“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’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...
“I wish everyone read this book. Ann Latham’s “Uncommon Meetings” is a quick read, packed with substantive ideas on how to get more out of meetings in less time. Everyone who runs meetings should read it!”
Janet Warren, President, MarCom Capital
more...
“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.”
Dr. Alan G. Robinson, Isenberg School of Management, Author - "Ideas Are Free"
more...
“On a collaborative project with Boeing Phantom Works, Ann did a tremendous job in identifying the cost drivers, producibility issues, and productivity barriers of a supplier organization, all of which were impeding the success of our project.”
Ed Gerding, Chief Engineer C-17 St. Louis, The Boeing Company
more...
“Ann can help you identify the crux of a problem and solutions that will work for you. While others may be good, my 35 years of experience tells me that no one is better.”
Perry Walraven, President and CEO, Performance Controls, Inc. a Subsidiary of Hitachi Medical Corporation
more...
“Ann’s ability to simplify complex issues such that everyone understood their respective roles was a key part of her success. She truly helped us achieve profitable and predictable growth while improving the quality of our methods and processes.”
S. W. Emery, Jr., Chairman and CEO, MTS Systems Corporation
more...
“I would recommend Ann to anyone who wants to make better plans and decisions in less time and with better confidence in the outcomes.”
W. Lowell Putnam, Chairman/CSO, VCI (Video Communications, Inc.)
more...
“’Wow’ sums it up nicely. The way Ann works is impressive: she has a great handle on people, makes everyone want to work together, ensures meetings are focused and valuable, and simplifies the challenges and options so all can reach shared conclusions.”
John Heaps, President, Florence Savings Bank
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...
“Ann listens, understands, simplifies, reframes, and provides clear advice. I inevitably leave with a new perspective, better decisions, 3 - 4 specific action items, and the resolve and focus I need to get the right things done. If you are looking for a great coach, call Ann.”
Michael Niedenfuehr, Financial Planner, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.
more...
“Ann’s book, Clear Thoughts, is the fresh, grounding breath of perspective that every executive needs in order to see clearly despite the daily chaos”
Jane Lansing, VP Marketing, Emerson Process Management
more...
“Ann uncovers common ground, creates opportunity, and guides the group to new shared conclusions in remarkably little time.”
Laurie Fenlason, Vice President for Public Affairs, Smith College
more...
“Working with a diverse group of manufacturing and design team members, Ann was able to gain consensus for improvement initiatives, win over even the skeptical, and move the team forward toward production-readiness.”
Dana Badgerow, General Manager, AeroMet Corporation
more...
“After working with Ann, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone in need of a strategy, plan, arbitration, facilitation, etc.”
Chuck McCullagh, CFO, The Williston Northampton School
more...
“Ann Latham transformed our thinking about how our organization works. This discovery led us to a strategic model that solves our pain and opens new opportunities. She truly lives up to her brand of ‘uncommon clarity.’”
Suzanne Beck, Executive Director, Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
more...
“Ann is a captivating speaker, providing important principles in an approachable, common-sense way. Our audience enjoyed her depth and breadth of knowledge.”
Aimee Griffin Munnings, Esq., Director, Western New England College Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship
more...
“The process that our committee engaged in was outstanding and the outcome of our work is truly exceptional.”
Russell Peotter, General Manager, WGBY - Public Television for Western New England
more...
“Ann’s work with us helped change the direction of three units very set in their ways and has opened up a myriad of possibilities for growth in the future.”
Joan Schuman, Executive Director, Hampshire Educational Collaborative
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...
Every organization would benefit from the material found in Ann’s audio seminar, “Meeting Mastery.”
Chuck Hatch, General Manager, Packaging Corporation of America
more...
Receive Our Complimentary Newsletter
Change Management Redefined
"The great person is ahead of their time, the smart make something
out of it, and the blockhead, sets themselves against it."
Jean Baudrillard
Change Management REDEFINED:
Suddenly doing the things you should have been doing all along but were able to skip because times were changing slowly and your competitors were behind you!
Below is a five part list of good management practices. Below is also a five part list of Change Management practices. Same list! Check it out!
1. Where are we?
- Assessing the state of the business: finances, market, competition, competencies, process stability, product quality, facilities, knowledge management and growth, employee development and morale, etc.
- Determining what is working
- Determining what isn’t working
2. Why?
- Defining problems carefully
- Using root cause analysis to get to the heart of a problem
- Using metrics to make data driven decisions
3. Where do we want to be?
- Establishing clear objectives
- Biting off no more than you can chew (setting priorities)
- Communicating clearly
4. How are we going to get there?
- Aligning employees throughout the organization behind objectives
- Translating objectives into specific actions at each level of the organization that address multiple aspects of a problem: processes, people, technology
- Involving employees in developing solutions to problems
- Adjusting plans as needed
5. Are we supporting employees so they can excel
- Giving employees at all levels a chance to digest, understand and question the consequences of business decisions
- Developing employee understanding, skills, attitudes and behaviors through training, coaching and varied assignments and experiences
- Treating employees fairly and with respect
- Empowering employees to solve problems and exercise judgment
- Celebrating and rewarding successes
So how can there be one list for both “good management” and “Change Management” when everyone knows that Change Management is a big and scary thing?
Good Management
If you manage your business well and do the things on the list regularly, you probably will never have to worry about change management. Informed, active, sound management practices will likely allow you to address most problems through incremental change. And if you DO encounter a need for large scale change, probably due to external pressures, you will likely have the skills, behaviors and systems in place already that you will need to manage the big change. An organization that really knows how to maintain alignment all the way from the top to the bottom will handle both incremental and large scale change relatively easily.
Change Management
If you don’t manage your business well, small issues will erode profits, quality and morale, but you may never even know this is occurring. Then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, a large issue appears. Your very existence may be threatened. Unfortunately, the company that was a little out of control due to a lack of good management, becomes very out of control when faced with a need for big changes. This is when Change Management, with a capital C and capital M, becomes necessary. The Change Management cure is a complicated process of methodically instilling and exercising effective management capabilities and practices that could have been there all along. It is complicated because everyone is involved and everyone needs to learn new skills, new patterns and new behaviors. It feels even bigger and scarier because it adds work and urgency to a problem that walked in the door demanding work and urgency!
The Bad News
The bad news is that people get so distracted by the big, scary, exotic process of Change Management, that they miss the real issue: the importance of on-going good management. Once the emergency is over, the pressure eases, old habits return, and life goes on until the next emergency throws everyone into another frenzy. Wouldn’t it be easier to improve those management skills when things are relatively calm?
The Good News
Ready for the good news? If you are a manager, at any level, in any organization, you can start practicing any of the good management skills listed above, at any time and in any order, and your business will benefit. But remember: Don’t bite off more than you can chew!
Sound Too Simple?
Think about it. Managing your business well is simply about managing your business well, whether you do it on a regular basis or try to play catch-up. It isn’t easy, but isn’t rocket science either. You can fight fires and live from emergency to emergency, or you can get things under control by developing good, sound management skills and practices.
© 2006 Ann Latham. All Rights Reserved.