Working from Home: Trust has to be a Two-Way Street
Posted On July 27, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
There has been a lot of chatter lately about work flexibility, the ability to work from home, etc. It’s a great conversation, and figuring this out is critical for most organizations. Each company has to sort out what works, and then develop and maintain a policy that will attract top talent. I’ve been an entrepreneur […]
You Can Tell A Person’s Real Character By…
Posted On June 27, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
… the way they treat people when they think no one else is looking. … the way they treat people who “don’t matter” to them. People who can’t give them what they want. … the way they treat you when they don’t need anything from you. I apologize for the apparent sermon today. What prompted […]
LeBron James and the Importance of Delivering on a Promise
Posted On June 20, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
The worlds of sports and celebrity are overwhelmed with hype, and people who fail to live up to that hype. It often seems like celebrity and fame in 21st century America require lots of things, but it is equally clear that fame often does not require skill or actual performance. How many people do we […]
How to Make Sure You Get the Most of Employee Training
Posted On May 31, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
We had a great conversation with a long-standing client and friend yesterday, and part of it was a fascinating discussion of “new behaviors.” We were discussing some major training initiatives for his organization, and he asked the million dollar question: “How do we make sure we get a great ROI for our investment in training?” […]
Every Day is a Job Interview
Posted On May 25, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
Here is a little insight into our world at The Latimer Group, and the world for any coaching and training firm. Every single day of work is a job interview for future work. We are guaranteed nothing… We are not on direct deposit or retainer with our clients… We have contracts with all of our […]
Being “On a Team” Doesn’t Mean You HAVE a “Team”
Posted On May 2, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
Teams are everywhere, in every corner of professional life. The concept of “team” is pervasive, so much so that most people take the concept for granted. Most people don’t really grasp what it means to be part of a good, functional, productive team. Most people have probably never experienced “team” at its highest form. True […]
How to Recognize and Avoid Passive-Aggressive Email
Posted On April 21, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
A colleague pointed us to a recent episode from the BBC Business Matters podcast. The subject: Has email made us more passive-aggressive at work? Here’s the excerpt: Passive aggression, defined, is behavior characterized by indirect resistance to the demands of others, and an avoidance of direct confrontation. Both of which are much more easily done via […]
Expand Your World View, and Understand Your Colleagues
Posted On March 21, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
My family and I recently returned from a short trip to Mexico. We have visited family there several times with our son over the last six years, and this was the first plane trip for our infant daughter. Traveling with young kids can be a real challenge, no matter how hard you try to organize […]
Teach Them to Fly, Revisited
Posted On March 9, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
Just about three years ago, I published a post on this blog called “Teach Them to Fly,” about my then three-year-old son, and how important it is to give people — kids and adults alike — the confidence and encouragement to soar with their passions and strengths. I revisited this post recently, and some things […]
How Do You Lead When No One is Looking?
Posted On January 6, 2016 BY Dean Brenner
There is an old adage that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat people who “don’t matter” and when no one is looking. In other words, you get the real insight into a person’s character by the way they treat people who can’t help them in some way, or […]