“I’ve dealt with a lot of consultants in my career and Ann is the best at what she does. This project had a great return on investment.” more ...
Bill Ward, President & CEO, Regional Employment Board of Hampden County
more...
“Ann, thank you for this session. It was the most amazing and provocative session I have ever had here at the ASTD. Thank you very much!” more ...
Marcos Rojas, Brazil, talking about my presentation at the 2013 ASTD International Conference
more...
“When I need pragmatic changes that will stick, I call Ann. I know I’m going to get what we need. Whatever she would say about herself, I would say she is too modest. She’s the best.” more ...
Perry Walraven, President and CEO, Performance Controls, Inc. a Subsidiary of Hitachi Medical Corporation
more...
“On a collaborative project with Boeing Phantom Works, Ann did a tremendous job in identifying cost drivers, producibility issues, and productivity barriers of a supplier organization.” more ...
Ed Gerding, Chief Engineer C-17 St. Louis, The Boeing Company
more...
“‘Uncommon Meetings’ is a must read for everyone in any organization, not just top management.”
Al Kasper, President & COO, Savage Sports Corporation
more...
“Ann Latham is one of the best business speakers I have heard.” more ...
Dr. Alan G. Robinson, Isenberg School of Management, Author - "Corporate Creativity: How Innovation & Improvement Actually Happen"
more...
“Ann’s book, Clear Thoughts, is the fresh, grounding breath of perspective every executive needs.” more ...
Jane Lansing, VP Marketing, Emerson Process Management
more...
“Ann truly helped us achieve profitable, predictable growth while improving the quality of our methods and processes.” more ...
S. W. Emery, Jr., Chairman and CEO, MTS Systems Corporation
more...
“Ann uncovers common ground, creates opportunity, and guides the group to shared conclusions in remarkably little time.” more ...
Laurie Fenlason, Vice President for Public Affairs, Smith College
more...
“Ann, I love your Clear Thoughts newsletter. I read every edition. They’re all fantastic, and highly relevant to Medtronic.”
Paul Franson, Clinical IT Development Manager, Medtronic
more...
“I hadn’t realized how entrenched I was in so many time-wasting habits until Ann Latham made them transparent.” more ...
Jim Goodwin, CEO, Center for Human Development
more...
“If you haven’t worked with Ann, heard her speak, or subscribed to her newsletter, you are missing a great opportunity!” more ...
Suzanne Bates, CEO, Bates Communication
more...
“I would recommend Ann to anyone who wants to make better plans and decisions with greater speed and confidence.” more ...
W. Lowell Putnam, Chairman/CSO, VCI (Video Communications, Inc.)
more...
“You are clearly a gifted facilitator and helped us achieve some important outcomes. The ROI was there.”
Bob Fazzi, President & CEO, Fazzi Associates
more...
“’Wow’ sums it up nicely.” more ...
John Heaps, President, Florence Savings Bank
more...
“Ann identifies the crux of a problem and solutions that work for you. No one is better.” more ...
Perry Walraven, President and CEO, Performance Controls, Inc. a Subsidiary of Hitachi Medical Corporation
more...
“Ann’s presentation on improving productivity would be valuable for anybody, including CEOs.” more ...
Linda Sullivan, CEO, NEMT
more...
“Working with diverse technical team members, Ann was able to gain consensus and win over even the skeptical.”
Dana Badgerow, General Manager, AeroMet Corporation
more...
“Ann has planning an effective meeting down to a science and… it works!” more ...
Dan L. Gibbons, Principal, Gibbons & Associates Consulting
more...
“I’ve never been to a retreat that was so focused, so fast paced, and with such clear progress throughout.”
Jay Primack, Managing Partner, Moriarty & Primack P.C.
more...
“Ann is simply outstanding at moving a group to a strong conclusion.” more ...
Chuck McCullagh, CFO, The Williston Northampton School
more...
“Ann transformed our thinking about how our organization works. She truly lives up to her brand of ‘uncommon clarity.’” more ...
Suzanne Beck, Executive Director, Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
more...
