What Others Say

“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

“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.  With Ann helping to provide the focus and oversight, the supplier was able to meet their commitments for quality, cost, and schedule.”

Ed Gerding, Chief Engineer C-17 St. Louis, The Boeing Company

“Ann has a knack for working with groups, identifying key issues, exploring alternative solutions and, best of all, implementing solutions that work.

“Ann recognizes that “best practice” may not be “best approach” for her clients, and when it is not, her working knowledge of alternative approaches will result in a solution that will be better than “best” because it works for you, in your plant, with your people.

“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 tell me that no one is better.”

Perry Walraven, President and CEO, Performance Controls, Inc. a Subsidiary of Hitachi Medical Corporation

“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

“We asked Ann Latham of Uncommon Clarity, to help facilitate our strategic planning for the agency. What we received in return was an individual who helped us clearly define expectations, held us accountable, helped us identify core assets and skills, and focused us to make tough decisions about the direction of the agency. Overall I recommend Ann’s services to those organizations committed to improving their operation and performance.”

Juan Campbell, Vice President Sales & Service, Health New England and Board President, Children’s Study Home

“Ann does a great job of keeping people focused, cutting to the critical issues, and avoiding ‘rabbit holes.’ I would recommend her 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.)

“Ann is an outstanding team player.  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.  Every team member has the highest regard for Ann, her professionalism, dedication and energy, and outstanding change management skills.”

Dana Badgerow, General Manager, AeroMet Corporation

“Wow’ sums it up nicely. Ann stepped into a delicate, sensitive situation involving a diverse, disjointed group of people with a challenging objective and, in remarkably little time, moved us to a solid, shared conclusion. The way she works is impressive: she has a great handle on people, makes everyone want to work together, ensures every meeting is focused and valuable, and simplifies issues so all understand the challenges and options and can reach shared conclusions. On top of that, I really enjoy working with her.”

John Heaps, President, Florence Savings Bank

“Thank you for a great two days.  You are clearly a gifted facilitator and helped us achieve some important outcomes, both in terms of a strategy for the future and our ability to work more collaboratively together.  The ROI was there.”

Bob Fazzi, President & CEO, Fazzi Associates

“I hired Ann because I’d heard she was results-oriented, and I would hire her again because she definitely is! We got terrific outcomes, wasted no time (finished in 2/3 the expected time), and everyone walked away feeling good about both the process and the results. I was especially delighted to watch Board participation and interest increase along the way, which is not what usually happens. They were really engaged and are now totally committed to our direction and the reasons for our decisions. I just gave a glowing recommendation of Ann to another agency and won’t hesitate to do so again. Ann is really different from the typical consultant.”

Steve McCafferty, Executive Director, The Children's Study Home

“Thank you again, Ann, for your excellent leadership. You organized our retreat so that participation by everyone was possible and all voices could be heard.  We were able to identify areas in board organization that needed to be addressed and together developed solutions with the goal of becoming a more effective board. I saw results at our first board meeting after the retreat!”

Judith L. Strzempko, Smith College Representative on the Northampton BID Board of Directors

“I’ve recently had the pleasure of working with Ann Latham as a member of a multi-constituent collaboration project. At first, our group began the process without the presence of an outside facilitator, however we quickly realized that our efficiency and effectiveness were limited. Ann was asked to facilitate our meetings and has proven to be an incredible asset to the process, providing a structure and clarity of purpose, soliciting ideas and encouraging individual contribution, while instilling accountability and helping all to keep focus on our desired outcomes. Clear and measurable progress is being made, and at a speed not possible without her guidance.”

Dave DelVecchio, President, Innovative Business Systems, Inc.

“Having worked with Ann on multiple projects, I know to expect a lot.  Nonetheless, she continues to exceed expectations. Ann gets people out of their comfort zones, thinking, and seeing other points of view. She manages somehow to turn personal agendas aside and create powerful teams. She is always well prepared and willing to take charge to ensure we accomplish what needs to be accomplished in a timely fashion. In addition, she is personable and articulate. I highly recommend her services.”

William F. Dimmitt, Account Executive, The AXiA Group

“Ann is simply outstanding at moving a group to a strong conclusion. In our case, I couldn’t have imagined a better outcome. What makes her particularly unusual is that there isn’t a lot of noise, she doesn’t distract, and no one wastes time.  She lets discussions run but doesn’t let them run amok. She is deliberate and straight forward with a soft touch that keeps people on task, the process moving forward, and ideas flowing. By always maintaining a clear purpose, next steps, and expectations, she made me a better contributor and able to get on task quickly despite the limited time I had for the project. 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

“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

“The process that our committee engaged in was outstanding. First, the outcome of our work is truly exceptional. Second, the process itself built amazingly strong relationships and it was remarkable that these relationships evolved DURING the process, not as an adjunct to it.  That is, we didn’t do team-building first and then address the challenge.  We built the team as we worked on the problem (without a ropes course!).  And given the many different perspectives, that took real guidance from Ann, although I’ll confess that it seemed largely invisible. Also, the process was not tedious. There was no arduous research or endless brainstorming with subsequent consolidation. We moved forward with each meeting. Third, I learned a lot personally.

