Why do people volunteer? Simply because they love the work, and are passionate about an organization. People volunteer because they want to make a difference in their community, their world, and they want to help others succeed. Volunteering makes people feel good, it balances their work and personal life, and feeds that creative part of the soul.

I’ve been a part of Women in Consulting for at least eight years or more, and seven of those eight years I’ve been a volunteer board member. WIC has been successful at feeding my creative soul. If you’re part of WIC, you know that this is a tremendous organization with some of the most talented and vivacious women in Silicon Valley and in the Bay Area, hands down. While I’ve continued to find new ways to volunteer to this growing organization, I’ve also had two children, published a book, worked with some great technology companies, and have been part of some very innovative projects at Women in Consulting. When I look back at all my volunteering efforts, I’ve learned that I’ve been allowed to hone some very important skills that are critical to the success of any business.

Below I’ve outlined five key volunteer skills that I think are beneficial to help you drive your business, increase partnerships and help you become a more effective leader, consultant and businesswoman:

1. Collaboration
When you volunteer, you end up collaborating with many people to reach a common goal. Collaboration is a large part of what makes an all-volunteer organization successful and it helps to keep all members involved in important decisions. Women are great collaborators and the more you collaborate, the better team-player you can be for your clients and your future clients. Collaboration skills are an excellent way to meet new people, friendships and work with more clients. People who collaborate are effective leaders and tend to listen more. They also tend to do well in any organization, regardless of size because they respect others, and they inspire individuals to work together to reach new levels of success.

2. Support
When you volunteer, you have an opportunity to gain a new support network. In a volunteer role, you’ll meet other like-minded individuals who are passionate about helping an organization grow and you may find that your new volunteer colleagues are perfect candidates to not only support you in your project efforts, but they may also be perfect candidates to help give you some feedback on that next new venture or client proposal in your own business. You also learn that as a volunteer, sometimes you are playing a larger support role and sometimes you are receiving the support. Whatever the case may be, the support you discover you have can allow you to be inspired to continued volunteer efforts and motivate you to open new doors to client projects that you may have not considered before. Mastering the many facets of how support can help a project or organization can make you a more understanding consultant, business partner and business professional.

3. Innovation
Innovation drives technology companies and it also drives volunteer organizations. Without innovative ideas and processes, things cannot progress. New members bring new ideas and unique ways of thinking and this is important in the growth of an all-volunteer organization. What’s especially great about volunteering is that if you have an innovative process idea or technology, there’s most likely an opportunity to push the envelope and try out your ideas. At Women In Consulting, we’ve always tried to tap into the most cutting-edge processes and tools to motivate and inspire our members. Some of our greatest new ideas have come from volunteer efforts and many of them are new volunteers who aren’t afraid to try something new. Innovation drives growth and it helps to drive businesses to be the best they can be.

4.Building Relationships
When you volunteer for an organization, you build relationships with new colleagues, potential partners and possibly your next customer. I’ve known volunteers who have changed their career focus because of a volunteer they’ve been inspired by or worked with. Relationships matter in the business world and you have an incredible opportunity to develop new relationships with people who share your same values and work ethic when volunteering. I’ve met many new people in my volunteer years, some of who have become my closest friends and colleagues and some have become mentors that I still turn to for advice and suggestions. Relationships you develop while volunteering can last a lifetime and can be a wonderful source of reference and testimonial for you with your potential and existing clients.

5. Creative Problem-Solving
There’s never a shortage for creative ideas in an all-volunteer organization! When I first started volunteering with WIC, I realized I had some good, solid ideas that could help the organization grow and prosper. I remember making a small suggestion that turned into my first volunteer project. When you find creative solutions to a problem, people want you to lead and they are eager to watch you lead. This is what WIC is about-if you’ve got an idea to change something, you will always have an opportunity to use that creativity in a volunteer role. You may not get the chance to be creative with all your existing clients, but when you volunteer, you may get to try something new that allows you to explore your creative problem-solving skills. You also may get the chance to lead and solve problems in a part of a business that you haven’t explored before, making you more well-rounded and adaptable for prospective clients and customers.