“The process that our committee engaged in was outstanding and the outcome of our work is truly exceptional.” more ...
Russell Peotter, General Manager, WGBY - Public Television for Western New England
more...
“The time and stress saved by one phone call with Ann was astounding.”
Rev. Johanna McCune Wagner, Director of Religious Life, The Culver Academies
more...
Receive Our Complimentary Newsletter
Ann Latham
As an expert wilderness canoe guide in areas poorly mapped and fraught with hazards, Ann Latham uses the same laser-like uncommon clarity that she brings to her corporate clients. She doesn't want to get lost in the woods and neither do you.
Before quitting her job after 20+ years in corporate America, Ann asked many colleagues what she did particularly well that was most uncommon. The responses all pointed to the same thing and she named her company Uncommon Clarity based on those answers.
Ann is an expert in creating clarity and has worked with organizations ranging from corporate giants Hitachi and Boeing to numerous smaller businesses and non-profits. Since the need for uncommon clarity knows no boundaries, Ann has contributed to the success of organizations with a wide range of specialties. For example:
- Laser additive manufacturing
- Force and motion control testing systems for materials, cars and more
- Earthquake simulation
- Energy management systems
- Professional services
- Education
- Service companies
- Not-for-profit organizations
Those who benefit from Ann’s uncommon clarity extend to thousands worldwide through her writing. She has been interviewed and quoted in 85 publications including The New York Times, Forbes, Business Week, Inc. Magazine, and MSNBC. Her article, “Why Training Fails,” was honored as the Best-of-the-Web business article by the MBA Depot for 5 months straight starting in November 2011. Her advice also appears regularly in her award winning Clear Thoughts™ newsletter, 3 books, 43 published articles, two dozen videos on her YouTube channel, the Clear Thoughts™ blog, and daily comments on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. In addition, her website includes 125 articles authored by Ann.
Ann has delivered keynotes and workshops to over 50 audiences and 2000 executives, leaders, managers, and MBA students. According to Alan G. Robinson, University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management and author of Ideas Are Free, “Ann Latham is one of the best business speakers I have heard. She is very experienced, the quality of her thinking is extremely high, and she knows how to deliver her message in an entertaining, concise, and convincing way.” She was recently invited to present at the ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) International Conference in 2013, their premier event, expecting over 9000 learning professionals representing more than 70 countries. Ann has also been featured in several audio interviews including the MasterCard Small Business website, "The Principled Profit Radio Show," and a UMass Family Business Center podcast.
Prior to founding her consulting firm, Uncommon Clarity, Ann acquired tremendous experience in high-tech companies, beginning as a software engineer and winding up reporting to the CEO as the leader of many cross-functional, cross-divisional projects to set strategy and improve productivity and profits. Upon leaving the corporate world, she saved only one of the many framed certificates she had received: “Most Likely to Dispute Recognized Authorities,” a good-humored acknowledgement of her constant questioning and challenging of assumptions. This spirit, coupled with her talent for creating clarity and her wide-ranging experience, make Ann unusual and unusually effective. As Alan Weiss, the Million Dollar Consultant®, recently said during a professional development session with many top notch consultants, “Ann has tremendous insights. It's very impressive. She listens, watches, and picks up on something everyone else has missed. I love that stuff."
Ann graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University with a degree in mathematics. Her work and travels have taken her to 36 countries and 48 states. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management MBA Program and the Springfield Technical Community College. Ann is also a Board approved Master Facilitator, an honor bestowed upon an elite group of global consultants by the Society for Advancement of Consulting®. Ann serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, and belongs to The Society for the Advancement of Consulting and the Human Service Forum
An avid alpine skier, Ann enjoys many other sports and outdoor activities, some quite unusual. She has been seen carrying her canoe down the highway while riding a unicycle. She took up ice hockey at age 42 when she got tired of watching her daughters have all the fun, a humbling experience mostly spent skating toward where the puck used to be. She also enjoys quieter activities like watching wildlife and curling up with a good book in front of the fire.