CHERYL DYCK, MSI ACTION GROUP, Business Transformation Specialist – C-Suite, Teams, Advisors
CHERYL DYCK
“Riding the Wave”
Mentoring Solutions Inc. (MSI) has mentored, coached and trained hundreds of business owners since its inauguration in 2009. MSI is the successor consulting business, President, Founder, and Chief Business Transformation Specialist, Cheryl Dyck, started in 1990. Today, MSI is one of Calgary’s premier companies in business consulting, transformation consulting, planning and funding, training (including leadership training), and team building.
Using proven tools, methodologies and systems that have been tested and perfected over tens of thousands of businesses worldwide and over more than two decades, Cheryl and her team hold clients accountable for their results and, just like a sports coach, push clients to perform at optimal levels.
“Too many Business Consultants have never operated a business. I have. To provide insight, guidance, and actionable value, I can walk the walk AND talk the talk,” the thirty-year business veteran says. “I have actually run a business, managed teams, and hired people. Like many of our clients, I have gone through ups and downs and have the experience to deal with emergencies and to solve a wide range of technical, process, and people problems.”
“Bad things happen to good people all the time. One of our clients found himself in legal and financial jeopardy as a result of the actions of a bad business partner. I didn’t judge him or see him as a failure. The only thing I saw was a family man who was passionate about his business and who had been left with a mess.”
“We concentrated on what needed to be done and slowly but surely, the client dug himself out of the hole. Today, he operates a clean, viable business. And, we’re still working together in a different capacity - rather than working on transforming his business I am working IN his business as the company’s virtual CFO/CTO!”
Cheryl has Business and Computer Science degrees from the University of Calgary and a Masters in Information Systems, Project Management and Team Development. With Cheryl’s combined business/IT experience her clients typically consist of companies in the technical, construction, manufacturing, service and energy sectors with teams of five or more people.
Her service offering is flexible. “If clients need us to be on site to fulfill an interim executive role that’s where you’ll find us. If clients only want us to advise and support, we do that too. If COVID has reminded us of anything, it’s that flexibility is key,” Cheryl says.
Philosophy & Approach
While Cheryl was completing her Masters part-time, she continued to run her own consulting business and to grow her family. “With everything that was going on, I had to learn discipline, to focus on who and what was important, and to manage my time and expectations. When my beloved mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s I learned how to, “Become like water,” as encouraged by famed martial artist, Bruce Lee,” she explains.
“Mom passed peacefully in 2014. Dad, at 93, passed away in May 2020. Between family and business demands, there are still a lot of things to juggle. I’ve learned how to prioritize and to not feel guilty about my choices. More importantly, I’ve taught clients how to do the same.”
Cheryl has a core team of three people, including her daughter, whom Cheryl describes as a very creative web developer, multi-media artist, jeweller, and administrator. “MSI also has an extensive, pre-vetted network of experts. Our team expands or contracts based on client requirements and we can quickly mobilize the right people with the right skill set at the right time.”
With the exception of her daughter, Cheryl’s other team members have twenty-thirty years of experience, training and certifications in core areas of business and team development. Accreditations include: business process re-engineering; computer forensics, conflict management; effective meetings, DiSC certifications; marketing training; and leadership training and development.
“We can adapt our training to all types of teams, industries and business situations. We also have training programs that are acceptable for grant training initiatives, so clients can take advantage of those savings. Because I focus on people rather than processes I have always let team members deal with family issues when they arose. Team members appreciate this and worked even harder after they returned to work.”
MSI Professional Services
1. Assessments for Business Readiness including information technology, information and business processes, growth, funding and grants.
2. Development and management of IT teams and development of custom applications and websites. Includes assessment, selection, implementation & integration of technology and information solutions (developed and purchased). Emergency management of IT groups, recovery and sustainability of IT services in adverse situations. Computer forensics.
3. Assist businesses to acquire Funding to grow, hire team, and expand.
4. Business Planning and projections for grants and funding, including pitch decks.
5. Public speaker/seminar facilitator. Team Training led by certified trainers using our DiSC, communications, technology/process implementation training. Includes HR, productivity, and change management, Engage & Grow classes to build team engagement, leadership, and to support productivity and growth.
6. Development, management and mentoring of IT teams. Development of custom applications and websites. Emergency management of IT groups, recovery and sustainment of IT services in adverse situations.
7. Consulting/Interim Management programs supported by grant funding, like the Job Training Grants. Strategic Planning for growth, funding and grants. Includes planning, team retreats, mentoring, workshops, team building sessions, strategic management retreats, advisory, exit and succession planning, help with buying and selling businesses, building a business to run without you, sales and profit growth, marketing strategies, diversification; massive toolkit and best practices knowledge base for clients.”
8. Business Process Re-engineering (organizationally).
9. Contract Leadership Roles including interim or virtual COO, CTO, CIO, CSIO, VCTO, and VCIO.
10. Business Advisor and Board of Directors roles.
11. Connector for business products and services.
Up Close & Personal
Cheryl is the 2017 Planning Club Americas Winner, received the 2010 NetWORK Coach Award for Americas and was one of the Top 100 Coaches between 2015 and 2019. “Along with our clients, we strive to be top achievers. These awards validate the veracity of our philosophy and approach and to our commitment to never-ending improvement,” Cheryl adds.
Cheryl believes in giving back to the community that has been so good to her. She often speaks at networking events and provides pro bono consulting to not-for-profit organizations like the Calgary Arts Summer School Association (https://www.cassamusicalarts.com/). She also mentors MBA students at the University of Calgary and uses her extensive network to match under-employed international professional women with local opportunities.
Over the last ten years, Cheryl has written several articles for Womanition and has collaborated on several books (https://womanition.com/). Assuming social distancing restrictions have been lifted, she is scheduled to speak at a Womanition event in October.
On the 3rd Friday of every month Cheryl hosts public educational webinars. She also offers 90-minute complimentary consultations to new clients. If you want to find out more about an upcoming event or to have a private consultation, please email CherylDyck@cassconsulting.ca.
Cheryl has a Black Belt in karate, and has her sports, lifeguard, swimming and executive coaching certificates. She has been married to Stan, an entrepreneur, for the past 33 years. The couple has two entrepreneurial adult children. Their 24-year-old son is studying for his Masters, runs his own Kinesiologist business, and works in two other businesses. Their 27- year old daughter works with Cheryl at MSI and runs her own two businesses - a custom jewellery and textile business and website design and development business.
As a last word, Cheryl says, “The things we go through make us better people and better business people. Cultivate flexibility. Look for solutions. Leave negativity and negative people behind. Make time for people who make time for you. Say YES to your dreams!”
Suzen Fromstein is the author of Suits and Ladders, Ten Proven Ways to Keep Your Job Safe - with a few jokes thrown in. Suits and Ladders was an Amazon Best Selling Book in the Career Guides Career Guides Category
Cheryl Dyck
MSI Action Group
403.615.6440
cheryldyck@msiactiongroup.ca