Hello clients, friends and members of The Latimer Community.
The “end of” something is often a great time to reflect on what you have been through… the end of the day, the month, the quarter, or the year are all great and natural times to pause and reflect. So as we rapidly approach the end of 2021, spending a few moments to reflect on the rapidly closing year, and another few to consider a rapidly approaching 2022, seems like time very well spent. I have been doing exactly that over the last few days.
But unlike many years past, it seems like a true consideration of 2021 requires expanding the time frame back to March of 2020, because this year has seemed to be an extension of many things that began 22 months ago — a long, extended, and forced, period of reconsideration about everything in the way we live, work, and socialize. We have had to reconsider what it means to be a considerate member of a community, what it means to be part of a work culture, what it means to serve our clients, what it means to interact with other people, what it means to keep our kids safe… Weighty stuff. The list of things we have all had to think hard about is not a short list.
2020 was, without question, the most challenging year in The Latimer Group’s history. Like many businesses, we had a liminal experience and an existential crisis. We closed 2020 with some good momentum, but nothing felt certain. That was the context as we entered 2021. Uncertainty. A recovery felt like it was happening, and we entered with some confidence… the operative phrase being some.
Fast forward twelve months, to today, and this has been, without question, our most satisfying year in in our Latimer history. We partnered with more organizations, and trained and coached more people, than ever before. We became an entirely virtual organization, after 17+ years of being an almost entirely in-person organization. We dramatically increased the size of our team, and successfully expanded our internal culture. We brought new services, new content, new faces and voices, to all of our clients.
We stretched the limits of what our team was capable of. We had our fair share of bad days and less-than-perfect moments, without question. But as I always say in our team meetings, the sign of a great team or organization is not the absence of conflict or the lack of mistakes. The sign of a great team is a consistent ability to resolve conflict and correct mistakes. And on that front, our team performed at the highest possible level.
So as we look ahead to 2022, there are many things we will be excited to share with our Latimer Community. We have a significant new hire to announce… a significant new business launch to share… and The Latimer Group will be celebrating its 20th anniversary throughout the coming year. Lots of exciting things to discuss and share with you.
In the meantime, we spend the remaining few days of 2021 in deep reflection and appreciation for the community of people we are a part of. We are grateful, indeed, for our relationships with our clients and all of you.
On an individual level, I am grateful for having the opportunity to work with an outstanding group of people who I trust, and who perform at an extremely high level every day. Despite all of the challenges of the last 22 months, and the many sleepless nights due to the many unknowns, my colleagues have been the reason I wake up every day with my spirit renewed. I have always believed in the power of a great team. But never more so than right now, at this moment.
I close this year with a hearty and heartfelt “thank you” to you, our clients and friends. Our purpose at The Latimer Group is to serve you, our community. And that is an honor we take seriously, every single day. We are grateful for that opportunity, and for you.
Happy holidays to all, and onto a great 2022.
Dean Brenner, CEO and Founder
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