Short Takes

Marketing

A.T. Kearney Sparks a CEO "Crossfire"

The idea of two individuals trading opinions on a myriad of topics as they sit across from each other on national television is nothing new, especially to a generation weaned on CNN's "Crossfire," not to mention "Geraldo." But the idea of two prominent CEOs being televised in just such a setting offers a curious journalistic twist as well as an awesome sponsorship opportunity for some lucky consultant looking to reach a well-heeled clan of business news junkies. In the case of the new TV property entitled "CEO Exchange," A.T. Kearney has secured the coveted role of exclusive underwriter. The new PBS TV series will begin airing this January and be hosted by CNN senior analyst Jeff Greenfield. The show will be produced by Chicago station WTTW, which expects to air eight shows during the first season.

Five Ideas for the Road Wary

Save tasks for the plane. 

Gill Stewart of Mercer Management Consulting has her assistant pull articles containing keywords, and takes them on a trip instead of a bundle of magazines. Jacqueline Church of Boston-based work-life consulting firm WFD keeps note cards in her briefcase for personal notes to clients and colleagues. "This is an easy thing to do, even on a short flight," she says.

Be travel-savvy.

For example, if the airport in Tampa is experiencing delays or doesn't have a flight to meet your needs, using the airport in St. Petersburg may be the answer to your problems. Similarly, if bad weather is delaying air travel, consider taking the train or driving yourself.

Mix it up.

When on a one-meeting trip, try to schedule around it less intense meetings with inactive clients or prospects. Dinner or breakfast meetings can serve this purpose.

Perks pay dividends.

Even when traveling on client time and expense, it sometimes makes sense to spend a little more for a car service or a hotel with a business center, if productivity gains justify the extra cost.

Manage expenses.

Make expense reporting easier by storing receipts in envelopes with the dates of travel, client, and any other pertinent information.

Retirement

E&Y's Nelson Takes to the Road

In what has long been considered the hallmark of true leadership, Ernst & Young's Roger Nelson handed over his responsibilities to E&Y's new top consultant, Terry Ozan, before stepping down from his position as deputy vice chairman this October. The 60-year-old Nelson will soon be teaching a course in consulting at Northwestern University and is currently pondering the more energetic feat of cycling across the country. A tentative bike route stretches from Jacksonville, FL, to San Diego, CA. As an experienced cyclist, Nelson is already aware of certain road hazards:

"You have to watch out for truck mirrors — some of them jut out awfully far," he explains.

The Consultancy Query

How Would  You Describe Your Firm's Relationship with the  Venture Capital Community?

As part of an effort both to create wealth creation vehicles for their best people and to expose them to cutting-edge technologies, management consulting firms are now busy launching an array of alliances with venture capital firms. Here's how some of the consulting profession's top partners described their firms' maturing relationships with the venture community:

Booz-Allen & Hamilton Senior Partner Chuck Lucier: "Back in the early '80s, one of the big innovations was Bain Capital, which was really Bain seeing there was a big LBO wave and Bain did very well at it … and I think now part of what we're all saying is that there's an opportunity here and not just as it relates to the dot-coms, and, if anything, the opportunity is the same size or bigger. So, we are all exploring ways to create those types of value cap opportunities for ourselves. Most venture capitalists will say they have more money than good opportunities. So, part of this will be helping them find those opportunities."

PwC Global Leader of E-business Consulting Andrew Zimmerman: "We're interested in those VCs that have a lot of activity with business-to-business technology companies. We're sitting down with those VCs that are making a lot of investments in b-to-b, and telling them our story. The thinking behind this is not really driven by the idea of venture capital. The thinking behind this is, if we say we're going to support a vendor, we're going to put people in the development side of things — make commitments in terms of training, and, probably as important, make commitments in terms of management. You know, typically we'll have a VC partner that will be a vendor champion, and in the sense that we're successful and they're successful, [we'll say], why don't we get a little bit of the upside?"

