Managing Change is Constant
Posted On January 23, 2025 BY Dean Brenner
As a business community, we spend a lot of time and money talking about and studying the concept of “change management.” And I understand why. It is an important concept, and organizations and their leaders need to be able to navigate the way through those major moments of change. Get it right, and lots of […]
Leaders Are Also Allowed to Grow
Posted On January 21, 2025 BY Dean Brenner
I spend a lot of my time coaching business leaders, emerging and established ones, on their leadership and communication skills. And the best versions of these conversations occur when the leader is willing to make themselves vulnerable and share with me what keeps them “up at night.” The list of things that cause sleeplessness (literal […]
Creating a Meeting Efficiency Plan for Your Organization
Posted On January 16, 2025 BY Jay Prewitt-Cruz, EdD
This post was written by Jay Prewitt-Cruz, Director of Coaching and Facilitation at The Latimer Group. At The Latimer Group, our recent winter retreat brought us back to square one on revisiting company norms and agreements for our meeting culture. At first glance, this might seem like a setback. But to us, it’s a significant win. As […]
Make Yourself Essential
Posted On December 9, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
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 […]
Organizational Blood Flow
Posted On November 25, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
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 […]
Communication Is NOT a “Soft Skill”
Posted On November 19, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
(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 […]
“Filler Words:” Don’t Undermine Yourself!
Posted On November 13, 2024 BY Lauren St. Germain
This post was written by Lauren St. Germain, Facilitator and Coach for The Latimer Group. I’m nearly two years into parenthood and often say that raising a little human is the fastest way to develop leadership skills. It’s forced me to become more self-aware, consider a perspective outside of my own, and has made me more mindful […]
Solving for Time
Posted On October 8, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
My colleagues and I are always making the case for stronger communication skills. And if we are going to make that case, then we also have to make the case for better preparation. And if we are going to make that case, then we also need to create some time in our work lives to […]
Managing the Ego in the Workplace
Posted On September 24, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
My wife Emily and I have recently been going through some old files in our basement, clearing some stuff out and making some much-needed room in an already-crowded basement. And whenever one starts opening boxes from long ago, two things always seem to happen. You find some stuff, and wonder “why did I ever keep that?” And […]
Fixing Feedback
Posted On September 19, 2024 BY Jay Prewitt-Cruz, EdD
“Would you like to turn on tracking to allow us to gather personal information to improve the experience?” After downloading a new operating system, app, or device, we have all pondered this question. This question often creates antipathy or anger, curiosity at best. But it is an important question. Direct, honest, raw feedback is needed […]