Networking, Mentoring, and Education for Consultants and Solo Professionals
Come to our virtual meetup on Friday, October 11th to network with your fellow consultants and solo professionals. We'll be on a video call from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
This meetup is sponsored by the Society of Professional Consultants (SPC) and is open to members and non-members.
We'll have a short general session for everyone and then break out into small virtual meeting rooms. You'll get a chance to make new connections and learn from your colleagues.
There's no registration fee to attend. We're limiting the meetup to 25 people so please register and save your spot. We hope you can join us!
REGISTER
Panel Discussion: If I Knew That Could Go Wrong, I Would Have . . .
When you start a solo business, you become the director of sales, marketing, finance, contracts, project management, IT, and PR. What could possibly go wrong? Many of us learn about running a consulting business the hard way – by making mistakes. Have you ever said, “if I only knew then what I know now?”
On Tuesday, October 22nd, our panelists will be sharing mistakes they’ve made, and what they would do differently now. You’ll learn how they survived their missteps, and they’ll advise you how to avoid making the same mistakes they did.
Our panelists will discuss:
We'll also have time for small breakout discussions where you can share your experiences and challenges with your colleagues. You’ll be able to help a fellow consultant avoid a costly mistake, and discover how to evade the pitfalls they’ve encountered.
Don’t make the mistake of missing this panel. Register now!
There's no charge for this workshop.
About Our Panelists:
Gina Abudi has created and owns the IP to over 60 workshops focused on critical skills development, management, and leadership training. She works closely with a variety of clients to develop and deliver customized workshops, seminars, and training programs to meet long-term strategic development and training needs.
She is lead author of Best Practices for Managing BPI Projects: Six Steps to Success (J Ross Publishing, 2015) and author of Implementing Positive Organizational Change: A Strategic Project Management Approach (J Ross Publishing, 2017.)
Diane Darling is a consultant, keynote speaker, instructor, and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience in researching, developing, and educating on the role of professional networking strategies in individual career development and business performance.
Considered a trailblazer in the field of social networking, she was commissioned by McGraw-Hill to pen the authoritative book on networking in 2003, titled The Networking Survival Guide - a feat accomplished prior to the advent of social media giants such as Facebook or LinkedIn. The book proved to be immensely popular, with a second printing ordered within just 90 days of its release. Her works have collectively been translated into nine different languages, attesting to their global impact and appeal.
Today, she remains deeply passionate about writing and channels this passion through her newsletter, The Net Effect.
Bob LaBrie is a professional speaker, trainer, coach, and business consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the sales training & coaching industry. Bob has presented over 850 seminars and worked with individuals representing over 400 companies in 150 career fields over the last 36 years.
His unique training methodology combines traditional training methods with the dynamic concepts and principles of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). The result is cutting-edge training techniques for individuals and companies.
Bob is a member of the Association for Consulting Expertise, the Greater Portland Chambers of Commerce, and the National Federation of Neuro-Linguistic Psychology.
Liz Steblay is the founder of two thriving businesses and a mentor for solopreneur success. After stumbling into self-employment in 2004, she quickly realized the benefits: more money, less stress, a lower tax rate, and more quality time with her kid. In 2009 she founded the ProKo Agency which connects world-class independent consultants with Fortune 500 clients.
After growing ProKo into a multi-million-dollar business and being recognized as a self-employment expert, in 2018 Liz created the Professional Independent Consultants of America (“PICA”), a national educational organization and community that helps others launch and grow their own businesses. She’s the author of the new book, “Succeeding as a Solopreneur: Six Keys to Taking the Leap, Winning Clients and Building Wealth”, the long-running blog “Successful Independent Consulting”, as well as articles on Inc.com.
Come to our virtual meetup on Friday, November 8th to network with your fellow consultants and solo professionals. We'll be on a video call from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Empathy Dilemma: How Successful Leaders Balance People, Performance, and Personal Boundaries
The SPC and the Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP) are partnering to bring you this workshop.
All across the globe, organizations are becoming more human-centric. They've jettisoned old paradigms of success that center on endless overtime and constant employee sacrifice. They’ve tied success to purpose and workforce morale and helped people balance personal and professional needs as their priorities change. They’ve made shifts that are both necessary and positive.
But now, those striving to be empathetic leaders and colleagues are experiencing the dark side: Taking on extra work, avoiding conflict, spending too much time on personal issues, or simply burning out from trying to balance concern for colleagues with the needs of the business. How can we remain human-focused and still maintain high performance, set personal boundaries, and avoid burning out, without being treated like villains?
In this timely talk by empathy advocate, TEDx speaker, podcaster, and strategist, Maria Ross, author of The Empathy Edge and now The Empathy Dilemma, you'll discover how empathy benefits your organization's performance and why your perception of empathy might be false and leading you astray. You'll also learn about 5 valuable pillars you can shore up to be both an effective AND empathetic leader and find more success.
Takeaways:
· DEFINE what empathy at work actually is - and more importantly, what it is NOT · DISCOVER 3 bottom-line organizational benefits of empathetic leadership and culture – through presenting relevant data and research and discussing case studies that disrupt traditional thinking. Empathy is not just good for the world, but it can be a competitive advantage. We'll walk through the financial & organizational benefits of leading with empathy. · RECOGNIZE why empathy at work is so challenging in a post-pandemic world, especially for leaders · DISCOVER and PRACTICE the Five Pillars of Effective Empathy to avoid burnout and better balance people, performance, and personal boundaries.
· DEFINE what empathy at work actually is - and more importantly, what it is NOT
· DISCOVER 3 bottom-line organizational benefits of empathetic leadership and culture – through presenting relevant data and research and discussing case studies that disrupt traditional thinking. Empathy is not just good for the world, but it can be a competitive advantage. We'll walk through the financial & organizational benefits of leading with empathy.
· RECOGNIZE why empathy at work is so challenging in a post-pandemic world, especially for leaders
· DISCOVER and PRACTICE the Five Pillars of Effective Empathy to avoid burnout and better balance people, performance, and personal boundaries.
About our Speaker
Maria Ross has a simple mission: igniting business growth with empathy for an innovative and meaningful life.
As founder of Red Slice, she advises organizations on how to better engage and connect with the people who matter most. Her clients learn to imbue their work with compassion to create strong leaders, thriving cultures, and winning brands.
She’s authored multiple books, including her most recent, The Empathy Dilemma and The Empathy Edge. She hosts The Empathy Edge Podcast, featuring C-suite executives, authors, thought leaders, and creative thinkers who agree that empathy is required for success in the modern world. Her insights have appeared in many media outlets, including MSNBC, NPR, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Newsweek, Huffington Post, and Thrive Global.
Come to our virtual meetup on Friday, December 13th to network with your fellow consultants and solo professionals. We'll be on a video call from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time.