitability, and relationship,” McEntee notes. “You have to be important to your customers if you want to keep them—especially in times of crisis. If they’re valuable to you, you must become equally as valuable to them.”

Don’t Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste

“It’s often been said that when we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it,” says Linda Popky, president of Redwood Shores, CA-based strategic firm marketing firm Leverage2Market Associates, and author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing That Matters. “Some of the most valuable lessons can come from watching and learning from others’ mistakes.”

“Not only should businesses be running their own diagnostics to catch problems before they become public, they should also be monitoring public perception and emotion,” she notes. “When people make decisions based on fear, they feed that fear and can cause a situation to spiral out of control. We can’t control others’ actions, but we can be prepared with responses to various scenarios that can calm the situation and show leadership and stability.”

Have a Plan B to Protect Your Key Initiatives

“I have one word for you: Insurance,” says SAC Founder Alan Weiss, PhD. “Not all deposits and investments are insured, you have to carefully do due diligence. And you must have a Plan B—backup insurance—for every important initiative you launch and every major client you want to sustain.”

Originally published on ExpertClick, Thursday June 1, 2023

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CLAREMONT, Calif., April 11, 2023 /ExpertClick/ – Integrating supply chain technology, addressing supply chain talent scarcity, and unifying end-to-end port platforms are the biggest challenges for companies today, according to the Supply Chain Special Interest Group of The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC). Successful companies are adapting by prioritizing talent, technology, end-to-end collaboration, and processes to thrive in a rapidly changing global environment.

Get Ahead with SIOP

“Talent and technology are top of mind for every business in today’s volatile and uncertain world,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc and manufacturing expert known as the Strongest Link in Your Supply Chain and author of SIOP (Sales Inventory Operations Planning): Creating Predictable Revenue and EBITDA Growth. “It’s important to keep costs down and plan ahead while navigating complexity. The best companies know they can’t bunker down and expect to succeed during these volatile and uncertain times. Instead, they’re making the most of their talent and technology to drive profitable growth.

“Our most successful clients are already rolling out a SIOP (also known as S&OP) process to forecast customer demand and determine the optimal strategy to meet that demand,” Anderson adds. “They’re investing in supply chain leaders, consulting support, and ERP system upgrades with related technologies to ensure their teams have the right resources for success. Instead of sitting back and letting the dust settle—or merely surviving—these executives and their teams think ahead, automate, digitize, and take advantage of the opportunities to thrive.”

Integrating Technology is NOT Just a Click of a Button

“When evaluating your systems and looking for opportunities to upgrade tools, start with your process,” says Diane L. Garcia of Lorraine Consulting, LLC, an expert in helping clients improve their unique business processes with over 15 years’ experience in operations and supply chain management. “Asking detailed process questions lets you determine if your process and your system support each other, and if they fit together in the best possible way to support your customer base.

“Your people are vital for success in integrating technology,” Garcia adds. “Explain the rationale of the technological solutions you are implementing, ask for ideas, and incorporate feedback. The more you involve your team and tailor your solutions to add value, the more ideas will emerge to better utilize systems in achieving business objectives.”

Big Questions Remain about Common Port Platforms

“A common technology platform is needed for the ports and goods movement industry to gain visibility and efficiencies across the logistics spectrum,” notes Elizabeth Warren, Global Logistics Specialist and CEO of Dialed-In Partners. “The Port of Los Angeles has had a platform for many years, and the Port of Long Beach is developing one. Yet there are still a number of issues, and no common platform to connect supply chain partners with the end customer.

“Many questions remain about developing a common platform, including who will manage it, who will finance it, and how security issues will be handled,” Warren explains. “Another issue is to figure out how to get companies that have invested in or developed their own proprietary platforms to tie-in to a common platform. To resolve these issues, talent and technology will need to meet in the middle and organizations must agree to collaborate.”

