Dean Brenner

Leaders, mentors and people in positions of authority have enormous power. The power to make decisions, set rules and regulations, run the P&L. Many forms of power. But today our topic is not about the typical, top-of-mind forms of power. Today our topic is the power of the leader’s voice. And in particular the power […]

I am going to date myself here, and refer to one of my favorite moments in movie history. In the movie Wall Street, the central character Bud Fox says as he is about to enter Gordon Gekko’s office that “life comes down to a few moments… this is one of them.” (And my references to […]

Think about where you want to go in your career. Think about the things you want to achieve, the position you want to have, the control you want to have over your progression. Now think about the skills that are going to help you get there. What’s on your list? It’s your list, and entirely […]

Communication clarity is really hard in the 21st century… a mantra I have recited over and over in this space. Why is it hard? Because there is so much “noise,” competition for mind share, distractions, news flashes, posts, texts and alerts, emails… all of it conspiring to pull our attentions spans in many directions all at once. […]

Do you want to be seen as “essential” by your manager, leader or executive? I will assume for a moment that your answer is “yes.” So let’s talk about what that will require. First, let’s start with the “table stakes” part of being essential: you have to do your job well, treat your clients or […]

How often do you sit in meetings and think to yourself “wow… this is a colossal waste of time“? My guess is your answer is some version of “far too often.” The next time you are feeling that way, do some quick back-of-the-envelope calculations. Make an estimate of what you get paid by the hour. […]

Information is the blood supply in the modern business organization. But in a world where there is an overwhelming amount of information available, we have to make sure that we are exchanging good information, and not just any information. So let me amend my opening sentence. Good information is the healthy blood supply in the […]

(We recently had a conversation with a good friend of The Latimer Group, who said something really powerful to us. Our friend shared that her firm no longer calls communication a “soft skill.” Instead, they refer to communication as a “power skill.” We LOVE that, and it caused me to write this post, which has […]

Here is a story I have witnessed countless times in my career… Think about a young, aspiring leader, with great ideas, all the best intentions, and enough energy to power up a city block. This young leader wants to do well, wants to help the company, and brings great ideas to the table. But that […]

My colleagues and I always talk about the importance of getting to the point quickly. So don’t worry… I am not about to contradict twenty years of Latimer teaching. But my colleagues and I also believe in the importance of audience and situational awareness, and that we should always try to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. […]