Dean Brenner

There is a mindset I hear people articulate from time to time… and that mindset is that your presence is primarily created by the way you look and carry yourself. I heard this again recently in a workshop I was teaching, and the participant said that they did not have the wardrobe to create a […]

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 […]

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

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

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]