Seamless Tech Integration Puts People First

“As an organization seeks to integrate innovative technology in the business, they must remember that people are the primary interface with the technology,” says Dr. Karen Wilson-Starks, President and CEO of TRANSLEADERSHIP, INC., and an executive leadership development expert based in Colorado Springs, CO. “For maximum effectiveness, the best companies evaluate whether the technology will reduce labor intensity and free up people for more strategic work.

“The most successful companies determine what initial and ongoing training programs people need to fully use and benefit from the technology, as well as what ongoing communication is essential for success,” Wilson-Starks notes. “The organization also has to account for necessary redundancies while eliminating unnecessary duplication. And, executives need to determine what outside resources, including consultants, will be required to ensure seamless implementation.”

Technology is Not a Magic Wand

“Digital transformation is the current buzzword for companies seeking answers to the question of how to manage the challenging economic times ahead, but technology is not a magic wand,” says David Ogilvie, CEO of David Ogilvie Consulting, a Brisbane, Australia-based business consulting firm that specializes in the supply chain and the ERP lifecycle.

“The two secret ingredients to technology project success, are people and culture,” he notes. “It’s the quality of the people deployed onto a project that matters. In many circumstances, software vendors place a billable ‘Heartbeat in a Seat,’ rather than deploy a person who gives their client high-quality advice. It is incumbent upon executives to do the due diligence to ensure you have high-quality people on projects, rather than simply accept whomever the vendor provides. Those people are usually the next available from the bench. And they’re often on the bench for a reason—their quality isn’t good enough.”

“With today’s shortage of qualified people, the risk to increasing the current failure rate of technology projects is itself, increasing.” Ogilvie points out. “Executives must ensure that any implementation of technology includes building capability into the business around that technology. They must also ensure a robust training system is built around that technology to help engage and teach the requisite skills to new entrants to the business. With today’s ageing population and a prediction that the world’s population will peak sooner than first thought, this is becoming a more important issue than ever before”.

Talent Shortages Push Manufacturers to Reconfigure Supply Chains

Companies across all sectors are encountering difficulties in acquiring the talent that they need to implement their business strategies, according to Patrick Daly, Managing Director of the Dublin-based Alba Consulting, a supply chain consultancy, presenter of the Interlinks podcast on globalization and supply chain, and author of the book International Supply Chain Relationships: Creating Competitive Advantage in a Globalized Economy.

“With my clients operating in the manufacturing, distribution and logistics services sectors, I am increasingly finding there are more opportunities, projects, and activities to be pursued than there are resources with the requisite, talent, skills, and experience to take them forward,” he says.

“This is very concerning at a time of tumultuous change—socially, economically and geopolitically—as supply chains must be reconfigured at breakneck speed to adjust to the new realities wrought by COVID and the war in Ukraine,” Daly explains. “Companies are going to need to do a lot more to acquire, retain, and develop talent through flexible packages and attractive business cultures.”

Originally published on ExpertClick on April 11, 2023

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CLAREMONT, Calif., April 3, 2024/ExpertClick/—The key to positive AI integration is to explore opportunities and understand where this technology can best be used, according to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC). Organizations that start the process now will gain a clear advantage of scale, having had more time to test and augment their AI tools.

AI in Manufacturing Boosted by Rapid Scaling

“Manufacturers must have the capability to scale rapidly. With that, they will keep up with new business opportunities from reshoring, nearshoring, and supply chain transitions,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc. and manufacturing expert known as the Strongest Link in Your Supply Chain. “To minimize cost and risk, and increase volume, smart manufacturers will use technology more to automate, predict, and scale with minimal resources.

“Artificial intelligence is already used in forecasting and predictive maintenance,” she adds. “ChatGPT-type functionality takes capabilities a step further by helping to solve operational and technical issues, giving interactive manual and training systems a solid base. It can also analyze manufacturing and supply chain data to make predictions, such as run rates, and recommend the reallocation of capacity among sites. Proactive executives will start piloting these capabilities soon.”

