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February 2018 - TD Magazine

Clint Clarkson’s L&D Scenes

Clint Clarkson is the VP of eLearning at Xpan Interactive, a digital-services firm that specializes in the delivery of custom eLearning solutions. He has 15+ years of evolution in Learning & Development as a facilitator, instructional designer, and leader. Connect with Clint on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.

Clint Clarkson

Dima Khatib is a learning and organizational development professional with extensive experience as a strategic and tactical leader, consultant, change management expert, coach, and trainer. Her passion and track record of success is centered on three inter-related areas in the fields of change management, L&D, and HR. Her sweet spot has been collaborating with client organizations on aligning people, processes, and technologies to ensure increased organizational effectiveness and employee engagement.Khatib currently lives in Raleigh, NC, and is a learning and organizational development consultant at Vaco. She started her consulting career working at organizations such as Accenture and Clarkston Consulting where she leveraged her expertise to assist clients in managing their change journeys through the design and development of individual performance and organizational change. In the US and internationally, Khatib took on a variety of roles including VP of Human Resources and Learning for a Caterpillar dealership in Dubai and VP of Learning & Change Management for a non-profit organization. Her volunteer work includes supporting small businesses through education with a non-profit organization, Score.Khatib earned her B.S. in Finance and Economics from Elmhurst University and her M.S. in Management from North Carolina State University.