I challenge you to explore the many benefits of volunteering in your career and find ways to give back to your community. Once you’ve started down the volunteering path you’ll realize that many of the skills you’ve been wanting to develop in your career may be in your own backyard and available to you today.

For information on how to volunteer with Women In Consulting, contact WIC’s Membership Director, Deborah Hoard: dhoard@get-net-results.com

By: Sherry Prescott

Recently, in a spurt of ‘abundance thinking’, where I was convinced that 2010 is going to be a MUCH better year than 2009 (I can’t afford to think otherwise, can you?!), I decided to do an inventory of people/resources I can turn to when my workload is too heavy to do it all myself.

Like many fellow consultants, I can perform every function needed to support most client projects myself, but have found it very wise to outsource certain portions of my research projects when I have a heavy client load in order to ensure that my time is spent on the things that are: 1) high value activities, worthy of my $100+ hourly rate and 2) things that only I can do based on my unique talents or the client relationship.

In an effort to streamline the process when I need to turn to other resources, I created a spreadsheet that provides me with a quick glance at the resources I’ve qualified and established relationships with over the past 10 years.  Some of the features of the spreadsheet:

• Every row is a different person/resource
• The first few columns include contact information, notes about the resource and their specialty
• The rest of the columns are categories of resources such as Interviewing, Analysis, Recruiting, Panels/Lists, etc.
• I put an X in each column/category that a given resource can help with

Having this quick reference allows me to rapidly scan a given column when I have the need for support in any given area.  When I meet/qualify new resources, I add them to the spreadsheet, which ensures that I think of them when the need arises.  This saves me a LOT of time and helps me make sure I make the right choice for each project, which helps ensure high quality results for my clients.

Let’s all think ‘abundance’ for 2010 and do a similar inventory of our resources…and if you don’t HAVE back-up resources, be sure to find some…WIC is a great source of qualified people who can partner with you to help in almost any element of your work.

By: Jen Berkley Jackson

Research from The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, as outlined in “Women Business Owners to Lead the Nation in Job Creation ” by Rieva Lesonsky, shows that by 2018, women entrepreneurs will be responsible for creating between 5 million and 5.5 million new jobs nationwide,” more than half the new jobs expected.

According to the article, Guardian’s research shows that when women become their own bosses, they’re more likely than male managers or entrepreneurs to:

• Diligently engage in strategic and tactical facets of their business
• Proactively focus on customers
• Incorporate community and environment into their business plans
• Be receptive to input and guidance from internal and external advisers
• Create opportunities for others

When I read the list above, my first reaction was, “Duh, we’ve known that at WIC for years!” In fact, these very characteristics are what set WIC apart from so many other networking organizations. It’s these very characteristics that underscore WIC’s collaborative organizational structure and drive our members and affiliates to readily share their advice, experience, and insights with others in the WIC Community who solicit help with a particular business problem. (NOTE: Ms. Lesonsky was also not surprised by these findings.)

I particularly liked the quote from John Krubski, futurist and research advisor to The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute:

“This women-led management approach will have a profound impact on the employees and customers connected to these businesses. Women small-business owners will ultimately create more opportunities for employees to grow in their jobs and inspire others to start their own small business–all while providing customers with superior service.”

So to all of my fellow WIC colleagues and associates, I say, “You go girls!”

Read the full “Women Business Owners to Lead the Nation in Job Creation” article 

By: Avery Horzewski

As my term as president of Women in Consulting comes to an end this week, I find myself reflecting on all the incredible experiences I’ve had throughout the last two years.

We celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2008 with not only a gala event, but a new look & feel for our website and a new blog. In 2009, we expanded our social media presence to include LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

We expanded the reach of our organization, with strong and vibrant satellite groups in San Francisco, the East Bay and North Bay/Marin, as well as the South Bay and Peninsula.

We created a mentoring program and offered workshops to help consultants grow profitable businesses.

We expanded our Leaders Network to provide a venue for seasoned consultants to meet and exchange thoughts and ideas with their peers.

We expanded our profile in the community–partnering with a wide variety of organizations and associations, including the Silicon Valley American Marketing Association, the Association for Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP), FountainBlue, Astia, IMC NorCal, NorCAL BMA, and others.

We provided benefits to our community from groups like People OntheGo, SD Forum, Cubes & Crayons, Vertical Response, MarketingProfs, Egnite, WeMeUs, Zoomerang, and PR Newswire. And we continued our partnership with Million Dollar Consultant Alan Weiss and the Society for the Advancement of Consulting.

We held silent auctions to benefit Girls for a Change and collected donations for the Georgia Travis Center in San Jose.

Not only did we offer a top-notch set of outstanding speakers for monthly programs, but we launched teleseminar and webinar programs as well.

We continued to offer outstanding value to members and affiliates through our renowned mail list and other resources.

In fact, through the worst recession in nearly a century, we grew our community to be nearly 500 strong–with our ranks of full members swelling by nearly 40% this year.

And we did all this as an entirely volunteer run organization, with over 100 consultants taking on pro bono consulting roles for WIC.

Why, in a time when many organizations are struggling or even closing their doors, is WIC thriving? Because in addition to everything I’ve already mentioned, one of the most important things WIC provides is a strong, collaborative community–a place where consultants can come to learn as well as to socialize, to build their businesses as well as to connect with colleagues, to share experiences and develop referrals, to grow as individuals as well as part of a bigger whole.

For all of these reasons I feel extremely lucky to have had the privilege of guiding this organization over the last two years. And I feel extremely confident in turning over the reigns to the extremely capable and passionate Avery Horzewski to take WIC to the next level.

Thank you to all of you who are a part of WIC. WIC is community and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with each and every one of you. Here’s to more wonderful WIC happenings in 2010 and beyond!

By: Linda Popky

I just finished reading a wonderful article on The Huffington Post by Morra Aarons-Mele, called “The Women We Know.” It’s a good read, so make sure to visit the site. Morra convenes an online group for the American Cancer Society, so she uses her experiences in, and mini stories from, that realm to illustrate her point: that there’s a new women’s movement about, one grounded in personal support and social change and that’s largely happening online in micro communities and large gatherings.

The article sparked a number of thoughts (a sign of a good post!), but the first one that came to me is “I know. I experience the power of women almost daily through my involvement in Women in Consulting (WIC).”

Now, I know some of you’ll think, “Of course she’d write that. She sits on the board. She’s the president-elect. She’s supposed to say how wonderful WIC is.” You’re right. It is part of my job to promote WIC. But — and this is a big but — WIC is an all-volunteer organization, save for our administrative support and a small stipend for PR. I don’t get paid for the work I do for WIC. It’s all pro bono — same for all of WIC’s board of directors, program chairs, and coordinators. If I didn’t believe everything I wrote or said about WIC, I wouldn’t be here. If I didn’t receive all the benefits that I tout, I wouldn’t donate so much of my time to help keep WIC going. So, yes, I drink the Kool-Aid, but only because I know first had that it’s mighty tasty.

It’s Not About Perfection. It’s About Connection.

Is WIC perfect? Heck no. Is it for everyone? Nope. No organization is — that’s what keeps life interesting. “Variety is the spice of life” didn’t become a cliché for nothing. What WIC is though is a community…a place to connect, to learn, to get support, to be motivated.

Now you may say, “Morra’s post was about movements. WIC isn’t a movement.” And you’re right. WIC isn’t a movement or even necessarily about social change (although the organization and many or our members do get involved). However, Morra’s post is about community and women and their power to bring about change. And WIC is all about that.

WIC is first and foremost an online community. It started as a small group of women meeting in person to support each other. And we still have regular monthly meetings (six total to accommodate the Bay Area geography), as well as special events and workshops. But WIC’s true value comes from the knowledge bank that is the WIC online Community, the partnerships we make with other organizations and businesses, and the relationships that one can build simply by getting involved. 

Make a note of that last point, as it’s one of WIC’s best kept benefit secrets and also the reason that movements grow. It’s only natural that the WIC people that I’m closest to are the ones that I’ve worked with in my various roles. I started small (helping with a silent auction, managing one of WIC’s newsletters) and slowly moved into larger roles. I’ve been on the board for almost four years now, serving in two different capacities.