AI Must Overcome Two Big Barriers

“In most companies, getting things done with AI faces two big hurdles: legacy systems and executive inertia,” says Steven Hunt, founder of Steven Hunt & Associates and an expert on managing change in global companies.

“Older companies already use a labyrinth of legacy IT systems or outdated automated processes,” he says. “Plus, executives have spent the best part of three decades outsourcing basic processes, like IT support and helplines, to low-cost countries. Integrating the new with the old, particularly when those processes are spread around the globe, will not be easy.

“AI’s biggest impacts are likely to be felt in integration,” Hunt explains. “Start-ups have an advantage because they start with a clean slate. Older companies are best off focusing on five areas: choosing the right AI tools, taking small steps, testing the outputs, training the AI tool to be better, and integrating this smoothly with those tasks that only humans can do.”

Prompt Engineering Becomes a Key AI Skill

“While still in the early stages of exploration and leverage, expect AI tools and capabilities to evolve rapidly in 2023,” notes Mark Cioni, president of MV Cioni Associates, Inc. “Organizations can best position themselves to exploit these capabilities by starting with augmentation versus replacement, and recognizing that Prompt engineering is a core skill in this domain.

“Near-term implications will include new self-service channels for customers and employees, and tight feedback loops as this technology integrates into business processes,” Cioni adds. “AI also includes full organizational commitment to rapidly exploit emergent opportunities, and to jettison what doesn’t work.”

New AI Tools Will Change the Coaching Process

“Most companies produce abundant content to engage with their customers, including articles, blogs, videos and social media posts. ChatGPT can be leveraged to create engaging content in much less time,” says Dr. Maynard Brusman, a San Francisco Bay Area consulting psychologist and executive coach.

“Executive coaches work with leaders and professionals to help them gain self-awareness, clarify goals, and develop requisite skills and habits. Much of the work involves mindful conversations—asking powerful questions, actively listening, and providing customized feedback and reflections. As ChatGPT gets better at language and conversation, it may take over some aspects of this coaching process.”

Dr. Brusman advises his executive coaching clients, “While AI has slowly developed over the last few decades, its adoption is expected to explode within the next few years. Innovative companies that choose to embrace AI will have a strong strategic advantage.”

The Game Changer for Small Companies

“Advanced technology has been a game changer, especially for smaller companies where employees are wearing several hats,” points out Kathleen McEntee, President of Kathleen McEntee and Associates Ltd, a full-service marketing firm focused on delivering results by distinguishing businesses with straightforward messaging addressed in the right media to the right audiences.

“ChatGPT and other AI options can lend a hand to monotonous, repetitive tasks, to fact finding, and to starting the framework of communications,” she says. “They can free up time for people to do what humans do best—be creative, determine strategy, set direction, evaluate customer demand, develop brands and their personalities, and, ultimately, engage with prospects and customers.”

“It is incredible what this software can do,” McEntee notes. “This will not replace the life, branding, and personality we breathe into an organization. Instead, AI will give us the time to do what we do best: improve the customer experience and increase efficiencies.”

The Definition of AI is a Moving Target

For decades, new technologies have been introduced as being based on “artificial intelligence,” according to Linda Popky, president of Redwood Shores, CA-based strategic firm marketing firm Leverage2Market Associates, and author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing That Matters.

“It seems that anything that goes above and beyond what we are used to seeing is labeled AI,” she says. But over time, these things become part of our daily life and we no longer find them strange or frightening, she notes.

“Siri and Alexa are AI-based tools, as are the algorithms that make recommendations on Amazon or Netflix. We need to strip away the fear of a supreme artificial intelligence displacing the human race, and focusing instead on where each technology can be put to good use, and where human reasoning and experience cannot be replaced.

“To quote Spiderman, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ We need to be aware of what new AI tools do well and where they can cause serious problems without good management and human intervention.”

