I hope everyone had a terrific holiday break with family and friends. The association is back in full swing and we’re excited about a number of initiatives we have on the go for 2019. Here’s a sample of what we are working on in the first quarter of 2019:
The New Value Proposition Project
We want to make membership essential to a successful career as a management consultant. The Value Proposition project will identify areas of growth in the management consulting and advisory services market, as well as steps to improve member retention based on identification of service priorities and appropriate costing. This will involve consultation with members and non-members to identify a value proposition that will allow CMC-Canada and the Certifying Institutes to improve member retention, growth and relevance. Chris Larsen, former HRPA VP, Marketing, Membership and Professional Development, is leading this project. We will take what we learn over the next few months and build a suite of affinity services and learning opportunities that will offer you much better value for your membership fees.
Ongoing Marketing of the CMC Designation
While we seek to be more relevant to more consultants, we must also elevate the status of the CMC designation. CMC-Canada is kicking its marketing into overdrive in 2019. Look out for our latest social posts / ads (‘like’ and ‘share’ them) and new videos, and make sure to check us out at various tradeshows throughout the year (including the upcoming HRPA Annual Conference and Tradeshow in Toronto).
CMC-Canada will have a tradeshow booth at the 2019 HRPA Conference.
Certification Process Improvement Project
Awareness of the CMC designation is critical; so is the integrity of the certification process behind it. In December, the National Certification Committee released a report with 18 recommendations for certification process and policy improvements. Over the next four months we will implement the process improvement recommendations. We will also examine pricing and efficiency to look for unnecessary barriers to certification. This work will culminate in a gathering of Certifying Institute leaders to decide on our best way forward to ensure the long-term relevance, rigour and efficiency of the certification process.
Distributed National Office Plan
The Board of Directors approved a budget that included savings from subletting the Toronto National Office location by April 1st. Once a sublease is secured, staff will telecommute, and we will hire virtual office services in order to maintain a physical presence in Toronto. The significant savings allows CMC-Canada to fund important growth initiatives. It also opens up the possibility of hiring national office staff from anywhere in Canada.
New Staff Hires
We will be adding two new positions in the coming weeks: a business development manager and an office administrator. The business development manager will help build our better value proposition, and then take it to market with a goal to grow your association. Our new administrator will provide support for the certification process, membership inquiries, event management and governance, both for national programs and for the Certifying Institutes as needed.
Our short term objectives are clear: create more value for members, do more to promote the CMC designation across Canada, and improve overall administration of the organization. The Board of Directors has approved a budget that supports these three objectives and is carefully monitoring progress. Our key indicators are a turnaround in membership growth and increased public awareness and appreciation of the CMC designation.
I invite you to share your thoughts and comments about our work. Your feedback is always welcome.
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Michael Brennan is the Executive Director of CMC-Canada
