CoREM Event for April 1, 2008

Free registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.

Lessons in Leadership in the wake of Katrina



In August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast, testing the compassion and generosity of all Americans. In the aftermath, it was difficult for any of us to envision a recovery for that area.

Americans responded by giving money, sending supplies, and signing up to volunteer. Lisa Scales, COO, and Larry Hokaj, CTO, both of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank were called upon by America’s Second Harvest, The Nation’s Food Bank Network, to aid in the relief effort. Although their initial impressions led them to believe their work would be similar, they returned to Pittsburgh with great contrast in experience.

Lisa was assigned to work with FEMA and representatives from American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other social service organizations at the Joint Field Office (JFO) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This group functioned as a coordinating committee for the delivery of Mass Care services throughout Louisiana. They were responsible for assessing current service delivery mechanisms, identifying gaps, responding to requests for assistance, and making recommendations on service priorities and needed service development. They reported up to the Mass Care Area Command on policy issues and solicited service support resources.

Larry was assigned to work with those remaining staff members at the New Orleans Food Bank in New Orleans, LA, in rebuilding computer infrastructure and redefining the core procedures for recording the millions of pounds of food coming in and going out. His experience there was undoubtedly divided between an organization lacking direction and leadership and the same organization transformed to one back on track with a purpose and a mission.

Together, Lisa and Larry will lead a discussion of good management (and its absence) relative to what they observed during those trying circumstances.

Speakers:

Lisa Scales has been involved with food security issues since 1993. She is the Chief Operations Officer for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Prior to this, Lisa was a Co-Director for Just Harvest, a community-based, anti-hunger advocacy and education organization located in Homestead, PA. While there, she served as Director for the Women’s Leadership & Organizing Project, and as Field Supervisor for the Hometown Hunger research project on childhood hunger. Lisa obtained a B.A. from Seton Hill University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. She serves on the Board of Three Rivers Community Foundation, which provides grants to a variety of social justice organizing efforts in Southwestern Pennsylvania, as well as on the Board of the Funding Exchange, a national membership organization of progressive, social justice community foundations. Lisa has been an active member of the Community Food Security Coalition and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. She has also served on the Boards of Sharp Visions, Inc. and GLSEN.

Larry Hokaj is the Chief Technology Officer of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Since 2000, he’s led the organization’s IT initiatives and has worked to align the IT strategy with the business strategy of the Food Bank. He holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from West Virginia University and has attended training course in project management, network administration, and application development. Larry is the owner of Computer Allies, a sole proprietorship specializing in computer consulting and repair.

- - - - - -

Date: April 1, 2008
Time: Program - 4:00-6:00 PM
Place: Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville (directions follow)
Sponsor: CoREM (the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management)
Cost: free
Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.
- - - - - -


Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center

The Center borders Boyce Campus of CCAC. Address: 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 412-373-8100

From Downtown Pittsburgh: Go east on Interstate 376 (Parkway East) approximately 15 miles and get off the Parkway in Monroeville at exit 14B (Plum), just past exit 14A (Rt. 48). Proceed north through the intersection with the traffic light to the stop sign at Beatty Road. Van Horn’s Funeral Home will be on the far left corner. Turn right on to Beatty Road and drive to the second stop sign (Community College of Allegheny County--Boyce Campus entrance). Turn right and go approximately 100 feet. Turn left into the Forbes Road Career & Technology Center entrance (Gateway Press building is on the right).
- - - - -

CoREM is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. All our revenues come from membership dues. If you find our services valuable, please sign up for membership and submit your tax-deductible $35 fee. (Make checks out to “CoREM”.) Give it to our treasurer Dennis Snedden or send it to him at 613 Library Av., Carnegie, PA 15106-2910.

CoREM provides a forum for the critical study of original and effective leadership methods and principles through collaboration and lifelong learning, to benefit individuals, organizations, and our communities.

March 4 CoREM Event!

Free Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at BrienP@adelphia.net or 724-733-5007

Mission Driven Leaders – Is there really a difference?

Come and meet one to find out for yourself

We all talk about mission driven organizations. Most leaders work hard to drive the organization’s mission. But what is the difference between driving an organization’s mission and being a mission driven leader? When a leader fiercely believes in his or her organization’s mission, and his or her personal values align with that mission, the leader adds new depth to the concept of mission.

Come and join us for a discussion with one such leader. Vincent Cerasuolo, President of Century Heritage Federal Credit Union ardently believes in the credit union mission. Vin will share with us his passion for his mission. As you listen to Vin, you’ll gain an up-close look at a mission driven leader and you’ll have the opportunity to find out just what distinguishes such a leader. Come prepared to take a five point self assessment to determine how closely aligned your personal mission is with the work that you do. This discussion will prove interesting regardless of the kind of work you do.

About Vincent Cerasuolo

In his 28-year career in the credit union movement, Vin Cerasuolo has held a variety of management positions at credit unions in three different states. He formerly served as CEO of Vermont Development (now Opportunities CU), one of the nation’s most progressive community development credit unions. For the last ten years he has served as President & CEO of Century Heritage, a community-chartered credit union in the Mon-Yough area of Allegheny County.

He was a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Community Credit Unions from 2001-2004 and currently serves on the Regulatory Review Committee of the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association. He donates time to the community as Steering Committee Chairman of the Mon Valley Providers Council, Vice-Chairman of the Regional Chamber Alliance, and fundraising co-chair of the Mon-Yough Council of Junior Achievement.

When not at Century Heritage, Vin enjoys renovating his home and participating in his local church in White Oak, Pennsylvania, where he and his wife Cozette raise their ten children.

Date: March 4, 2008

Time: Program - 4:00-6:00 PM

Place: Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville (directions follow)

Sponsor: CoREM (the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management)

Cost: free

Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at BrienP@adelphia.net or 724-733-5007.

- - - - - -

Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center

The Center borders Boyce Campus of CCAC. Address: 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 412-373-8100

From Downtown Pittsburgh: Go east on Interstate 376 (Parkway East) approximately 15 miles and get off the Parkway in Monroeville at exit 14B (Plum), just past exit 14A (Rt. 48). Proceed north through the intersection with the traffic light to the stop sign at Beatty Road. Van Horn’s Funeral Home will be on the far left corner. Turn right on to Beatty Road and drive to the second stop sign (Community College of Allegheny County--Boyce Campus entrance). Turn right and go approximately 100 feet. Turn left into the Forbes Road Career & Technology Center entrance (Gateway Press building is on the right).

- - - - -

CoREM is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. All our revenues come from membership dues. If you find our services valuable, please sign up for membership and submit your tax-deductible $35 fee. (Make checks out to “CoREM”.) Give it to our treasurer Dennis Snedden or send it to him at 613 Library Av., Carnegie, PA 15106-2910.

CoREM provides a forum for the critical study of original and effective leadership methods and principles through collaboration and lifelong learning, to benefit individuals, organizations, and our communities.

Super Tuesday Feb 5 CoREM Event!!

Free Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.

In Pennsylvania, we can't vote on super Tuesday, but we can come to a big CoREM Event for 4:00 PM Tuesday, February 5, 2008,

CoREM Book Review:
“The Black Swan”

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

--The Impact of the Highly Improbable--

Discussion leader: Art Davidson

This hard-cover non-fiction New York Times best seller makes the concept of a black swan a metaphor for rare events with high impact. For example, put yourself in the place of a young turkey, who finds every day of life just getting better and better. As each day passes pretty much like the one before, the turkey gets more and more comfortable with his environment and more and more confident in the future. For a thousand days, his confidence builds. Then, on the 1001^st day, the day before Thanksgiving, he experiences an event that he could not ever have predicted, and which has extreme consequences for him. The ax falling on that Wednesday in November is a narrative used by Taleb to define his concept of a black swan event.

In world events, 9/11 was a black swan event for the Bush administration. The rise of the internet and quick success of Google also fit the description of black swans in business. Clearly, leaders of all organizations need to think about this concept.

Art Davidson will give a summary of Taleb’s ideas, assuming no prior knowledge of the book. He will lead a discussion of how Black Swan events, both good and bad, have shaped our lives, organizations, and community. There will also be an original CoREM hands-on exercise calculating what might be called a logistical black swan.

Bio for speaker: Dr. Arthur Davidson has been active in CoREM and predecessor organizations since 1993. He served as Director of the Deming Forum of Western Pennsylvania from 1994-1997, and was a co-founder of CoREM. He is presently employed as the Executive Director of the Center for Circuit and System Solutions (C2S2) at Carnegie Mellon University. Previously he had 25 years of experience in the computer and defense industries at IBM, Westinghouse, and Northrop Grumman. He teaches “Business for Engineers” to undergraduates and “Nonlinear Dynamics” to grad students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept. at Carnegie Mellon

Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center
The Center borders Boyce Campus of CCAC
Address: 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 412-373-8100
From Downtown Pittsburgh: Go east on Interstate 376 (Parkway East) approximately 15 miles and get off the Parkway in Monroeville at exit 14B (Plum), just past exit 14A (Rt. 48). Proceed north through the intersection with the traffic light to the stop sign at Beatty Road. Van Horn’s Funeral Home will be on the far left corner. Turn right on to Beatty Road and drive to the second stop sign (Community College of Allegheny County--Boyce Campus entrance). Turn right and go approximately 100 feet. Turn left into the Forbes Road Career & Technology Center entrance (Gateway Press building is on the right).
- - - - -
CoREM is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. All our revenues come from membership dues. If you find our services valuable, please sign up for membership and submit your tax-deductible $35 fee. (Make checks out to “CoREM”.) Give it to our treasurer Dennis Snedden or send it to him at 613 Library Av., Carnegie, PA 15106-2910.

CoREM provides a forum for the critical study of original and effective leadership methods and principles through collaboration and lifelong learning, to benefit individuals, organizations, and our communities. See CoREM’s programs since the middle of 2007 at the CoREM blog: Leading Leaders and Leadership.

CoREM Event for January 8, 2008

Dear CoREM members and friends,

We’re ready to begin our new year of programs and we want you to be a part of our exciting year of learning. The January program is one you won’t want to miss.

Join us Tuesday, January 8th for a special CoREM “action learning” event:

A Quick Course in Quick Coaching

Free Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.

In just two hours you will learn some quick coaching techniques to help the people you supervise (or just work with) better define and attain their goals. Whether you work in a business or a nonprofit, or you want to get better results from people you volunteer with, these techniques are universally applicable and highly useful. And you will get enough instruction and practice during this CoREM meeting to put them in place immediately. The training will include a live, unrehearsed coaching demonstration and one-on-one practice coaching sessions for everyone. Come prepared to learn and participate.

Our Presenter: Pete McQuillin is a principal in Fourth River Associates, LLC, a Pittsburgh based consulting, coaching and training firm that specialized in helping businesses and nonprofits—and the people who work for them—handle change with resilience. He has a broad background in business management and sales and, for the past two years, he has been coaching Fourth River clients one-on-one.

Date and Time: January 8, 2008, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Place: Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville (directions follow)
Sponsor: CoREM (the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management)
Cost: free
Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.
- - - - - -

Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center
The Center borders Boyce Campus of CCAC
Address: 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 412-373-8100
From Downtown Pittsburgh: Go east on Interstate 376 (Parkway East) approximately 15 miles and get off the Parkway in Monroeville at exit 14B (Plum), just past exit 14A (Rt. 48). Proceed north through the intersection with the traffic light to the stop sign at Beatty Road. Van Horn’s Funeral Home will be on the far left corner. Turn right on to Beatty Road and drive to the second stop sign (Community College of Allegheny County--Boyce Campus entrance). Turn right and go approximately 100 feet. Turn left into the Forbes Road Career & Technology Center entrance (Gateway Press building is on the right).
- - - - -
CoREM is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. All our revenues come from membership dues. If you find our services valuable, please sign up for membership and submit your tax-deductible $35 fee. (Make checks out to “CoREM”.) Give it to our treasurer Dennis Snedden or send it to him at 613 Library Av., Carnegie, PA 15106-2910.

CoREM Workshop for December 4, 2007

For FREE registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.

Five Key Principles of Corporate Performance Management – As Applied to High-Performing Organizations

Many companies suffer from chronic issues which impede their performance. Shortcomings in Strategic Planning, the development of effective metrics, problem solving and project management skills all contribute to preventing breakthrough and sustainable results. CoREM is proud to present Bob Paladino and Jeff Poholsky to address these areas along with leveraging best practices, and how to establish an office to oversee these critical performance management functions.

Mr. Paladino is the author of Five Key Principles of Corporate Performance Management, a recent bestseller in the Amazon.com list of popular business reference books. Bob will speak to the Five Key Principles and outline their relationships to each other, and illustrate the concepts with several case studies and examples.

Mr. Poholsky is Manager of Strategic Planning and Performance for L.B. Foster Company, headquartered here in Pittsburgh. Jeff spoke at a previous CoREM session in August 2005 to discuss the redesign of the L.B. Foster Strategic Planning process, in this session he returns to highlight the application of the Five Key Principles at L.B. Foster, and also to provide updates in their journey toward sustained performance excellence.

Bob Paladino, CPA , founder of Bob Paladino & Associates, LLC, is a former executive and longtime implementation practitioner in the Corporate Performance Management (CPM) field. His firm advises Boards of Directors and executives, and offers CPM services for rapidly implementing and integrating proven methodologies to drive breakthrough results. He contributes to leading research projects. Recently, as Senior Vice President of Crown Castle International in the Office of the CEO, he directed the global CPM/Balanced Scorecard program to win both the coveted Hall of Fame award and APQC's Best Practice Partner award. Formerly a leading consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Towers Perrin, he is a Wharton MBA, a CPA, and a member of the AICPA and MSCPA. He is published in leading journals and is among the highest-rated speakers at corporate and industry events such as FEI, ASMI, and CFO Rising. He is also the author of Five Key Principles of Corporate Performance Management.

Jeff Poholsky is Manager of Strategic Planning and Performance for L.B. Foster Company, and has been employed with the Company for 20 years. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, with a minor in Mathematics, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Jeff has also earned the CIRM (Certified in Integrated Resource Management) designation from APICS.

At L.B. Foster, Jeff is currently responsible for facilitating and championing the Company’s Balanced Scorecard process, and has most recently played a key leadership role in the overhaul of the Strategic Plans of the various units of the Company. Previously, Jeff has held a variety of roles in the Company, including Senior Accountant and Business Systems Analyst.

Jeff resides in the town of McCandless, and in addition to membership in APICS, sits on the advisory board of the Kaplan Career Institute (formerly ICM School of Business).


- - - - -

Date and Time: Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Place: Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville (directions follow)
Sponsor: CoREM (the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management)
Cost: free
Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.
- - - - - -

Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center
The Center borders Boyce Campus of CCAC. Address: 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 412-373-8100
From Downtown Pittsburgh: Go east on Interstate 376 (Parkway East) approximately 15 miles and get off the Parkway in Monroeville at exit 14B (Plum), just past exit 14A (Rt. 48). Proceed north through the intersection with the traffic light to the stop sign at Beatty Road. Van Horn’s Funeral Home will be on the far left corner. Turn right on to Beatty Road and drive to the second stop sign (Community College of Allegheny County--Boyce Campus entrance). Turn right and go approximately 100 feet. Turn left into the Forbes Road Career & Technology Center entrance (Gateway Press building is on the right).
- - - - -

CoREM is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. All our revenues come from membership dues. If you find our services valuable, please sign up for membership and submit your tax-deductible $35 fee. (Make checks payable to “CoREM”.) Give it to our treasurer Dennis Snedden or send it to him at 613 Library Av., Carnegie, PA 15106-2910.

CoREM provides a forum for the critical study of original and effective leadership methods and principles through collaboration and lifelong learning, to benefit individuals, organizations, and our communities.

CoREM Workshop for November 6, 2007

CoREM Meeting Announcement – Tuesday, November 6, 2007

FREE Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.

Leadership, Perception and the Bottom Line:
How Our Ingrained Perceptions Influence Behavior


Perceptions are reality. For some people in the workplace who are on the receiving end of negative stereotypes, these perceptions can withhold opportunities, slow career progress, and damage esteem. As a leader or team member, it’s critical for you to be aware of how your perceptions affect your judgments and interactions with others. Perceptions can have profound influence on the outcomes in your organization. Perceptions can also stop you from recognizing talent and fully utilizing the resources within your organization.

Join CoREM for a fascinating and unusual look at the subject of perceptions and stereotypes in the workplace. Come prepared to think “out of the box” about stereotypes and perception and how they influence behavior. Justin Lokay will share a unique perspective about stereotypes based on personal experience that will surely generate discussion and learning. Join us for this provocative session.

Our Speaker: Justin Lokay currently serves as the Government Affairs and Annual Giving Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. As a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Justin has continued to hold a deep connection to the Pittsburgh region. In 2003, at only 23 years old, Justin beat the odds and was elected in an undisputed landslide as the youngest councilman in the history of East McKeesport Borough. He has since worked on the state and national political arena. Justin was named one of Pittsburgh’s 40 most influential and successful young professionals by Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP in 2004. He has since made appearances on the Discovery Channel and ABC’s Primetime to discuss his interesting life story.



- - - - -

Date and Time: Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Place: Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville (directions follow)
Sponsor: CoREM (the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management)
Cost: free
Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at bpalmer@interlinkbusiness.com or 724-733-5007.
- - - - - -

Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center
The Center borders Boyce Campus of CCAC. Address: 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 412-373-8100
From Downtown Pittsburgh: Go east on Interstate 376 (Parkway East) approximately 15 miles and get off the Parkway in Monroeville at exit 14B (Plum), just past exit 14A (Rt. 48). Proceed north through the intersection with the traffic light to the stop sign at Beatty Road. Van Horn’s Funeral Home will be on the far left corner. Turn right on to Beatty Road and drive to the second stop sign (Community College of Allegheny County--Boyce Campus entrance). Turn right and go approximately 100 feet. Turn left into the Forbes Road Career & Technology Center entrance (Gateway Press building is on the right).
- - - - -

CoREM is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. All our revenues come from membership dues. If you find our services valuable, please sign up for membership and submit your tax-deductible $35 fee. (Make checks payable to “CoREM”.) Give it to our treasurer Dennis Snedden or send it to him at 613 Library Av., Carnegie, PA 15106-2910.

CoREM provides a forum for the critical study of original and effective leadership methods and principles through collaboration and lifelong learning, to benefit individuals, organizations, and our communities. See CoREM’s programs since the start of 2007 at the CoREM blog: Leading Leaders and Leadership.

CoREM Workshop for October 2

Join us October 2nd for a reprise of a special CoREM “action learning” event:

The Beer Game: A Participative Lesson in Systems Thinking and Supply Chain Management

Free Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at brienp@adelphia.net or 724-733-5007.

The audience will play the (in)famous Beer Game: a logistics exercise developed by MIT’s Sloan School of Management. You and the other participants will sit at prepared tables and take roles within the organizations in the chain of commerce between brewery and consumer: brewer, wholesaler, retailer, etc. You will respond to orders for beer by building your inventory, brewing more beer, etc. The effects of your decisions (and those of the other participants) will comprise the “market” for this brand of beer. Can you anticipate and react to events effectively? Can you keep the system running smoothly? Can you keep a straight face in the face of the pressure and the hilarious actions of other teams?

The Beer Game was featured and popularized in Peter Senge’s best-selling book The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization. On a more local scale, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covered CoREM’s first public presentation of the Beer Game several years ago with a cover story in the Sunday business section.

Art Davidson and other CoREM members will lead the audience in an exciting and memorable event. Please register ASAP as the table space for participants is definitely limited.

- - - - -

Date and Time: October 2^nd, 2007, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Place: Forbes Road Career and Technology Center in Monroeville (directions follow)

Sponsor: CoREM (the Council on Realizing Excellence in Management)

Cost: free

Registration: Contact Brien Palmer at BrienP@adelphia.net or 724-733-5007.

- - - - - -

Directions to Forbes Road Career & Technology Center

The Center borders Boyce Campus of CCAC. Address: 607 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 412-373-8100 From Downtown Pittsburgh: Go east on Interstate 376 (Parkway East) approximately 15 miles and get off the Parkway in Monroeville at exit 14B (Plum), just past exit 14A (Rt. 48). Proceed north through the intersection with the traffic light to the stop sign at Beatty Road. Van Horn’s Funeral Home will be on the far left corner. Turn right on to Beatty Road and drive to the second stop sign (Community College of Allegheny County--Boyce Campus entrance). Turn right and go approximately 100 feet. Turn left into the Forbes Road Career & Technology Center entrance (Gateway Press building is on the right).

- - - - -

CoREM is an all-volunteer, nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. All our revenues come from membership dues. If you find our services valuable, please sign up for membership and submit your tax-deductible $35 fee. (Make checks out to “CoREM”.) Give it to our treasurer Dennis Snedden or send it to him at 613 Library Av., Carnegie, PA 15106-2910.

CoREM provides a forum for the critical study of original and effective leadership methods and principles through collaboration and lifelong learning, to benefit individuals, organizations, and our communities. See CoREM’s programs since the start of 2007 at the CoREM blog: Leading Leaders and Leadership.