AI comes with Advantages and Unfulfilled Desires

“From what I’ve seen thus far and also expect to see, ChatGPT should be used with discretion,” said SAC Founder Alan Weiss, PhD. “It’s probably a huge advantage in creating policies, instructions, and simplifying. But it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of relationships: customer communications, employee interactions, and advertising.”

Originally posted on SAC website: April 3, 2023

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CLAREMONT, Calif., February 1, 2023/ExpertClick/—Uncertain times and tight labor markets pushing companies to use innovative hiring approaches, according to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC). The standard ways of hiring talent are no longer viable, so winning companies are getting creative about how they find the talent they need.

Star Talents Need Pathways to Progress

“There is a high-skilled resource shortage across the board,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc. and manufacturing expert known as the Strongest Link in Your Supply Chain. “Although there are many ways to address this shortage, my most successful clients are focused on finding, retaining, and developing the best leaders to navigate these turbulent and uncertain times.

“Progressive leaders not only retain high-skilled talent, they also engage your stars and address poor performers,” she adds. “These steps put your organization ahead of the pack. In addition, it’s important to support your leaders with resources—by providing training opportunities, creating mentor programs, developing pathways for employees to gain experiences, and hiring consultants and trusted advisors to supplement resources, fill gaps, and accelerate progress.”

Uncertain Times Call for Innovative Talent Management

“Our uncertain times have impacted the future of work, including remote work and AI. In many cases, the workplace is becoming more virtual. In this new workplace, organizations need to be innovative in attracting talent,” says Dr. Maynard Brusman, a San Francisco Bay Area consulting psychologist and executive coach.

“Create a strong value proposition,” he noted. “People want to work for purpose-inspired organizations, where work is meaningful and aligned with core values. A value-proposition is a memorable statement about what you do and why you do it. It should describe the functional and emotional benefits of your company and brand. Functional benefits link to specific product features. Emotional benefits refer to positive feelings that customers experience when using your products and services.”

Dr. Brusman advises his executive coaching clients, “Above all, create a workplace culture where leaders lead with love.”

Manage Inside and Out to Win with Talent

“Clearly identify your goals and objectives,” notes Kathleen McEntee, President of Kathleen McEntee and Associates Ltd, a full-service marketing firm focused on distinguishing businesses by creating light bulb moments with marketing messages that deliver results. “Determine what skills you need for the outcomes you want. Many times, your staff possess additional skill sets that they’re not using. Or they may want to grow and learn. It may take additional training. But imagine the win-win!

“If you need to reach outside your firm, consider finding a professional who wants to work part-time,” she explains. “There are many baby boomers who now realize that retirement was not the dream they thought it would be. They have great skills. They can be effective mentors. They can be invaluable.”

Building a Strong Employer Brand is a Long-Term Investment

Employers need to change the way they think about the image they portray to potential employees, according to Linda Popky, president of Redwood Shores, CA-based strategic firm marketing firm Leverage2Market Associates, and author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing That Matters.

“Hiring has traditionally been a beauty contest of sorts—with candidates vying to outcompete other contestants for one or two open positions. When labor markets get tight, it is the firms who are then competing to win the favor of a scarce number of attractive candidates.

“Successful organizations build a strong culture that embodies the organization’s values and brand. Employees are rewarded for embracing brand values, and it’s clear to all that the organization is dedicated to providing not just outstanding customer experience, but treating employees as integral to the equation as well,” Popky says.

“High quality employees are drawn to organizations with strong, positive employee brands in any market, but building a reputation as the go-to employer doesn’t happen overnight—it takes time, effort and persistence,” she adds.

Winning Companies Define Tomorrow’s Talent Today

“What we have today are hiring opportunities if you have a positive mindset,” says SAC Founder Alan Weiss, PhD. “Don’t hire people just to fill positions. If people have left, you have the opportunity to cleanse the operation. Do not replace bodies. Ask yourself who you’ll need in the future—if anyone—considering technology, demographic, and economic shifts.”

