Ann Latham


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Latham Earns SAC® Board Approval

January 8, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Society for Advancement of Consulting
Elevates Ann Latham to Board Approved Status

The Society for Advancement of Consulting® (SAC) has approved another member to achieve the rare SAC® Board Approved designation. This approval means that the consultant has worked in a specialized area for a considerable length of time; has provided detailed, documented evidence of success directly from clients in that specialty; and has conformed to the Code of Ethics of the society, serving as a thought leader and exemplar in the profession in general and their specialty in particular.

Ann Latham, president of Uncommon Clarity of Easthampton, MA, has been Board Approved as Master Facilitator.

SAC membership consists of less than 1% of consultants worldwide due to stringent membership requirements, and less than 3% of SAC members have achieved Board Approval status.

"This is a tough position to obtain, at the height of one’s profession, and is a great criterion to apply when clients are considering consultants," says SAC CEO Alan Weiss, Ph.D. "It’s difficult to choose the right resources in certain areas, and our Board Approval is evidence, not mere promotion, of real instances of consistent success in delivering client results." The SAC office will serve as a reference point and share that evidence with any clients seeking more information on Board Approved members.

SAC is an international association of consulting professionals who subscribe to an industry code of ethics and have provided evidence of significant consulting results among their clients. For more information, please go to http://www.consultingsociety.com, write to info@summitconsulting.com, or call 800/825-6153 (401/886-4097).

As a Master Facilitator, Latham helps client teams achieve superior results faster and with greater commitment. