The Most Difficult Thing for a Leader to Change
Posted On February 29, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
Clients of The Latimer Group have heard me say, many times, that the hardest thing for any organizational leader to do is to change the way his or her people actually behave. If you want to reinvent your organization, you can add or subtract business units, product lines, services, locations, etc, etc, etc. You can make yourself […]
5 Truths About Workplace Communication
Posted On February 25, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
In a recent workshop, one participant asked a series of questions about how broad the application of the content we were teaching in the course actually was. I answered in a very “Latimer way,” by saying that our model applies to all forms of workplace communication: meetings, conference calls, presentations, email exchanges, etc. As I […]
The Distinction Between Influence and Authority
Posted On February 6, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
There are two ways we can get people to do what we want or need them to do: because we have influence over them, or because we have authority over them. We can have influence without authority, and we can have authority without influence. Influence comes from respect, collaboration, and credibility. Authority comes from title and your […]
Leaders: You Are Allowed to Be “In Development”
Posted On January 11, 2024 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 for […]
A Suggested New Year’s Resolution
Posted On January 2, 2024 BY Dean Brenner
Good morning to our clients and friends around the world! Happy new year! We hope you all had a restful and joyous holiday, and we look forward to charging ahead into 2024 with you. Here is a quick thought to get our year started off correctly, something that we are taking on here at The […]
Leadership is Rarely Smooth and Easy
Posted On December 19, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
All of us are leaders in one way or another. We all lead, either formally or informally, constantly or occasionally, officially or unofficially. But we all lead. This is a skill that everyone needs to know at least a little something about. In addition, it is important to remember that no two leadership situations are […]
Executive Presence: The Art Of Projecting Leadership
Posted On December 12, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
Think about the best leader you’ve ever witnessed, listened to, or seen in action. What made her/him compelling? I am sure there is a wide range of answers that you might give to explain what made them compelling. But among the many different answers, there would absolutely be some answers centered around said leader’s presence. […]
The Absence of Conflict
Posted On December 6, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
I love thinking about teams. I love considering the best ways to get a group of people on the same page, and working together towards a common goal. I love thinking about how to create an environment that will make great people want to be on the team. And here is one of my favorite […]
Leadership Agility and The Evolving Organization
Posted On December 5, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
Every organization is a dynamic organism, in a constant state of evolution… sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting, sometimes getting stronger, sometimes weaker. What an organization needs at any given moment is likely to be different from what it needed one year ago, or will need one year from now. And it is important for leaders to […]
(Mis)Interpreting the Silence: “Why Haven’t They Gotten Back to Me?”
Posted On November 16, 2023 BY Dean Brenner
Have you ever written or sent something to a colleague, client or partner, perhaps something important, that you worked hard on, and really looked forward to the ensuing discussion? You really wanted to hear their thoughts or you needed an answer? And then been surprised when no prompt response came? And nothing… still nothing… no […]