DARTON University Announces September Webinar Schedule

It is “back to school” season and a great time for DARTON GROUP consultants to participate in this month’s latest professional development webinars courtesy of DARTON University! 

September 11th   4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
“Would I work for me?”
 Managing people is hard work – maybe the hardest work in business.  Learning to manage effectively is critical to team success.  At this session, you’ll learn

•  What employees want from their managers
• Why accountability is the glue that holds a team together
• The most important skill a manager can have

September 25th    11:00 a.m. – Noon
“Stress Busters”
Work, the economy, aging, life in general – all these things can add to your stress level.  Stress makes you less productive and erodes your health.  At this webinar, you’ll learn

• How stress affects your performance
• How your “sense of control” affects your stress level
• How to set boundaries to reduce stress
• Three simple things you can do today to manage your stress

Fast and Easy Registration!

Webinar class sizes are limited and are available to all DARTON consultants on a “first come, first served” basis. Registration closes 48 hours prior to each webinar event.

To register, please send an email to careers@dartongroup.com.

Be sure to include the date and name of the webinar in your email.

 

Congrats to the 2012 “CFO of the Year” Finalists

Today the Charlotte Business Journal is recognizing outstanding Chief Financial Officers from across the Charlotte region at the 4th annual CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon. The DARTON GROUP team extends a hearty “congrats” to each of this year’s finalists!

2012 Finalists:

1. Jeremy Abig, Wyndham Capital Mortgage Inc.
2. Michael Avara, Horizon Lines
3. Gil Burnette, Sam’s Mart
4. Aimee Dodson, New American Mortgage
5. Barbara Dolan, Boy Scouts of America
6. Bill Elkin, Interflex Group
7. Laurie Guy, Crisis Assistance Ministry
8. Doug Handy, Sales Performance International
9. Phil Hodnett, Baybridge Management Inc.
10. Larry Johns, Michael Waltrip Racing
11. Brenda Lally, Shook Kelley Inc.
12. Nannie Long, Urban League of Central Carolinas Inc.
13. Mike Lynch, SteriTech
14. Scott Purviance, AmWINS Group Inc.
15. Robert Russell, Carolina Tractor and Equipment
16. Pat Ryan, McColl Partners
17. Jane Salter, DukeNet Communications
18. Joaquin Soria, Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte
19. Louis Spitzer, Bahakel Communications
20. Vanessa Thorne, Opera Carolina
21. Kirk Wall, ARAMARK Healthcare Technologies
22. Victoria Young, Mountain Khakis

Want to be a superstar consultant?

Hey DARTON GROUP Consultants…

Effective communication skills are essential to success in consulting

So what is the single most important skill set that separates the average consultant from the “superstar” consultant?  The superstar consultant understands how to excel in his/her communication skills.  Join DARTON University as we launch the first of two webinars in August that will help you improve your communication skills.

August 23rd / 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

“Silence is Golden!”

We live in a noisy society. Breaks in conversation are often seen as uncomfortable.  We’ve forgotten the value of being quiet.  At this webinar, we’ll discuss:

• When silence can help you make a  stronger point
• How silence can improve relationships
• Where appreciating silence can help you close deals
• Why silence really is golden

August 28th /  11:00 a.m. – Noon

“How to have those Difficult Conversations”

Whether you’re managing people, dealing with clients, or talking to your significant other and kids, sometimes unpleasant topics must be discussed.  At this session, you’ll learn:

• How to stop avoiding the unavoidable
• How to embrace the third-party perspective
• Why you might not know what you think you know
• How to end the conversation for a better outcome

Remember that DARTON University offers webinars at no charge to active consultants as part of our commitment to professional development.

Fast and Easy Registration!

Webinar class sizes are limited and are available to all DARTON consultants on a “first come, first served” basis. Registration closes 48 hours prior to each webinar event.

To register, please send an email to careers@dartongroup.com.

Be sure to include the date and name of the webinar in your email.

Thank You for 4 Awesome Years (and More to Come)!

This week the DARTON GROUP team celebrates a wonderful milestone…our 4th business anniversary!

DARTON GROUP co-founders Rochelle Rivas & Mark Weber launched a small start-up company on July 1, 2008 with the dream of being a special company that could make a BIG difference in the senior finance, accounting & project management space across the Charlotte Region.

4 years later, DARTON GROUP has grown rapidly to a “not-quite-so-tiny” size but with even a deeper passion for making a BIG difference.

Thank you to our talented consultants, trusting clients, valued partners, loyal friends & loving family members for believing in us & allowing us to work with you to make a difference.  During this special milestone week, we celebrate you!

Read more about the DARTON GROUP story in the June 2011 issue of Greater Charlotte Biz magazine.

Improve Your Networking Skills to Grow Your Career

Hey DARTON GROUP Consultants!

Networking is a mission-critical skill to build in professional business roles – including consulting.  Take 60 minutes this month to  improve your networking skills and join DARTON University with our next webinar!

“Networking to grow your career“

Thursday / June 21st

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Knowing the right people can help you accomplish more for your company and consulting career.  At this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How networking can help you
  
• How to make the right networking impression
  
• How 6 degrees of separation really works
  

Remember that DARTON University offers webinars at no charge as part of our commitment to professional development.

Fast and Easy Registration!

Webinar class sizes are limited and are available to all DARTON consultants on a “first come, first served” basis. Registration closes 48 hours prior to each webinar event.

To register, please send an email to careers@dartongroup.com.

Be sure to include the date and name of the webinar in your email.

What is a Supertemp and Why Should You Care?

So what is a “Supertemp” and why should you care?

The May 2012 issue of Harvard Business Review features an article entitled “The Rise of the Supertemp”.  The premise of the article is one with which the DARTON GROUP team fully agrees.  The best executive and professional jobs may no longer be full-time gigs.

There is a huge shift that is happening NOW in how high-end work is being accomplished in business, and the prevailing media and corporate cultures have been largely blind to this trend.  The HBR article spotlights the growing trend of how high-end work is increasingly being performed by “Supertemps”, defined as top managers and professionals (from lawyers to CFOs to consultants) who’ve been trained at top schools and companies and choose to pursue project-based careers independent of any major firm.

Supertemps are growing in numbers.  HBR suggests that they are on the verge of changing how business works (DARTON GROUP believes this is already happening given our experience in the Charlotte region).

So who is a Supertemp?

• Supertemps are refugees from big corporations, law firms and consulting firms
• Supertemps value the autonomy and flexibility of project-based work
• Supertemps find that the compensation is comparable to what they earned in full-time jobs (sometimes even better)
• Supertemps leave behind endless internal meetings and corporate politics
• Supertemps find any stigma on temporary jobs, and the people who chose them, as laughably dated

So what is driving this shift in high-end work?

• Technology makes it easy to plug-in
• Job security in corporate America is no longer a given
• More and more high-end professionals are searching for alternatives to 80-hour work weeks
• Corporate America follows the talent
• The surge in outsourcing and consulting in recent years has caused corporate managers to rethink how work is accomplished in the high-end space

Read the HBR article here (registration is required to read the full article).

For more information on the Supertemp trend from a Charlotte perspective, contact Mark Weber (Managing Partner, DARTON GROUP) at 704-697-1187 or Rochelle Rivas (Managing Partner, DARTON GROUP) at 704-697-1186.

DARTON University Announces CPE-Eligible Webinars for May

DARTON GROUP Consultants – 

Take advantage of one of DARTON GROUP’s most popular benefits and build your skills with DARTON University!  DARTON University is holding 2 great webinars in the upcoming weeks that tackle a variety of topics that we consider “mission critical” to success in the consulting space.

Needing CPE Credits?

As an added bonus, you can earn CPE credits with each webinar (why wait until year’s end?)!  Check out our upcoming webinars and register today!