McKinsey & Co. Partner Wendy Becker: "If you look at the trends, you'll find there is a lot of venture funding out there right now. So, where a lot of venture firms are trying to differentiate themselves from each other is in the advice and counsel they can provide to their portfolio companies. … Both McKinsey and the VCs see value in these relationships, and they are starting in all sorts of ways. Sometimes we approach them and sometimes they approach us. … We aspire for all our relationships to be trust-based, long-term relationships — but monogamous may not be the right word."

Compensation

Big Pay Raises for IT Consultants

Information technology professionals with high-demand skills should expect to receive pay raises in the 10 to 20 percent range per year, compared to national average annual increases of 4 to 5 percent for non-IT salaried exempt U.S. employees, according to the findings of a new Hewitt Associates survey of 224 companies reporting data on 33,772 employees.

Despite reports of a drop-off in new business tied to enterprise resource planning projects, ERP specialists continue to command the highest pay, according to the survey's findings.

On top of base pay, professionals with high-demand IT skills are garnering additional pay in a variety of bonus structures. In 1998, 57 percent of IT employees received a bonus of some type, compared with 42 percent in 1997. In addition, bonus pay is now routinely extended to junior-level IT employees. Signing, retention, and project completion bonuses are used more often with IT professionals than with other professional groups. Approximately 10 percent of IT professionals received stock options in the last six months, and 7 percent received stock grants, the survey's findings revealed.

According to the study, turnover of IT employees averages just below 16 percent, but some companies in the study reported turnover rates as high as 35 percent. The average time reported for filling an IT position was three months. Twenty-eight percent of companies reported at least 10 percent of their high tech positions were vacant, and while vacancies are down according to the 1998 reports, 75 percent reported using contract IT employees in at least some capacity.

Child Care

E&Y Partner Establishes Mother Support Group

When Ernst & Young partner Susan Sweet returned from maternity leave last year, she suddenly found herself being cast as a role model.

As the only female partner inside E&Y's New York office who has a child, Sweet has been visited frequently by other new mothers in the firm seeking advice on an array of topics that E&Y's HR department may not be able to answer.

 "My personality type is that I like to have all the answers. But I don't in this case," says Sweet, 40, who has a 15-month-old daughter, Audrey. "People think that because I'm a partner I have it all worked out. I'm a mom for the first time also."

But she does acknowledge that she is a role model. "Some of the younger women were getting the impression that you can't have children and be a partner at the same time. That is totally false. But up until last year, there was no living proof."

Shortly after her return, Sweet gathered enough women, who are all consultants, to start an informal parent support group. The women meet at least once a month in a conference room. Those who are not in the office dial in to a conference call to reduce their commuting time.

"It's very low-key. It's not, 'Okay, now ladies, do we all have our strollers?'" says Sweet. So, what happens when you get 10 consultants in a room? Problems get solved very effectively. Sweet put together a comprehensive checklist of which HR and insurance forms had to be filled out before and after maternity leave. One member compiled a list of Web sites that sell and deliver inexpensive baby products. Another New Jersey mother created a guide to operating her household appliances for her nannies to use.

They've shared ideas on the best ways to get their children to sleep through the night and on which are the best strollers to buy. Answer: Lightweight strollers for the drivers in New Jersey; the New Yorkers need heavy-duty ones that will survive the potholes.

Between the Lines

Words of Wisdom: New Energy Patterns At USWeb

Last July, on the eve of his company acquiring consulting upstart Mitchell Madison, USWeb/CKS president and chief operating officer Toby Corey told Forbes:

"We look at the founders of the companies we acquire in a holistic way — we are interested in their spirituality and their inner selves. … We eliminate about 10 percent of our potential acquisitions because we don't connect with the founders' spirituality. …

"I also use my power of intuition when sizing up a potential acquisition. When I was buying a Web design company last month, I walked into a room and felt a connection to the founder. I believe we are energy patterns. Certain energies connect more strongly than others."

Last month, Corey left USWeb after being replaced as president and COO by Mitchell Madison founder Tom Steiner. USWeb said it would not comment on whether the energy patterns belonging to Corey's replacement have connected strongly with USWeb's board.