RPCN Holiday Party

Join us for the annual RPCN Holiday Party - we’ve missed seeing you for the last 2 years!

When:   Thursday, December 8, 2022

Where:  Joe Gatt's Food & Cocktails
              2126 Five Mile Line Rd.
              Penfield, NY 14526                    

Time:    6:00 pm (cash bar),
              6:30 pm (dinner) - 9:00 pm

The menu consists of Chicken French, Angus Roast Beef, Italian Salad, Penne, Roasted Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Salt Bread, and Butter. Dinner will be served in a private dining room.

We are looking for a kind individual or individuals to donate a dessert for the party—up to 50 guests. It could be, e.g. a bakery-bought sheet cake, cannolis, or plates of cookies. Please contact Joyce Curran, at jecurran22@aol.com if you would like to donate. We cannot accept home-baked items. 

The price for this year’s dinner is $35 per person (plus a cash bar.)

Please click here to make reservations.

It will be great to get back together again for our Holiday Party!

How Do Clients Describe You?
(And, How Do You Describe Yourself?)

Client’s View

How might clients describe your role as a consultant? Expert? Advisor? Problem Solver?

Service Provider? Extra pair of hands?

How they “see” you could depend on a number of things:

• Recommendations & Reputation.
• Their experience with other consultants.
• Your description of your business.
• The type of work you do.
• The results you produce.
• How you “present” yourself.
• Your self-image.

Our View

If we see ourselves in a certain way, a client might see us in that way too. If we feel inadequate and negative about ourselves, insecurities can creep into our thinking and affect our performance (“Butterflies” are okay, but not insecurities). Likewise, if we view ourselves as competent and are confident that our service provides value, a client should also have a positive image of us (and not just another “pair of hands”). Yes, we can build our competence by learning more about our consulting specialty and becoming more proficient. But client interactions also provide opportunities to enhance our client value and our self-image.

Increasing Client Value and Self-Image

These “extras” can enhance client value and build our image:

• Give advice.
• Offer opinions.
• Become a client’s trusted confidant.
• Agree and support when required, but disagree when necessary (Don’t be a “toady”).
• Tell the client the “hard truth” (Especially if the client is causing “the problem”).

Building a Positive “Frame of Mind”

You can also help build a positive self-image and self-confidence with these:

• Don’t consider your consulting project as “being hired”, an “assignment” or being an independent “temp” (I prefer the term “engaged”).
• Do consider your Consulting Business as a “real job”, not a hobby.
• Negotiate project content, deliverables, price, etc. Offer options with your client’s and your own welfare in mind (Don’t blindly accept their first offer, or “cave in” to unreasonable demands).
• Make a reasonable profit based on the value you deliver.
• Always act according to your Code of Ethics.
• Conduct yourself as an equal partner of your client, no matter how high or prestigious the client’s “position” (and treat all client people with respect).
• Balance your business and personal life (Value your personal time).
• Set goals to be the best you can be.
• Celebrate successes (even small ones).

Continuing Improvement

Competence, confidence, and client value can build a positive view in our client’s eyes and our own. Look for opportunities to keep improving - our positive image starts with us.

—Bob Lurz

Enhancing Human Capital
Lunch & Learn Updates

Last Month's Lunch-n-Learn

At our September EHC lunch-and-learn, we discussed Part 1 of The Great Resignation, which focused on the resigner's perspective... examining the growing trend of workers voluntarily leaving their organizations on their own terms. We talked about why they left, where they went, and the support systems they used as they made the transition.

We touched a bit on things that organizations could do that might help them stem the tide of people leaving. One is to identify “quiet quitters” whose passion for the work departs before they actually leave. Another is “job crafting” in which the worker and organization collaborate to modify job roles that are more attractive.

Upcoming Lunch-n-Learn

Oct. 20, 2022 - “The Great Resignation Part 2“ Facilitated by David Powe

In "The Great Resignation Part 2" we will continue our examination of the workforce phenomenon that has seen more than 8 million people unexpectedly leave the workforce. In October, we will be exploring what employers and teamers can do to make sure that the effects of this phenomenon are minimized in their business. Special attention will be paid to solutions for small businesses and solopreneurs.

RPCN’s Enhancing Human Capital Lunch-n-Learns are held via Zoom on the third Thursday of every month 11:30 am – 1 pm ET. Please join us for the next event FREE of charge. To get more information about EHC, please see https://RochesterConsultants.org/EHC  or contact the EHC team.

News from the Library

As you may know, RPCN has a new home – the Al Sigl Center on Elmwood Avenue in Rochester, NY. And so does the RPCN library! Books and shelving have been transferred from my attic and office to RPCN’s new storage facility at the Al Sigl Center. (Thanks to Dave Finger, Frank Crombe, and Pat Willis)

There are many new books added to the collection, including some from my own office.  I will send an updated catalog to Steve Royal to post on rochesterconsultants.org. The books still have to be organized – probably alphabetically.

Dick Blazey, a longtime member of RPCN, passed away several years ago. His books were donated to our library by his wife. These books will be moved into the new space on separate shelving. The library committee will review these books and add them to the catalog. If you want to learn about cataloging books and other library tasks, let me know. We could use the help! 

—Ruth G. Balkin

RPCN Video

Watch the introductory video here.

Upcoming RPCN Events

Visit the RPCN website for a list of all upcoming events.

Did You Know? 
Board Meeting Notes

RPCN is a dynamic and successful organization. We have more activities, presentations, forums, workshops, speed networking, and social events than most organizations in the Rochester area. Since the pandemic and our move to Zoom, we now have members and guests from outside Rochester.

RPCN does not run itself. All of our activities require planning, coordination, and near flawless execution to be meaningful to those attending them.

This requires people – volunteers – to join Committees, participate in those committees, and do what they say they are going to do when they said they would do it. RPCN is fortunate to have dedicated members who do exactly that.

Each Committee Manager is responsible for the success of their committee’s activities. Much work is accomplished by each committee. And…?

On the third Friday of each month, following the Business Forum, there is an RPCN Board of Directors (Board) meeting. All the Committee Managers plus the officers attend this meeting. This is where decisions are made that affect our organization. The meeting is led by the current President of RPCN. It is productive, effective, necessary, and fun. It is also free and open to the public.

The RPCN Secretary takes thorough notes at every Board Meeting. These notes tell the ongoing story of the organization and are available to all RPCN members.

The notes can be found on our website by going to Members Only and clicking on Board Meeting Notes. There are several years of notes and can provide valuable knowledge to members who are interested in what makes RPCN tick.

Plus, the Committees always welcome new members and you might find one where you can contribute to the continued success of RPCN.

—Steve Royal

Request from the Editors

When submitting material to be included in the RPCN newsletter, please:
1. Send the submission TO newsletter@rochesterconsultants.org and not to individuals.
2. Include the words “For RPCN Newsletter” in the subject line. (Some people send articles to ALL RPCN members themselves, and it is often difficult to distinguish those that are being circulated independently from those intended for inclusion in the newsletter.)

Membership Information

Not an RPCN member? You can join RPCN now to receive great benefits, including free admission to RPCN presentations, a listing in the RPCN Member Directory, and discounts to RPCN events. Click here for more information on joining RPCN.

New members:
Edward Park

We want your news!