Dima Khatib

Consulting is an attractive career option for professionals eager to share their knowledge and experience to improve workplaces and foster growth in organizations. The freedom of a self-directed work life, choosing clients that align with your ethos, and bringing in substantial earnings are some of the draws of starting a consulting practice. With your own practice, you will encounter many challenges and growth opportunities that might not come in a traditional employment situation. You can take what you’ve learned from your years of experience in talent development to become a trusted advisor and active partner to different organizations.To keep up with a rapidly changing landscape, every consultant can benefit from different perspectives on how their peers start, build, and scale their consulting practice. We asked two contributors for ATD’s Handbook for Consultants the questions that every consultant should ask themselves routinely throughout their career. Together, Sharon Wingron and Dolores Kuchina-Musina bring close to 40 years of experience to give you valuable insights to take into your consulting career. If you’re launching your company, are steadily growing, or need a new direction after years in business, these experts provide an honest glimpse into their practices, lessons learned, and advice for creating and sustaining a rewarding and meaningful career as a consultant.How did you decide to become a consultant?Sharon: With a degree in engineering management and work experience in telecommunications and manufacturing, I completed my MBA and decided it was time to figure out what I really wanted to be when I grew up. I did several informational interviews, took personality and career assessments, and reflected on my strengths, talents, and dreams. After my “year of reflection,” I determined I was destined to be in the training and development profession, and that having my own consulting business would be the best way to fulfill my purpose and have the flexibility and lifestyle I desired.Dolores: I chose consultancy due to my inherent curiosity and passion for unraveling complex systems. Raised in a physics-centric household, with my mother and grandmother holding PhDs, I learned the value of inquiry and exploration early on. Despite this scientific backdrop, I gravitated toward contract law and negotiation, fascinated by their creative use of language to shape outcomes. Venturing from science to law allowed me to nurture my creativity while engaging in intellectually stimulating work. Pursuing a PhD deepened my understanding of contracts, particularly Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs), enriching my analytical toolkit for navigating innovation policy. As a consultant, I’m driven by curiosity and a commitment to effecting meaningful change in contracts and innovation.What’s something unique or unconventional about your consulting practice?Sharon: Early on, I decided I wanted “products” to pay for life and my “services” to provide a positive contribution to the world and fuel my passion. I became an independent distributor of Carlson Learning Company’s DiSC assessments, which provided the opportunity to sell the assessments directly or embed them in my services. Being a part of this network supported my ongoing professional development while the tools legitimized my offerings and gave me frameworks to build on. Over time, this evolved into being an Authorized Partner for the Wiley Workplace Learning Solutions of Everything DiSC, The Five Behaviors, and PXT Select.Dolores: REXOTA’s consultancy stands out for its focus on fostering cross-sector collaboration and transforming innovation policy. While many firms target specific sectors, REXOTA bridges businesses, government, and academia, offering a holistic approach. It prioritizes practicality over theory, delivering measurable solutions for real-world applications. This approach reflects my diverse experience and ensures clients receive tailored actionable insights. Moreover, REXOTA’s mission to redefine acquisition practices underscores its forward-thinking ethos. By advocating education and support, it empowers clients to navigate innovation policy confidently. REXOTA’s commitment to cross-sector collaboration, practical solutions, and innovative acquisition strategies positions it as a leader in consultancy for driving impactful change.What’s your litmus test to determine if a potential client will turn into a mutually fulfilling relationship?Sharon: In our discovery and needs assessment discussions, I get a feel for the company and their leadership approach, as well as the services they are requesting and the outcomes they are pursuing. In addition, I seek information about their timeline, budget, and internal resources. While it is important to ensure I have the capacity and skillset to do the work and they have the resources to support a successful project, ultimately their foundational philosophy needs to align with my values and beliefs. I’ve learned that if they don’t value people as I do, the relationship won’t work.Dolores: I employ a litmus test aligned with REXOTA’s ethos. Firstly, I gauge alignment of objectives, ensuring shared values and missions. Collaboration is pivotal; I seek clients who value teamwork for mutual success. Prioritizing practical solutions over theory is key, resonating with REXOTA’s approach. Long-term commitment matters: I assess clients’ interest in sustained collaboration. Lastly, respect for expertise is crucial; clients valuing REXOTA’s cross-sector insights foster a trusting relationship. This multifaceted evaluation ensures partnerships are productive and mutually fulfilling, echoing REXOTA’s commitment to driving impactful change in innovation policy and acquisition practices.What’s a consulting mistake you made at the beginning of your career, and what did you learn from it?Sharon: Early in my career, I said “yes” to too many projects. This had negative outcomes: I did work that I wasn’t the best suited for, and I over-extended myself. I’ve learned to deeply consider the needs of the client, my skills and passion for the work, and my physical, mental, and energetic capacity to deliver excellent results, both from a project outcome basis and a client relationship perspective. I’ve learned to be more realistic regarding what I’m capable of and to manage my calendar conscientiously: blocking time, noting other responsibilities and commitments, and ensuring balanced work/rest/play time.Dolores: In my eagerness to always grow and meet the needs of my current and future clients, I sometimes took on more work than I could handle effectively, leading to high stress without asking for help. From this experience, I learned the importance of setting realistic expectations and managing workload effectively. I realized that it’s crucial to carefully assess my capacity and capabilities of myself before accepting new projects. Additionally, I learned the value of clear communication with clients regarding project timelines, deliverables, and potential challenges. I discovered the significance of prioritization and delegation. Recognizing that I couldn’t handle everything on my own, I brought on additional team members to help manage the workload. By delegating tasks appropriately and leveraging the strengths of my team, we could deliver higher-quality work within the allocated time frame. Ultimately, this mistake taught me valuable lessons about workload prioritization and the importance of building a capable team. These lessons have since guided my approach to consulting, resulting in more successful outcomes for both me and my clients.What’s an aspect of consulting that you still find challenging? What do you find rewarding about getting to the other side of it?Sharon: Like many consultants, I struggle to set my fees and price my projects, especially if it is a more complex, longer-term project. There are always so many variables to take into consideration. I prefer to use a “value-based” fee (popularized by Alan Weiss); however, it can be challenging to nail down the outcomes we are working toward and set up appropriate measures since we are focused on “soft/people” topics such as leadership development and culture. I am relieved when we move past the financial aspects and can focus on doing good work that makes a positive difference in people’s lives.Dolores: Staying in tune with the rapidly evolving consulting landscape poses a perpetual challenge. The industry continually births fresh methodologies, tools, and best practices, demanding constant learning and adaptation to maintain relevance. Embracing this challenge fosters expertise expansion, novel ideation, and innovative problem-solving for clients. By investing in ongoing education and skill refinement, I establish myself as a trusted advisor equipped to navigate the dynamic business milieu. Successfully navigating evolving trends empowers me to deliver heightened value, utilizing cutting-edge tools and methodologies to drive tangible results. Witnessing the transformative impact on clients’ enterprises reaffirms my dedication to perpetual learning and innovation in consultancy.Improve your skills with ATD’s certificate for consulting. Learn a five-phase consulting model to reach learning project performance goals.Browse chapters 10 and 19, and download a sample chapter of ATD’s Handbook for Consultants to get more in-depth insights on setting up, running, and growing your practice from Sharon and Dolores and the more than 37 consultants who contributed to this essential resource. In each chapter, you’ll get actionable consulting tips, in-depth discussions, resources, and other tools.How will you transform your consulting practice today?Sharon Wingron, CPTD®, has been enabling clients to connect, adapt, and thrive in the workplace with assessment-based solutions that develop PEOPLE (personal excellence–organizational performance–leadership effectiveness) since 2002. She is an award-winning Everything DiSC by Wiley Authorized Partner and a leader in the application of psychometric assessments. Sharon travels widely and supports clients around the world.Dolores Kuchina-Musina, PhD, MBA, PPCM, CFCM, NCMA Fellow, is the chief disruptor at REXOTA Solutions, a company in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area focused on strategy, planning, pursuit, capture, management, and administration of federal contract and agreement awards. Dolores has more than 10 years of experience in federal, state, and international public procurement.

Building a Career in Consulting: Insights From Two Seasoned Consultants

Principal Consultant, Korn Ferry   Bruce Jackson is a principal consultant on Hay Group / Korn Ferry’s leadership and talent consulting team, based in Minneapolis. Dedicated to optimal personal, team, and organizational performance, he has a broad and systemic understanding of the key human factors that drive high performance at all levels of the organization. Bruce has worked in various Fortune 500, educational, nonprofit, and financial institutions to provide custom client solutions.  Bruce’s previous roles include senior consultant with InsideOut Development, director and architect of the nationally acclaimed Center for the Advancement of Leadership at Utah Valley University, and principal of the Institute of Applied Human Excellence. He holds four master’s degrees—counseling psychology (Boston University, School of Education), business administration (University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management), organization behavior (Fielding Graduate University), and public administration (Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government)—and a doctor of philosophy in human and organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University.

Bruce Jackson

Martin L. Cohen, M.D., chief executive officer and co-chairman of Cohen Brown Management Group, Inc. and Breakthrough PerformanceTechSM, is one of the leading strategists, consultants, managers, motivators, lecturers, and trainers in the industry today. Together with his partner, Edward G. Brown, Dr. Cohen has led the Cohen Brown Management Group and Breakthrough PerformanceTech to become world leaders in maximizing performance, and in sales-and-service culture change. Their global client list includes companies in the United States and in more than 100 countries worldwide. They have also successfully implemented Breakthrough PerformanceTech within major nonprofit organizations. As the inventor of Performance Drilling®, one of the key tools from Breakthrough PerformanceTech, Dr. Cohen is now leading efforts to revolutionize learning and verbal human performance worldwide, both in business and within every aspect of society. Prior to forming Cohen Brown Management Group, Dr. Cohen received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine in 1971. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and obtained his psychiatric degree from the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute in 1975. Dr. Cohen formerly maintained one of the largest psychiatric practices in Los Angeles, specializing in behavioral and attitude change. He was also a visiting professor of management at the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at the Claremont Graduate University in 1975 and 1976. Additionally, Dr. Cohen has designed and funded medical research projects that have resulted in eight published articles in prestigious medical journals.

Martin L. Cohen

Kathryn Larson, Senior Learning Strategist, has worked with UPS on several key leadership initiatives. She has been with The Regis Company for five years managing global client engagements. Larson began as a designer/developer of immersive learning programs and performance support systems and later shifted into account management. The introduction of the Internet as a learning tool sparked a personal vision for Kathryn, and she co-founded a successful startup, Granite Technologies, in 1998. The company built an award-winning, online performance support platform that continues today and is now translated into more than 13 languages. Her current role includes consulting on initial design, needs analysis, program gate reviews, and relationship management. Her educational background includes a BS degree in geology and postgraduate work in geology, organization development, and education.

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