“Why can’t everyone be normal like me?“

Tuesday / May 15th

11:00 am – 12:00 Noon

We’ve all heard the saying “it takes all kinds”.  Yet we get frustrated when dealing with people who don’t think, act and communicate like we do.  At this webinar, we’ll discuss the DISC model of behaviors and help you:

• Understand your own behavior style
  
• Determine the DISC style of your “problem person”
  
• Develop strategies to improve your relationships

“Time is Money – use your time wisely“

Thursday / May 24th

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Time is a perishable commodity.  If you don’t use it, you lose it.  At this webinar you’ll learn about:

• Why we waste time
  
• The biggest time wasters
  
• How to take control so that others don’t rob you of valuable time

Remember that DARTON University offers webinars at no charge as part of our commitment to professional development.

Fast and Easy Registration!

Webinar class sizes are limited and are available to all DARTON consultants on a “first come, first served” basis. Registration closes 48 hours prior to each webinar event.

To register, please send an email to careers@dartongroup.com.

Be sure to include the date and name of the webinar in your email.

Join Us in “Coloring a Brighter Future” with Classroom Central

Today the DARTON GROUP team is participating in one of our very favorite events of the year…Classroom Central’s “Color a Brighter Future” annual philanthropic fundraising luncheon.

Not familiar with Classroom Central?

Let us introduce you to this unique and wonderful organization.  Classroom Central gives students living in poverty the school supplies they need to succeed in the classroom.  This creative charity operates a free school supplies store serving teachers across the greater Charlotte region.

However, Classroom Central does more than provide school supplies. The organization truly helps to create a world of endless possibilities for students.

Make a Difference & Change a Life Today!

Please take 5 minutes to learn more about the mission of Classroom Central and the actions this great group takes to change the lives of students.

Join us today making a personal or corporate donation (Classroom Central welcomes both monetary donations as well as donations of school supplies) by clicking here.

Join DARTON University for 2 Great Webinars Next Week

DARTON GROUP Consultants –

Work, the economy, aging, life in general – all of these things can add to your stress level.  Stress makes you less productive and erodes your health.  We invite you to join DARTON University next week (Wednesday, April 25th) for our next webinar that focuses on the very helpful topic of “stress management”.  Additionally, we invite you to join us for a “bonus” session on Thursday, April 26th, for a repeat of the popular “Would I work for me?” webinar.  Feel free to join us for one, or both, of next week’s webinars.

“Stress Busters”

Wednesday / April 25th 

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Eastern

At this webinar you’ll learn:

• How stress affects your performance
• How your “sense of control” affects your stress level
• How to set boundaries to reduce stress
• Three simple things you can do today to manage your stress

“Would I work for me?”

Thursday / April 26th

11:00 am – 12:00 Noon

At this popular “repeat” webinar you’ll learn:

• What employees want from their managers
• Why accountability is the glue that holds a team together
• The most important skill a manager can have

Remember that DARTON University offers webinars at no charge as part of our commitment to professional development.

Fast and Easy Registration!

Webinar class sizes are limited and are available to all DARTON consultants on a “first come, first served” basis. Registration closes 48 hours prior to each webinar event.

To register, please send an email to careers@dartongroup.com.

Be sure to include the date and name of the webinar in your email.

Rochelle Rivas is Named to 2012 Class of “50 Most Influential Women”

Rochelle Rivas, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, DARTON GROUP

We are celebrating here at DARTON GROUP!!!

Why?

The Mecklenburg Times in Charlotte has announced its fourth “50 Most Influential Women” class. The newspaper spotlights the most influential women in business, government, education and the nonprofit sector.

And our very own Rochelle Rivas (co-founder and Managing Partner) has been named among the 2012 group of most influential women!

We’ll be celebrating Rochelle’s success, and that of her fellow honorees, at an awards dinner on the evening of May 4 at the Marriott Center City in Uptown Charlotte.

Congrats to Rochelle and the rest of the 2012 class of “50 Most Influential Women”!