The people that I turn to first for business advice are the people with whom I’ve collaborated with at WIC. The people I refer first are the people I work with, as I’m familiar with their work ethic and deliverables. And, as I’ve mentioned in the past, at least 75% of my business can be directly tied to having volunteered at WIC. And it’s not like I see all of my coworkers all the time. Heck, one of them I didn’t meet face-to-face until we’d worked together for two years! Our communications were all through the Internet or the phone for quite a while. Not only do we refer each other for projects, but we’ve developed a friendship that will last beyond our work on WIC.

It’s Not About Competition. It’s About Collaboration.

The current women’s movement works because the women work together for a common cause. It’s simultaneously about each woman and all women. Everyone is important, but no one is more important than anyone else.  This philosophy is the life blood of WIC and taps into the true power of women. Sure there are exceptions, but overall women tend to be about collaborating with others not working against them.

I and so many other WIC members that I know are more than happy to help a fellow consultant brainstorm ideas on how to improve and promote their business. Our archives are full of members and affiliates openly sharing consulting best practices. And I know that I recommend other writers for projects and other writers recommend me. It feels good to help. And I firmly believe what goes around comes around — and I’d rather see the good karma coming and going vs. bad.   

It’s Not About Going Alone. It’s About Going Together.

In her post, Morra wrote, “This week, in the midst of frenzied online organizing to promote gender equality in health care, I had a family crisis. And when I had to bow out of the action, Jodi Jacobson wrote, ‘Don’t apologize for anything…that’s what a movement is for….”

Consulting can be a solitary business. Social media communities make it less so. But even before the advent of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn…I didn’t feel alone, because I was part of WIC — a pre-social-media community. The people I’ve come to know at WIC are my colleagues. And that group continues to grow as I continue to meet more people from the WIC Community. I’m continually amazed at the organization’s ability to attract sharp, savvy individuals who are so open and willing to share.

I don’t promote WIC and tout its benefits because I’m going to be president. Rather, I accepted the president role because I believe so strongly in WIC and want to help ensure its continued success.

By: Avery Horzewski

In times like these, we’re tested as consultants in almost every way. Here are just three:

- What clients want or need may be even harder to define than it normally is – or it may be constantly changing.

- Despite budgets that are tighter, requirements may not be much lighter than in more lavishly-funded times.

- While we work hard to help clients stay focused and achieving important goals, our own focus may be regularly challenged in large and small ways.

One blog I’ve noticed recently, Lateral Action, provides creative inspiration and ideas with a very practical – and productive – edge. Check it out. Two recent posts may be especially helpful, The Ultimate Productivity Toolbox for Creative People and The Top 10 Social Networks for Creative People.

By: Jan Richards

Okay, I was so jazzed about this evening’s meeting celebrating WIC’s 10^th anniversary that I had to write one more post tonight. Building on the “Secrets to a Successful Consulting Business: Know Your Strengths” in my last post, I thought I’d “chat” a bit about Kim Fulcher’s (mylifecompass.com) keynote address on Three Keys for Entrepreneurial Success: Passion, Strengths, and Purpose (see a theme starting here).

Three Ingredients for Passion

I loved Kim’s presentation, because she distilled down a lot of great information into a succinct, easy-to-digest-and-remember message (paraphrased by me here):

There are three ingredients for passion: strengths, values, and skills.

• Strengths: do what you’re innately born to do
• Values: find the things that light you up
• Skills: identify the abilities that you’ve acquired

She equated our belief in ourselves to a chair. And to hold up a chair, you need legs. The legs are your strengths, values, and skills. You create a new belief about yourself using these three legs. And you use this new belief to develop a level of confidence in the part of your business that you despise.

We all have something about our business that we don’t like; and what we don’t like, we avoid. To push through (and create passion), you also need leverage to motivate you. Ask yourself, what you would loose if you fail? Who that you care about would also loose if you failed?

The Power of Collaboration

Kim also reminded us that we don’t have to do this alone. The creativity of a group of women or a woman connecting with herself can achieve great things. But you know what? This part wasn’t news to me. I know first hand the power of working with a great group of women. WIC taught me that.

