Shortcut to Paris

(CMG 2008, Paris Hotel, Las Vegas, that is)

February, 2008
by Denise P. Kalm

About the Author

Denise P. Kalm, CA, Inc. formerly Cybermation

Denise Kalm has 30 years experience in IT including application programming, enterprise systems management and performance management/capacity planning at Pacific Telephone and Bank of America. She moved to vendor land in 2000, spending 5 ½ years with BMC on the EPA product line, then recently became the senior product marketing manager for enterprise job scheduling products at CA, Inc., formerly Cybermation. She is a regional officer of CMG, has held many volunteer positions within that organization and is a frequent contributing author. Prior to entering the IT profession, she was a biochemical geneticist. Her hobbies include flying, Jazzercise, writing and scuba diving. Her book, Lifestorm, on the Oakland Hills fire, is available on Amazon. She is an executive and personal coach as well, offering phone and in-person coaching.

The best (and easiest) way to get to CMG is to become a speaker. CMG offers a generous discount. And most companies value the cachet of having published authors and speakers on their payroll. It gives them bragging rights.

But for some of us, the hurdle of writing a paper or presentation just seems too high. Reasons range widely, but some common ones are:

I'm not a great writer
What I'm doing isn't that interesting
I'm not Dr. Bernie, Annie Shum, Steve Samson...
No one wants to hear what I have to say
I don't know how to get started
It will be my first CMG

None of these are true! We all have knowledge that is of value to each other - we just don't realize it.

The Mentor Program was created to support you. Established writers and speakers in our field have volunteered to help you move from intention to action, from idea to rehearsing your talk. Mentors can help you get your name up in lights and your body to Las Vegas.

The top 10 reasons to get a mentor today (at )

Mentors know what referees are looking for in CMG-quality papers
Mentors have done the job - they know what you are feeling and worrying about
Everyone (even Stephen King) needs an editor
Everyone needs a "noodge" to keep on track and make the dates
Everyone needs a cheering section
Mentors know how to write
Mentors know best practice powerpoint guidelines
Mentors have contact and reference links
Mentors want you to succeed
And finally, having a mentor means you have an audience next December.

Get started today. Request the help you need, whether it is just a quick idea assessment, or you want help throughout the process. Email me at Do it now!