Team Building, Teamwork

In so many organizations, we see discussions around problem solving go wrong. To be an effective problem solving organization, there has to be a framework of questions that will lead towards full alignment on the issue. Once we have that alignment, then we can have a serious conversation around legitimate solutions. In a world where everyone […]

“If you don’t hear these words and understand their importance, we are not going to get ‘there.’ And in my world, getting ‘there’ is winning a gold medal.” ~Luther Carpenter, US Olympic Sailing Coach Coaching people to elite performance is hard, under any circumstances. But it is especially hard at the Olympic Games, where you are […]

Every day is a good day to express some gratitude. But the holiday season seems like an especially good time to pause, reflect, and say “thanks” to those around us. My colleagues and I are putting the finishing touches on our year over the next 24 hours, and will close our office for the holidays […]

Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council, August 2018 It’s a fact of modern office life: We all have to conduct business remotely. And many of us have to bring together a team of far-flung colleagues or reports. We all know that absorbing information given to us over the phone or through video conferencing is much […]

This post was written by Dan Cooney, Director of Coaching and Senior Facilitator at The Latimer Group. A Gartner Group study found that two-thirds of workers need to check in with more than one boss to get their work done. Yes, the rise of the matrix organization has contributed to this dynamic, but so too […]

I heard a keynote recently by a guy who built much of his talk around the distinction between the words “cooperate” and “collaborate.” His point was that the concept of collaboration was a few steps beyond the concept of cooperation. His use of the terms was that when people cooperate they do the bare minimum […]

Here’s a challenging one, with no easy answer. Do you make your work life harder if you become friends (non-romantically) with a colleague or colleagues? Does it become harder to do your job when your professional relationships are overlaid with personal friendships? I think the answer is “maybe.” Adding a personal component to a professional […]

This post was written by Brett Slater, Chief Social Media Officer at The Latimer Group. True story: This is my Grandfather’s camel. Years ago, when my grandfather was in the day-to-day grind, he was in a job that frustrated him. So he bought this little toy camel, and snipped off a number of straws from […]

Don’t worry… this post is not an endorsement of any political figure, party or position. But I am shamelessly grabbing a well-known, and highly divisive, political slogan to make a point about the United States, and the state of our culture. As a country, we talk all the time about how to make our country […]

Originally published with the Forbes Coaches Council November 22, 2017. When we think about how to become better communicators, we often think about the tools we use: our data, our PowerPoint deck, our posture and poise. And these are crucial. But the real keys to sustained, long-term improvement and success as a communicator might surprise you, in […]