Originally posted on SAC website: February 1, 2023

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Lisa Anderson was quoted in the Society for the Advancement of Society’s press release on retaining top talent and what that means for the millennial and Gen-Z generations. As Baby Boomers continue to retire, this has become a continuing hot topic.

CLAREMONT, CA—Leaders play a critical role in attracting and retaining skilled talent, which is especially true during periods of talent shortages, according to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC). Many managers waste time complaining about Millennial and Gen Z behaviors, instead of looking at how their own actions impact their teams, and focusing on developing a healthy company culture to keep the best young talent.

The Talent Pivot that Businesses Need to Thrive

“People leave people, not companies,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc. and manufacturing expert known as the Strongest Link in Your Supply Chain. “Instead of recruiting, figure out how to attract your stars and the rest will follow.

“Stars expect leaders to deal with poor performers, provide interesting work and opportunities, care, and have high expectations. Companies with superior leaders retain their stars and are better at attracting key employees. In addition, younger generations expect significantly more flexibility and short text communications. Businesses will have to pivot to thrive,” she adds.

Younger Talent Responds Positively to Character and Competence

“Millennials and Gen Z are the same as any other generation. Skilled workers in every generation want the same thing—honest and forward-looking senior managers,” points out Steven Hunt, founder of Steven Hunt & Associates, and an expert advisor to top management on how to close the gap between strategy formulation and implementation in global companies.

“The big change is that younger talent doesn’t stick around if senior managers fail to deliver,” he adds. “Loyalty wavers when the company culture is toxic.

“To win over and keep talent,” Hunt says, “top managers need character more than charisma. That’s leadership with backbone, principles, and substance. Forget the charm offensives. Drop the addiction to flash-in-the-pan ideas. Companies need to prioritize having competent managers at the top, not confidence-tricksters or, worse, narcissists and damaged egos. Get the culture right and talent retention follows.” 

Listen More and Hold off on Making False Judgements

“In order to attract the best Millennial and Gen Z talent, promote your employer brand with a strong social media presence and careers page. Make sure you clearly communicate the values, purpose, and culture of your company.” says Dr. Maynard Brusman, a San Francisco Bay Area consulting psychologist and executive coach.

“Listen closely to what they say, and refrain from making judgments about their ideas, values, and behaviors,” explains Dr. Brusman, “They often do things differently, and may have different values and perspectives on their future.

“To win the hearts of younger workers, companies and employers must highlight their efforts to be good global citizens,” Dr. Brusman. “Actions speak louder than as sustainability, climate change, and diversity.”

The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

Generational suspicion and distrust has been with us since at least the days of Socrates, according to Linda Popky, president of Redwood Shores, CA-based strategic firm marketing firm Leverage2Market Associates, and author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing That Matters.

“Today’s more seasoned managers need to remember they, too, were once in the position of not fitting in with their older leaders,” Popky says. “The crucial difference today is the technology that not only offers many more ways to communicate, but provides a platform for anyone with a mobile device to tell the world exactly what they think at that moment.

“The key to success is to not focus on what’s different, but to identify where the commonalities are,” she adds. “People of all generations want to feel part of the team and appreciated for their contribution. The question is how to do that effectively with team members of diverse backgrounds and talents.

The Right Question for Today’s Talent

“You have to ask the right question first: Does the talent have to be replaced?” said SAC Founder Alan Weiss, PhD. “Don’t mindlessly replace people who were doing yesterday’s work for tomorrow’s needs.”

Originally posted on SAC website: December 1, 2022

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CLAREMONT, CA—The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC), the leading global association of independent consulting professionals, today announced the winners of the Corrie Shanahan Memorial Award for Advancing Consulting. The awards were presented at the 19th annual meeting of the organization, held virtually this year with an extended agenda and global participation.

The Consultant of the Year was awarded to Patrick Daly of Dublin, Ireland. The recipient of this year’s award for Creativity & Innovation is David Ogilvie of Brisbane, Australia.

