Your Communication Behaviors Are Contagious
Posted On September 14, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
We spend a lot of our time in workshops, on this blog, and in all our conversations with our clients, discussing the importance of good communication skills. We always talk about the power of listening, of being prepared, of having goals and talking points and plans… all of it matters. When you take a good […]
Managing Expectations… and Perceptions
Posted On September 12, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
I was speaking with my good friend Tom not long ago, and he said something to me that really resonated. Tom is a business owner, and the definition of a “straight shooter”. He doesn’t tolerate people who waste his time or who don’t deliver as promised… and he is not afraid to say so. We […]
The Flag on my Front Porch
Posted On September 11, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
Author’s Note: I wrote this piece exactly three years ago, on September 11th, 2020, and then reposted it again in September 2021 and 2022. And based on the number of emails and comments I received each time, it was clear that it resonated loudly with many. And everyone who knows me, knows I love meaningful […]
Silence Is NOT An Absence of Music
Posted On September 7, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
When we are listening to music, and there is a moment of silence in the piece of music, that moment of silence is not an absence of music. No. Rather, the moment of silence is part OF the music. I love this idea. The silence is a conscious choice by the composer. The silence contributes […]
How You Can Help Your People Manage Their Time
Posted On September 5, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
If you are like the vast majority of people we meet in our workshops, then you are struggling with too many meetings, too many messages, too many requests, and too many demands on your time. If you are like the vast majority of people we meet in our workshops, then the boundaries between your home […]
The Most Valuable Person in the Room
Posted On August 31, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
Details matter in business, and in some industries, the details are everything. But the amount of detail we discuss in meetings and presentations, and the way in which we communicate it, is a daily source of frustration in most companies. I hear this every single day… I am drowning in detail… I didn’t need to […]
The Power of Inclusive Language
Posted On August 29, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
Four years ago, things were going well for me and my colleagues at The Latimer Group. We were like a boat running hard downwind in a following breeze. The wind was blowing the dog off the chain, and we were barely holding on, white knuckles at all times. But even though the breeze was blowing […]
6 Tips to Help You Nail Your Next Interview
Posted On August 24, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
In our coaching and training, we end up discussing the interview process all the time. Many of our existing clients interview regularly for promotions within their company. And we also partner with many young professionals or “pre-professionals,” who are trying to get launched and established on their career path. In other words, regardless of where […]
Embracing Our Authentic (Best) Selves
Posted On August 21, 2023 BY Jay Prewitt
This post was written by Jay Prewitt, Director of Coaching and Facilitation at The Latimer Group. Have you struggled with how to be your authentic self at work? Should we bring our whole selves to the workplace? Great questions. If you haven’t seen chief diversity officer and keynote speaker Carin Taylor’s 2022 TedTalk on Belonging, I urge […]
Leaders: Push and Protect… Both Matter
Posted On August 17, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
I had a conversation with my eldest child the other day that is relevant to today’s discussion. Our son is 13, quite opinionated, and a good negotiator! And he came to his parents to let us know that he did not like a decision we had made, and wanted to know why we had made […]