“What I like about working with Ann is how she keeps a group strategically focused while making the process engaging, easy, and humorous. She 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
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“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
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“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"
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“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
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“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
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“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
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“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.)
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“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
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“’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
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“You are clearly a gifted facilitator and helped us achieve some important outcomes. The ROI was there.”
Bob Fazzi, President & CEO, Fazzi Associates
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“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
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“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
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“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
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“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
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“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
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“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
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“The time and stress saved by one phone call with Ann was astounding.”
Rev. Johanna McCune Wagner, Director of Religious Life, The Culver Academies
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Every organization would benefit from the material found in Ann’s audio seminar, “Meeting Mastery.”
Chuck Hatch, General Manager, Packaging Corporation of America
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So You Think Employees Hate Change
We've all heard it. Employees Hate Change. Do you believe it? I don't. I think employees are getting a bum rap. I think they are being used as an excuse for poor change, poor results, poor communication, poor planning.
First of all, have you asked them? No, I don’t mean have you asked them if they hate change, I mean, have you asked them what they would like to change? Have you asked them specifically what is driving them crazy about their jobs that they would love to change? Have you asked them what your company needs to improve? Where it is wasting time, talent and money? Where it is disappointing your customers? Try it. You might be shocked at how eagerly they would encourage change.
Oh, and while you are at it, ask them what has changed recently. The frequency with which one must change is generally inversely proportional to the power of the individual. The higher up in the ranks, the steadier the cruise. The top brass even have assistants whose job in part is to protect them from disruptions, variations, and generally, anything that interferes with their preferred routine. Front line employees, on the other hand, must change all of the time. Every new program, every new idea, the whims of superiors who come and go, the short-comings of their peers, the failure of processes, the complaints of customers, the trials and errors of developing supervisors – all forces that yank employees first one way, then the other. And employees have exactly three choices:
- Quit
- Ignore the forces and hope they go away
- Change
The reality: Employees Change Constantly.
So what DO employees hate? They hate:
- Being asked to change without a clear, sensible purpose and destination
- The ambiguity of the path to a new destination
- Seeing decisions made through power, rather than informed process
- Unrealistic plans and expectations
- Destruction of the systems they have evolved to make their jobs easier
- Disruption, time and time again, without results
It is time to quit using this myth that employees hate change as an excuse for poor results.
Results are the responsibility of management. The buck stops there. Management can get the results they want if they:
- Know what they want to achieve
- Can communicate it clearly, including the value to all
- Can work with their people to do develop reasonable plans and expectations at each level of the organization
- Follow up, hold people accountable, and adjust as things unfold
It is time to refuse the victim mentality and promote a more positive, self-fulfilling prophecy:
- Constant change is necessary if we want to make people productive, processes reliable, and customers happy.
© 2006 Ann Latham. All Rights Reserved.