“The business environment continues to remain in flux post-pandemic, with economic upheaval and the devastating war in Ukraine ,” said Linda Popky, co-Executive Director of SAC. “Consultants must continue to adapt to changing conditions for themselves and their clients.”

“This year, in addition to honoring the outstanding consultant of the year, we are also proud to recognize a SAC member who displayed outstanding creativity and innovation—both in their own practice, as well as in how they work with their clients.”

About Patrick Daly

Based in Dublin, Ireland, Patrick Daly works with many of the top Fortune 500 companies in manufacturing, distribution, and logistics services in Europe, Asia, and the Americas—helping them to achieve dramatic improvements in their supply chain capabilities and performance through supply chain excellence. In his consultancy assignments, Patrick has worked with clients all over the world in such countries as China, India, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Egypt, UAE, US, UK, Spain, Croatia, and others.

He is the host of Interlinks, a weekly radio programme and podcast that explores the developments in international supply chains globalisation through interviews with businesspeople, executives, and academics from around the world. Patrick is the author of the book International Supply Chain Relationships: Creating Competitive Advantage in a Globalized and was an active member of the National Logistics Forum in Ireland set up by the Department of Transport, Trade and Tourism in April 2020 to advise the Irish government on keeping supply lines open during and after the COVID19 pandemic. He leads the Supply Chain Special Interest Group for SAC and is a member of the Institute of Sustainable Trade and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

About David Ogilvie

David Ogilvie’s expertise in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and supply-chain management makes him one of the world’s leading business-improvement specialists. 

From his base in Brisbane, Australia, David works with executives of both publicly listed and privately owned businesses to help them build strategic direction and apply technology to improve operational performance and profitability. His industry-leading intellectual property includes SureSelect, a methodology for selecting the right products and software vendors for businesses; the ERP Success Formula, a framework and methods for keeping digital transformation and technology projects successfully on track, and 4V Supply Chain Model, a framework for building supply-chain resiliency into operations. David is a published author, speaker, and consultant in high demand.

The Advancing Consulting Awards

The awards are given to independent consultants who have done the most to advance the profession in the previous year. They’re named in memory of Corrie Shanahan, a SAC member who passed away in 2019. Corrie Shanahan was an expert in rapidly strengthening organizational performance, productivity, and corporate culture, and the author of Do it, Mean it, Be it: The Keys to Achieve Success, Happiness and Everything You Deserve at Work and in Life.

“We are thrilled to recognize the “best of the best” in the consulting profession,” said Lisa Anderson co-Executive Director of SAC and President of LMA Consulting Group. “Just as Corrie showed creativity and innovation in both her consulting practice and her approach to life in general, our nominees stood out above the crowd.

“This year’s pool of nominees was larger than previously and all highly qualified,” she added. “In a year of continued disruption, we were pleased to see so many consultants shine. We are grateful to the award committee, led by chair Vanessa Khan, for all their hard work to review submissions and evaluate applicants based on a set of pre-defined criteria.”

“The encouragement, energy, and inspiration that the winning of this award provides is an extremely significant stimulus in my ongoing personal and professional development as a business consultant,” said Patrick Daly. “I am very grateful and privileged to have had the opportunity over the years to develop strong relationships with my clients around the world and particularly to those who were kind enough to provide references and testimonials to the Awards Committee in relation to the work that we have done together. 

“Likewise, it is very satisfying to have received the recognition of my peers in SAC who constitute a vibrant international community that contributes dramatically to the improvement of the profession and the diffusion of knowledge and practice in a way that is unequalled anywhere in the world,” Daly added.

David Ogilvie noted, “Corrie Shanahan was an extraordinary consultant and a wonderful woman. I am very honoured to win this in her memory and to hold dear the values she held. To be recognised by my peers, considering the exceptional quality of people in SAC, is beyond belief for me.”