“One thing that really stood out, particularly in contrast to other committee projects in which I have been involved, was this sense of progress. Yes, we had a lot of meetings, but the schedule was regular, they were conducted according to that schedule, and we knew what we did and what we would do next time. My participation in this project has set a new standard for my expectations of groups like this.  And, unfortunately, few others measure up.

“I have already recommended Ann to others. I think Ann takes a deep interest in the work she takes on. I have seen other consultants apply one formula to different problems and issues. And while that usually works better than no facilitation, I believe that Ann really thinks about the outcome, how it will be used or implemented, and then adapts her process to fit both the need and the time allotted to solving the problem. Too often, I’ve seen formula-driven processes end up having to rush to conclusion, just when the brainstorming and the mind-maps ought to be thoroughly tested.

“Ann is also a strong group leader. She has a physical presence coupled with a calm demeanor that seems to keep even a diverse and sometimes rowdy group on track.”

Russell Peotter, General Manager, WGBY - Public Television for Western New England

“Ann is an excellent facilitator of ideas and issues. She has the capacity to get people to think about change, even when they are more than satisfied with the status quo. Her 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

“When I called Ann, I was struggling with (what seemed to be) broad and profound dysfunctional behaviors rooted in the program’s history, exasperated by ill-defined roles, and complicated by ill-conceived new initiatives. When we hung up, I had a new perspective, the understanding and confidence to take immediate action to remedy 85% of the problem, and a better understanding of options for sorting out the remaining issues. The time and stress saved by one phone call with Ann was astounding.”

Rev. Johanna McCune Wagner, Director of Religious Life, The Culver Academies

“I have been very lucky to enjoy Ann’s outstanding talents in strategic planning and creative solutions. She led the MMTN Steering Committee through various decision making exercises, devised by her, that have resulted in a far more robust and goal-oriented organization than I ever dreamed possible. She has breathed new life into the MMTN. In doing so, Ann has earned the highest respect of her colleagues and myself on this vital Committee. She has an uncommon talent of seeing her clients’ vision - frequently long before they do!”

Ellen Bemben, President, Regional Technology Corporation

“Ann Latham is extremely effective at helping diverse groups of people to find their common goals and create action plans to reach those goals efficiently. When you work with Ann, you get the job done, and you enjoy the process along the way.”

Janet Warren, President, MarCom Capital

“Ann has a natural ability for process improvement and easily learns new systems and adjoining processes.”

Sandi Klemann, Controller, Certes Financial Pros

“Ann Latham guided our Board of Directors through a process to reflect, renew, and regain our purpose. Ann has an amazing ability to draw people out, pull people back to the critical issues, and reframe the conversation with her questions. She got everyone really thinking and contributing. The result was a clear and strong conviction of purpose that we didn’t have. I now measure everything against that purpose and am totally committed to providing ambitious, career-oriented professionals with strong leadership & growth opportunities.”

Ellen Albano, President, Women's Partnership, and Assistant General Manager, Eastfield Mall

“Ann is highly skilled in helping her clients clarify their goals and the steps it will take to achieve them. She respectfully keeps the participants on track and moves the process forward to completion. With Ann’s guidance you can be certain that you will reach your destination.”

Martha Nelson Patrick, Director, Office of Community Relations University of Massachusetts

“I recently had the pleasure of experiencing Ann’s facilitation skills on a significant collaborative project involving several influential members of the community.  Ann was organized, focused, and kept things moving.  It is clear to me we would not have accomplished what we did in a similar timeframe without the benefit of Ann’s drive and commitment.”

Molly Keegan, Financial Planner, Davis Financial Group, LLC

“I am extremely impressed with Ann’s ability to bring clarity to the decision making process as I have observed her during the Materials & Manufacturing Technology Network (MMTN) Steering Committee on which we both participate. She has an uncanny ability for getting people to put aside their personal objectives and look at the “BIG” picture to identify the important objectives and reach consensus. She has demonstrated repeatedly her ability to quickly get to the stuff that really matters.”

Mark R. Gregoire, President, Employee Benefits Specialist Group Insurance Management Services, Inc.

“I needed someone experienced with conducting interviews, surveys and facilitating focus groups to gather the input from the community and other stakeholders. I contacted a friend at the Regional Employment Board of Hampden County to inquire if he knew of someone who would meet my needs. He responded with a glowing recommendation for Ann Latham of Uncommon Clarity, Inc.

“I contacted Ann to discuss my needs and within days she was off and running. We scheduled focus groups and Ann facilitated them. Ann then synthesized the input received and presented the information in written form.  The result was a well-received plan with great information, and praise for our timely submission of the plan.

“I will certainly solicit the services of Uncommon Clarity (Ann Latham) in the future, and I will recommend her services to anyone in need.”

Paul F. Bailey, Executive Director, Springfield Partners for Community Action, Inc.

“The method used for translating quality requirements into manageable actions is the best seen anywhere and has led to managers with a greater depth of understanding, a more integrated system approach, and more astute planning than any of 95 companies audited.”

DNV ISO 9001 auditor

“[This company] should be considered the benchmark for any company evaluating their exposures in this area.”

Y2K Insurance Underwriter

“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"

“Ann Latham’s workshop on ‘How to Give and Solicit Feedback’ was excellent. She clearly and insightfully shifted perspectives and provided examples and exercises that stimulated profound learning. Everyone knew much better how, why, when, good feedback works than before. She made it all clear and easy, and as someone who hires presenters and trainers for a living, I can tell you that those who create clarity are far more uncommon than those who create complexity and make vital tasks seem difficult. When the session and well-earned applause ended, I hired her for a future presentation. And now I’m sending this to my network to encourage them to contact Ann at uncommonclarity.com.”

Ira Bryck, Director, UMass Family Business Center

“‘Ann Latham is a genius!’  was my first reaction when I read her article on “Why SMART Goals May Not Be Smart!”

“Within minutes I picked up the phone and called Ann – something I had never been inspired by a newsletter or blog to do before.  Ann presented her SANITY process of goal-setting at a Toastmasters club officer training session for 35 local volunteer leaders within the organization.  She took concepts originally formed for use in the corporate world, and adapted them to fit a volunteer organization such as Toastmasters, where leadership has to inspire people to stretch without having any actual authority over them.  Her clear examples and logical thought process inspired discussions in the group that night, and in subsequent emails in the past few weeks, which have shown Ann was able to give a new vision and energy to the goal setting process.  One of my officers commented, ‘In 20 years of attending club officer training sessions, that was the most inspiring and personally enriching session I’ve engaged in.’”

Cathie McCoy, Division E Governor, District 53 Toastmasters

“I want to let you know how much I enjoyed your presentation. I especially enjoyed the way in which you intertwined humor, realistic techniques, and your own personal anecdotes for putting the techniques to work. It made them real for me, and I felt I could go back to work or home and use them right away.

“I know that I was not the only one that found the presentation to be helpful. After the breakfast I had the opportunity to speak with several of the other ERC5 Board members and they all had high praise for your content and delivery.

“I will be checking your newsletter for future presentation dates.”

Barbara Perry, VP of Sales & Marketing, Reminder Publications, Inc.

“Ann helps her audiences in a very brief time master such vital skills as improving and speeding decision making in turbulent times, and she does so with wit, energy, and great examples to use as guides.”

Alan Weiss, Author - "Million Dollar Consulting"

“Ann Latham was a guest speaker in my organizational behavior class. She did a great job of explaining the dos and don’ts of organizational change. Ann uses simple, clear stories and visuals to make her points.”

Paul B. Thornton, Professor, Business Administration, Springfield Technical Community College

“Ann is a captivating speaker, providing important principles about small business progress in an approachable, common-sense way. The stories she shares to illustrate points are personal and interesting, allowing her audience to consume important information about the steps they need to take in advancing their business in a way that is easy to absorb. Our audience of entrepreneurs enjoyed Ann’s depth and breadth of knowledge due to her many years of experience advising companies throughout the world.”

Aimee Griffin Munnings, Esq., Director, Western New England College Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship

“What I liked best about your Meeting Mastery workshop is that it was concise, to the point, and substantive. I liked the whole program. It will help me significantly in slashing meeting times and getting better results.”

Chuck Hatch, General Manager, Packaging Corporation of America

“Yes! This workshop will definitely help me slash meeting times and get better results. I now know how to make my next meeting more focused and shorter.”

Jay Smith, President, Sports Travel and Tours

“Yes, this workshop will definitely help me slash meeting times and get better results! It started and ended on time and provided valuable and clear process tips and helpful exercises. I found it all helpful.”

Teri Anderson, Community and Economic Development Director, City of Northampton

“I appreciated the clarity and excellent use of time. What I learned during your Meeting Mastery workshop will help me dramatically slash meeting times and get better results.”

Lynn Goodhue, Principal, Lynn Goodhue Associates

“The content and tools learned from you Meeting Mastery workshop will be helpful in running future meetings.”

Brandon Reed, Owner, Fitness Together

“Your Meeting Mastery workshop was fabulous! You are informative, engaging, and wise. I’ve only heard you speak twice but both times I got a month’s worth of value.Thank you!”

Becky Castro, Business and Personal Coach, I Love Monday Mornings

“Clear information with good, concise ideas for change - what I learned will help me reduce meeting times and improve results significantly.”

Teresa Weybrew, Director of Sales, Sports Travel and Tours

“Thank you so much for the workshop that you did for us last month on increasing sales. It was very appropriate and beneficial to all who participated. I appreciated the fact that you were so well organized and that you kept the workshop flowing with such ease. The workshop stimulated a lot of great ideas and discussion amongst the staff, many of which we are starting to implement and see results from. I would definitely have you back to do a workshop again at a later date.”

Dr. Lauralyn Brown, Veterinarian

“Ann spoke to our women’s business owners group and focused on decision making. She has an incredible way of clearing away the extraneous and assisting others in getting to the heart of the matter with such ease. Ann is a great speaker and an excellent trainer. She possesses an unusual skill - just what her business name implies - uncommon clarity.”

Karen Cardoza, Program Chair, WBOA, and Owner, Karen Cardoza Jewelry

“Ann Latham’s ‘Uncommon Meetings’ is a road map to well run meetings. It is a good read for busy people. While serving as a refresher for all of us who labor through less effective meetings, the highlights in boxes and bullet points emphasize insightful aids to more meaningful meetings and desired outcomes.”

Dianne Fuller Doherty, Regional Director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network

“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

“‘Uncommon Meetings’ is a must read for everyone in any organization, not just top management.”

Al Kasper, President & COO, Savage Sports Corporation

“To achieve your desired outcomes in less time and with fewer people, read this book! It has great tips and memorable examples for improving meetings and is concise and clear as well. All and all, a huge value for anyone who spends a lot of time in meetings as I do.”

Simon Lingard, Director of R&D, Aspen Technology, Inc.

“‘Uncommon Meetings’ is a quick read with simple, easy to implement, ways to make meetings shorter and more effective. You will get more time back and you and your co-workers will be more productive.”

W. Lowell Putnam, Trust Administrator, Lowell Observatory

“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

“Fresh, organized and concise insights that make it easy to step back and get the clearest view of a situation”

Joseph Peters, President, Universal Plastics Corp

“Direct, concise, useful, impactful - you will think in new ways”

Perry Walraven, CEO, Performance Controls, Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi Medical Corporation

“I have just finished your book, Clear Thoughts - Pragmatic Gems of Better BusinessThinking, (I was relishing the bits so much I was reading only a few at a time), and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it and how valuable I found it.  I had started putting the little sticky page markers to mark the pages that really spoke to me, and realized that I have probably bookmarked almost half of it.”

Lynn Goodhue, Principal, Lynn Goodhue Associates

“In her training module and audio seminar, “Meeting Mastery,” Ann Latham effectively identifies the building blocks of meeting leadership. In my competitive business segment of service-based manufacturing,  time- driven, results-oriented action can only occur when people communicate with a purpose.  “Meeting Mastery” is a great tool to help the student and listener improve one form of team communication - the meeting.  Every organization would benefit from the material found in Ann’s training material.”

Chuck Hatch, General Manager, Packaging Corporation of America

“For me, Ann’s key insight in her “Meeting Mastery” audio seminar is that we do not have to be captive to the same meeting regimen – there is a better way! She shows the way to take charge of meetings and ensure more productive results.”

Martin M. Caine, CPA, Member of the Firm Wolf & Company, P.C.

“A book with a title like this one - “Clear Thoughts” - had better be short, and this one is. Refreshingly so. It checks in at 79 pages and is easily read at one sitting.”

Suzanne Wilson, Staff Writer, The Daily Hampshire Gazette

“Ann, your newsletter is great!  Always has useful, quickly applied information for leaders and teams. You pack a lot in a 3 minute read!”

Ingrid Bredenberg, M.A., Strategic Coach for leaders and teams, Bredenberg Associates

“Thank you, Ann. For listening and not judging. For always sharing a warm word and a smile. For your amazing newsletter; there is always something that speaks directly to me. Every month, when I open my inbox and see your name, I am thrilled with anticipation and excited to read your creative and concise advice.  Thank you for sharing your lessons with the world!”

L'Tanya T. Robinson, Director of Development, The Montessori School of Northampton