The success of WIC and the individuals who make up our organization is a living testament to this fact. Even tonight’s event is proof of the power of collaboration. An amazing group of women-Karilee Wirthlin, Angi Roberts, Gabriella Martinez, Erin Ferree, Melissa Stacey, Deborah Plumley, Jennifer Berkley, Susan Monroe, Kim Le, Sherry Prescott, and so many, many more-worked together to make it possible. I’m proud to be a part of this dynamic and talented team!

Now, I’m off to find my passion!

By: Avery Horzewski

…it’s a philosophy I’ve always followed. And it’s one that I know has made a difference in the quantity and quality of work that I receive. Well, as it turns out a small survey (Ensuring Sustainable Value from Consultants) conducted by UK-based Management Consultancies Association (MCA) supports my party-of-one “research.”

Act as if You’re an Employee
RainToday.com (you’ll begin to see a regular thread in my posts, as I often read articles by them that I think others would find interesting), had a short article in their October 8 Rainmaker Report: “Good Consultants with Bad Reputations? How to Leave Clients Satisfied with Your Quality of Work” by Fiona Czerniawaska.

One of the two key reminders I took from this article is the concept of blurring the consultant/employee line:

• Among consulting projects that have gone well, it was hard to find a single one that didn’t involve a joint client-consultant team
• Integration wasn’t just a question of people working together or being based in the same physical location
• 66 percent of satisfied clients thought teamwork was so effective that it was hard to tell whether someone was an employee or a consultant; 72 percent of dissatisfied clients disagreed

Look Beyond Just the Decision Makers
The other key reminder was the importance of the lateral relationships between consultants and members of a client’s staff who were involved in the project. These relationships were key in determining the success of an undertaking.

Often we, as consultants, talk about how critical it is to have access to decision makers — and it is. However, I argue that how we collaborate and partner with the other team members is equally important, a point that MCA’s research underscores:

• The eighty-one percent of satisfied people were those who believed their work with consultants represented a genuine partnership ; in contrast, just two percent of those dissatisfied felt that way
• The consultant who builds into his or her proposal an understanding of the need to engage people at all levels, and a plan for doing so, has a better chance of overcoming client skepticism and is more likely to deliver greater value in practice

Share Your Thoughts
I’d love to hear what your experiences are in this area. So, let the conversation begin.

By: Avery Horzewski

Collaboration Is Hot!
Collaboration is a hot topic with several of my clients — it’s a strategic tool for them to be more innovative, competitive, and generally more effective. They’re implementing entire efforts around how to improve collaboration among their employees all over the globe.  As organizations go global, the question of how to make virtual relationships work effectively is a key one.

It’s not Just for the “Big Boys”
Collaboration as a strategy is essential for us as consultants, too. We’re not islands…we are more valuable to our clients when we collaborate and develop alliances with others who have complementary skills and experience. Some of the benefits that I’ve realized from working with virtual teams on various projects include:

• I offer my clients a broader base of experience/expertise/talent.
• I can juggle more/take on more projects.
• It’s just more fun!

How to Start YOUR Virtual Team
It takes a little homework to find the right people with whom to collaborate. Finding people with skills and expertise that complement what you bring to the party requires doing your homework and establishing a high level of trust. There must be trust in the person’s skills, as well as their overall work ethic and customer orientation. I guess it’s sort of like dating — compatibility is key! 

Then once you find the right people, forming your team and getting everyone on the same page is essential. An article on Making Things Happen offers 10 tips for creating an environment of trust within a virtual team. These are great tips for how to ensure that your new collaboration partners understand your business and goals, and are committed to working with you on those terms.

Encouraging Words
I don’t want to make this whole collaboration thing sound daunting…it really isn’t. Just start by finding a few trusted compadres to chat with about the possibilities …things will flow nicely from there.

I’m firmly committed to collaborating with others as a key strategy for my business. By working in tandem with a few select fellow consultants over the past five years, I’ve been able to expand my horizons and learn about different industries and new applications of my work that I may never have had a chance to work on if left to my own devices. I’d love to hear from others who’ve used collaboration and virtual teams in their businesses — feel free to share any advice you have for others who haven’t yet made the plunge!

By: Jen Berkley Jackson