Virtual Meeting Continues Last Year’s Successful Format

The SAC annual meeting is being held virtually for the third year. Sessions are offered on three consecutive days, with different start times each day for attendees in Europe, North America, and the Pacific Rim. 

The theme for this year’s meeting is Reinvent for Success. All sessions are being recorded, so participants will be able to view any session they’d like at their convenience. Recordings will be available for a fee to both members and non-members. 

Originally posted on SAC website:  October 12, 2022

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CLAREMONT, CA—Smart companies are keeping an eye on the impending economic downturn but not prepared to bring everything to a grinding halt, according to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC). Opportunities exist—in providing better customer value, retaining talent, and using technology smartly—but only for companies that have the right momentum.

The Four Big Opportunities You Can Take Now

“Aside from tax planning, our most successful clients are not thinking about year-end,” points out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc. and manufacturing expert known as the Strongest Link in Your Supply Chain. “Instead, they’re focusing on the opportunities ahead.”

“The big concern now is a potential downturn in demand, driven by continuing supply chain disruptions and surging inflation,” she explains. “But opportunities exist too. As more owner-operators retire, companies are purchased, supply chains move, and economic volatility provides challenges for the competition.”

“Those who understand their customers’ world are best placed to take advantage of these opportunities. That means determining their ideal customers, the value proposition in the marketplace, and investing in talent and technology. Together, this delivers a superior customer experience to those ideal customers,” adds Anderson.

Why Not to Let Your Talent Walk Out the Door

“What things are you doing in 2022 to ensure your talent sticks around in 2023?” asks Diane L. Garcia of Lorraine Consulting, LLC, who has over 15 years’ experience in operations and supply chain management and is an expert in helping clients improve their unique business processes. Diane applies cutting-edge supply chain optimization knowledge and implements best practices with manufacturing and distribution companies in North America.

“My manufacturing clients across every industry are experiencing some degree of talent constraints,” notes Garcia. “The best way to obtain talent is to retain what you have within your organization. Alongside supporting year-end financial and customer service goals, I recommend you make your teams feel valued. Hint: People enjoy time off during the holidays.”

Best to Make Tweaks in the Final Weeks

“Preparing for year-end should have taken place earlier in the year,” according to Kathleen McEntee is President of Kathleen McEntee and Associates Ltd, a full-service marketing firm focused on distinguishing businesses with practical marketing strategies and tactics that deliver results. “Goals established. Game plans developed. Team determined. ROI identified. Measurements in place so that tweaks could be made along the way. Now is the time to make any last-minute tweaks to encourage customers to engage, so as not to get caught short—this is the time to update messaging and plan additional communications.”

“It’s also the time to begin the planning process for 2023,” advises McEntee. “Nobody has a crystal ball, but planning for the expected and the unexpected will put companies ahead of their competition.”

Time to Invest, Not to Panic

Successful companies use economic disruptions and market volatility as an opportunity to invest in customers and marketing, according to Linda Popky, president of Redwood Shores, CA-based strategic firm marketing firm Leverage2Market Associates, and author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing That Matters, and year end is a perfect time to demonstrate support.

“This is the time when customers need to know they are valued, their needs will be met, and they can count on their partners and suppliers to come through as needed,” she notes.

“This means taking the time to help customers prepare for the activities they need to be successful in the new year, and to ensure they aren’t derailed by the latest news,” Popky adds. “Markets go up and down. Inflation causes price hikes. Customers will continue to support those companies who provide them consistent ongoing value—regardless of external events.”

Get this Mindset into Your Managers for 2023

“Stop preparing for year-end,” said SAC Founder Alan Weiss, PhD. “Despite the financial requirements of a fiscal year that coincides with the calendar year, there is nothing magical about year-end. In fact, the attitude might better be “year beginning.” Too many companies come to a screeching halt and then have to restart their engines from a standing stop in the new year. Full speed ahead.”

Originally posted on SAC website: October 1, 2022

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