FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ann Latham Uncommon Clarity, Inc. 800-527-0087 Easthampton, MA – Latham to Reveal Meeting Slashing Secrets Ann Latham, president of Uncommon Clarity, will be speaking at the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network Annual Conference on October 25th in Marlborough, MA. A Master Facilitator herself, Ms. Latham will reveal the secrets of short, powerful meetings in her presentation, Uncommon Meetings – Better Results in Half the Time. Ann is a leading expert in creating the clarity that produces better, faster results. She is also an acclaimed speaker. According to Dr. Alan G. Robinson, author and associate director at the Isenberg School of Management, “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.” For more information on the conference, visit www.massnonprofitnet.org. Early bird discounts end August 24th, so don’t delay! Latham is a resident of Westhampton, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband.
There are five effective ways to deal with work overload. Unfortunately, most people choose #6, the only ineffective option. How about you?
Hot-and-sour fish-soup potato chips and white fungus oatmeal, PepsiCo’s new snack flavors for China, are fabulous reminders that your likes and dislikes are irrelevant! It is your customer’s opinion that counts when it comes to product offerings, selling approach, and relationship building efforts. Assuming your customers share your values is a huge mistake, even if you aren’t doing business half way around the world. When was the last time you checked to see what your customers really appreciate, wish for, and need? How do you know they aren’t acquiring a taste for hot-and-sour fish-soup potato chips or white fungus oatmeal? Isn’t it time you asked?
Examine your list of top priorities and subsequent action items. These are likely things you and your colleagues can do, check off, and be done. If the lists are short, focused, powerful, and aligned, that is excellent. But it is not enough. There is one more question that deserves consideration as the new year kicks off. What do you want to be? Do you want to be: More decisive A better listener Bolder Less defensive More of a team player A better leader More open-minded Fit and thin An expert The list of possibilities is endless and the choice applies to you personally as well as to your company. What kind of company, division, or department do you want to be? Focus is just as important when striving to be something as when striving to do something because you don’t become something without doing something. So what do you want to become during 2012? Resolve to make it so today!
In a recent conversation with one of my clients, he revealed that a significant percentage of his customers were taking up lots of his time because they distrusted the new billing system he had just installed. This caught him totally by surprise because he had carefully weighed the benefits and risks before making the decision. He knew that both he and his customers would benefit from the change. Does this mean he made a bad decision? Did he neglect the risks?
What prevents you from being amazing or achieving great things? Go ahead, make a list. Your answers to this question aren’t just idle explanations, they are the cause. They are beliefs. And these beliefs are actually preventing you from being amazing and achieving great things. Whether personal or professional, whether you realize it or not, these beliefs are limiting your success. They are holding you back. Now that you have a list,
Are you ignoring some of your most important assets? Do you have a few great sales people? Do you have products or projects that roll out predictably and repeatedly while others suffer from schedule, cost, or quality problems? Do you have groups that consistently and happily out-perform your other groups? Do you have employees who quietly exceed nearly every expectation? Do you have customers who advocate on your behalf? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions,
Easthampton, MA – Ann Latham has been invited to speak at the 2013 ASTD International Conference. This conference, which will be held in Dallas on May 19-22, is the premier event for training and development professionals from all over the world. It typically attracts more than 8000 visitors from over 70 countries. Sessions will showcase the latest trends, case studies from major companies, and new content on core topics of interest to the profession.
She insisted on coming to our house, a long and confusing drive judging by her two calls for directions and a late arrival. The first question I asked made it clear she was going to be of little use. We made the best of the situation, learned a few things, and got the name of a better source so we could try again. The topic: insurance. The problem: she represented “personal lines” and, as the owner of a small business, I needed information on both “personal” and “commercial lines.” The cost: an hour and a quarter for my husband and me, half a day for her, not counting scheduling time, frustration, gas, etc. This is a classic, and not uncommon, example of a misalignment between customer needs and the organizational model and process meant to satisfy those needs. Here are some questions I’d like to ask: