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FALL WORKSHOP TO BE HELD IN HARTFORD By Tom Freehill, Chairman, CCN The IEEE Connecticut Consultants’ Network would like to invite everyone to the 1999 Fall AICN Consultants’ Workshop. It has been a number years since the CCN has hosted this prestigous event and for me personally, it is a first. The Workshop is a national conference, held twice a year by the the Alliance of IEEE Consultants’ Networks (AICN). I’m not sure how they decide on the host network, but this year, we’re it. The Workshop is to be held Saturday, November 6th, at the Crowne Plaza- Hartford Downtown, in beautiful downtown Hartford, CT. The Crowne Plaza is located at 50 Morgan St. and can be reached at (860)549-2400. The festivities are scheduled to begin at 8 AM and continue until 5 PM, with a luncheon included. A continental breakfast will be served at 7:30 AM. We have put together an impressive list of speakers, with topics of interest to any area of consulting (you don’t need to be an EE). Gary Blank, Chairman of the AICN, will give a talk on "How to Find Clients," while Bob Gauger, also of the AICN, will present "The results of the AICN salary survey for consultants." Are you charging enough for your expertise? Jim Ussaillis of the CCN will give a talk on "How I made $1M in Consulting," while CCN affiliate member Manny Ratafia will cover the other end of the spectrum with "How to Start a Business on a Shoestring." Zuhair Suidan, Principal of Suidan Associates, has a successful, independent management consulting practice. He has spoken at CCN meetings in the past and his latest topic will be "Making the Break from Employee to Consultant -- and from W2’s to 1099s." In addition to the Workshop, the AICN will hold its general meeting at the Crowne Plaza on Sunday, November 7th, beginning at 9:00 AM. The cost for the Workshop for IEEE members is $79/ person ( registration by October 29) or $89/ person at the door. For non-members, the cost is $89/ person or $99/ person, respectively. Lunch, continental breakfast and refreshments at breaks are included. Send registration and payment to:
For further information, call or fax (860) 886-4026 or e-mail ecm@snet.net. We hope to see you there. [ Contents ] PHOENIX NETWORK HOLDS SPRING WORKSHOP The Phoenix network hosted the Spring workshop in late April of this year, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Tempe. Tempe is a suburb of Phoenix, and home of Arizona State University. The workshop was well attended. Most of the participants were from the local area, but some came from as far away as New Jersey. It is this national draw that helps to make a quality workshop. Although many of those participating were local network members, quite a number attended who had never attended a local network meeting.
Past AICN Chair Bob Gauger receives a special 'thank-you' award from Gary Blank, incoming chair, in Phoenix this past April. Bob was recognized for the outstanding work he did as a leader of AICN. [ Contents ]
By Henry A. Burger, PE The purpose of an editorial is to give the editor a chance to talk about things that the editor deems important. The other choices are to write a letter to the editor, which seems a little silly, or to write a feature article, which does not always fit what the editor wants to say. One hires an editor as much for that editor’s opinions as much as for skill in editing. Thus the time-honored editorial column has emerged as a standard way for an editor to express personal opinions. Everybody knows that when reading an editorial column. I could comment on the way industry treats its older employees, which is why so many of us are consulting when we would rather be working for an employer. I have already done that, and you all knew about it anyway. I suppose I could decry the influx of mostly young engineers from outside the country, but others are already doing that and it does not affect consulting very much anyway. Consultants are mostly long experienced people, not youngsters, and have earned the right to be here. I could also extol the virtues of IEEE-USA and all of the things it is doing for the members, but again all of you know all of that, even though you may not have an IEEE e-mail alias for yourself. We are the professionals within IEEE and it is our job to know these things. So you see my problem. Motor-mouth the Editor is finally running out of things to say. This is not like a newspaper where there are fresh events every day and politicians to lampoon. I have to manufacture my issues. It is not that I do not have any opinions left. I have an opinion on every subject (usually for sale for a fee), and some of them are strong opinions, but they do not belong in this forum. So, let me talk about AICN and the business of starting and running individual networks. Have I done this one already? I can never be sure. Oh, well, I will do it again. The whole idea of a network is to provide a place for like minded consultants to get together. There is no technical society for it, thus no local chapters except for those that choose to become Affinity Chapters. Indeed, the entire concept does not fit into any technical society, except possibly the Engineering Management Society, which has other things to do. We are not researchers that need a forum in which to publish, and we are not professional managers concerned about management issues. We are field engineers concerned with solving problems. Thus when USAB started talking about networks several years ago, I was interested. I recognized early on the need for associating with other consultants, and I volunteered to lead one. I got back a list of names, all of which were in distant Western cities, so there was no way I could form any kind of a group and the effort died. A year later the network idea surfaced again, but this time as a local PACE activity. I was quickly conscripted as the initial leader, and I have been in it ever since. Thus the Phoenix network is one of the early networks, with only a very few others being older. The leaders at that time were all PACE people, so it is no coincidence that the networks started as PACE activities at the local level. There was also an effort at the national level, the result of which is AICN, the Alliance of IEEE Consultants Networks, a group within the new IEEE-USA. Thus consultants may not have a technical society, but they do have an equivalent in AICN. Affinity Chapter status gives them the same connection with local sections as any of the technical chapters. The only thing lacking is a publishing medium. I watched all of this go together, and participated in most of it, and I guess I have a few opinions to share after all. AICN is not by itself particularly innovative, mostly because it is constrained by IEEE. However, the individual networks are very innovative. Each one does things differently, each is organized differently, and each fits the needs of the community it serves. I see major differences between the networks. Some are little more than local clubs, and others are more like businesses than anything else. The structure seems to fit the needs of the members and the skills of the leaders. I tried to be innovative when I started the Phoenix network. My contribution was in the structure of the bylaws, which are somewhat different from those usually found within IEEE. Instead of a steering committee which is completely re-elected each year, the Phoenix "Executive Board" only replaces a third of its members each year. Further, the officers are chosen by the board members. The network members only elect the members of the board. I took this form from another organization that found the form useful, and in my opinion the major strength is that there is always continuity. A member is elected to the board for three years, and there is always overlap. The lack of build-in overlap is a major weakness of the usual IEEE format. However, as with most innovations, I now wonder if this structure was wise. At the time I envisioned an almost completely independent organization, and the form is good for that, but I have had to work at it to keep it in place and understood. The members do not seem to understand it very well. All organizations depend on strong leaders, usually just one, but this form seems to depend on one leader more than most. To make my point, I have been President of this group for 6 years, and I would be again if I were not removing myself from the board (by not standing for re-election). Such longevity in a leader is fine for a corporation structure, where longevity is needed, but I am not so sure that it should be applied to this kind of organization. I do not have any answers to offer on this, only concerns. It is a concern that must be addressed in the various levels of bylaws, so it takes a leader with legal skills. There has been very little discussion about this in any forum that I have attended. I would be glad to publish viewpoints. Another innovation I have seen came out of Los Angeles in 1998. All members of the Los Angeles network were listed in the national web site. I thought this was such a good idea that I got (almost) all of the Phoenix members listed, by offering them a bribe. I was hoping that some of the other networks would do this as well, but it seems that they have not done so. I do not know how this one will play out, but this is such a good idea that it should be almost automatic. However, I agree that there is a lot of work involved, and some networks just do not have the workers available. This ends my diatribe for this issue. [ Contents ] NOTE: It is the policy of this newsletter to print letters from members on subjects of interest to consultants. Letters can be comments on previously published material or letters, or can address independent issues, as long as they are in good taste. The editor reserves the right to edit the content. All submissions become the property of IEEE. From Phil Fry (Overland Park, KS): Enjoyed the piece on email vs. newsletters. I simply don't visit websites periodically to check for updated info. I have discovered an email adjunct that your readers might find useful to overcome the issues of 1) no email, 2) email at work only, & 3) email on the road. A number of sites now offer "free" web email accounts (CNN, yahoo, Netscape, etc.). In the case of yahoo (which I am using), for the price of minimal advertising, I get 2M of space to receive email (as opposed to the IEEE service which merely forwards it). Because it’s web based, you can access it via any web browser in the world (public libraries, internet coffee houses, etc). Of course, it supports composing, address lists, & spell checking. Another neat feature is that it can get mail from your ISP POP3 server, meaning that while on the road you can get the email sent to your "home" internet provider, w/o having to dial long distance. From Dr. Peter P. Nuspl, Chair, NCAC-CN: I am sending a brief item which appears in our Newsletter: feel free to use it in the AICNCC Newsletter: Note to NCAC-CN Members: At our annual Business Meeting (on 15 June), at which there was a quorum present, you elected me to serve as your Chairman for the year 1999 - 2000, which has now begun. Thank you for your confidence. My first pleasant duty was to thank Jim Allen for chairing so many meetings last year, and for doing it so well! We start the year with 38 Members (of which one is an Associate). Increased and varied membership should always be our goal, since it is Members who can bring us contacts, opportunities, teaming possibilities, and consulting contracts. This year we are starting with another type of membership: Corresponding Associate, as moved and approved. They are non-voting, 75 or more miles from the Capitol, need not be IEEE members, and will deal with the NCAC-CN and its Members mostly by Email. Please join me in a membership drive for such Corresponding Associates. Readers of this item may wish to forward this Newsletter to colleagues and contact us at p.nuspl@WLPCO.com or ncac-cn@rebsig.com. But, of course, networking is the main activity of the CN, and consulting opportunities are the main measures of networking success. In this year, I trust that each Member will join me and the other Officers in searching out consulting possibilities, making contacts, and following up on each lead (as many times as prudent). It will then be up to Members to negotiate consulting contracts. Jointly, we have clearly established that there are several productive means of promoting the NCAC-CN and its Members:
Referrals from our clients, business contacts, and from each other, are also fruitful in our mutual quest for consulting opportunities. I encourage you to take care of Number 1 first, and then to think of your NCAC-CN colleagues. I look forward to your active promotion and lively participation in our meetings: the first Tuesday in VA; the third Tuesday in MD; and our other activities -- Job Fairs, Breakfasts, Conferences, Exhibitions, etc. [ Contents ] By Henry A Burger, PE AICN has spent the better part of a year trying to devise a single, standard contract for use by consultants. It was not an easy task, and the result was a rather generic compromise. It also so far failed to get approval from IEEE attorneys as an officially endorsed IEEE recommendation. Are there any surprises here? Contracts are a very controversial issue, and even the lawyers cannot agree on what should go into them and how they should be written. Lawyers specialize on one hand in protecting a client against every possible threat, and on the other hand in finding holes in other contracts to the advantage of a client. There are no absolute guarantees except for death and taxes, and recently even death has been questioned, so a contract does not stand a chance. Situations vary so much that no two situations can be treated alike, and no standard form can absolutely apply. NSPE has a long list of standard contracts for use in the construction industry. The list of offerings is bewildering, not to mention expensive (they charge for them). Every situation seems to need a different form. Even with their long experience in these matters, NSPE is hard pressed to recommend a standard contract. However, contracts are all around us, so we had better get used to them. The average person does not even know about many of them. How about an appointment with a doctor? Is that a contract? An appointment is an agreement for two parties to meet at a specific time and place, and this is an oral contract, and possibly a written contract. If one party does not show, the other has wasted valuable time, and may even have foregone another opportunity. It therefore is in the best interest of everyone to know something about contracts and how they apply to situations. It is not hard. Just consider every promise to be a contract. Every breach of a promise is a breach of contract and reflects on the character of the promise breaker. Most of them do not wind up in court, but reputations are hurt just as easily as pocketbooks. So be careful what you promise. If you cannot keep the promise, don’t make it. If you make a promise or an appointment in good faith but find later that it cannot be kept, inform the other party and save face, not to mention reputation. And if you ever encounter a written contract, treat it the same way. [ Contents ] The 1999 issue of the national Directory of Consultants has been issued. Every consultant who submitted a listing should receive a copy, and extra copies are available for the asking. The same listings are also on the IEEE Consultants web site. New listings can always be accepted for the web site at any time. Any member that is not currently listed can be listed upon application and payment of the fee. Get the form from the local network contact, or send a message to c.currie@ieee.org. [ Contents ]
Here is some engineering wisdom, originally attributed to Professor Paul Klock, University of Illinois:
[ Contents ] CHAIRMAN'S CORNER (FINDING CLIENTS) By Dr. Gary L. Blank, Chair, AICN Having attended and graduated from three different universities I receive a lot of alumni mail. Included are solicitations, announcements, and newsletters. I used to throw most of them away until I realized what a powerful resource the alumni newsletters were for finding consulting business. And now that I have used this method successfully many times I can share it with you. When I receive a newsletter I quickly turn to the page where announcements of promotions and accomplishments are described. These are usually grouped by the years of graduation in chronological order. I look for the years which are close to my years of attendance at the university. Usually I do not recognize the names or the pictures of the people there. However, I intensely read about all the promotions and advancements. I circle the ones where the alumnus is possibly in a position to deal with or hire consultants. Then I prepare a short and simple hand-written note that reads something like this:
How many notes like this do you think he/she will receive? If there is a need for a consultant at that company what are the chances that you will be remembered? It is simple and it works. [ Contents ] It is with deep regret that I report the death of Bill Anderson. Bill was an IEEE-USA staff member for 17 years. He died on September 11 after a short and intensive battle with cancer. He was 54. Bill was the manager of member and career activities for IEEE-USA. His main responsibilities were employment assistance, salary and fringe benefit surveys, awards and recognition, and the AICN (Alliance of Consultants' Networks). Bill held a number of key positions involving professional programs throughout his career with the IEEE. "Bill had a unique sense of wit and wisdom that made him an integral part of the IEEE-USA team," says Tom Suttle, IEEE-USA. "He was a valued long-term employee as well as a personal friend for more than 25 years." I last saw Bill in Phoenix in April at the AICN workshop and committee meeting. As usual he was conscientious and efficient. Bill was a true champion of the AICN. He was instrumental in the conception of the Consultants' Networks. He made seemingly impossible tasks come to pass. He was generous, caring, and courteous. He became a friend of mine and a hero of the hundreds of members of the AICN. Information about where to send contributions in Bill's memory and an October date for a memorial service will be announced in a future "Circuit Board" issue, or contact IEEE-USA 202-785-0017. IEEE staff members and volunteers will miss Bill very much. On behalf of the AICN "Thank you, Bill, for having walked with us." [ Contents ] By the time you receive any of your IEEE publications in the mail, the information is at least two months old. In order to deliver current news and information to its members, IEEE-USA has launched a web-based publication this year at the internet address: http://www.ieeeusathisweek.org. Although it is labeled, IEEE-USA This Week, the website needs more volunteers to keep the information from its members flowing in at a rate sufficient to actually make it a weekly publication. To enable this, we are calling upon the most logical group of experts within IEEE, those who are keeping up-to-date with the latest in their fields, the consultants within AICN, for help. IEEE-USA This Week needs writers and reporters to pass on articles about current issues in their fields that would be of interest to other members or information tidbits of news as the news develops. This is, of course, volunteer work, but it does offer the opportunity for consultants to get an article published and to present themselves within the engineering community as experts in their particular specialties. To set up a structure whereby IEEE-USA can call upon particular experts in various fields for more information as news develops, a list of volunteers by industry segments is needed. If you are willing to serve as a writer or reporter within your discipline, please contact Bob Krause, Chair of IEEE-USA Communications Committee, at b.krause@ieee.org. Indicate area of knowledge or expertise. [ Contents ] | Previous Issues | Top of Page | Consultants Services | IEEE-USA | PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: The AICNCC NEWSLETTER is published three times a year by the Alliance of IEEE Consultants Networks Coordinating Committee, IEEE-USA in print and in this special no-line edition. Newsletter editor: Henry A. Burger, h.burger@ieee.org Copyright © 1999 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. All rights are reserved. The opinions expressed herein are those of the respective authors and not necessarily those of IEEE or IEEE-USA. Last Updated: Oct. 27, 1999 |
The format was a little different from other workshops in
that it was more directed. Most of the talks were by local members with assigned topics,
but AICNCC members Gary Blank, Bob Gauger and Irwin Weitman all contributed to this
quality event. A complete course workbook was provided to each participant.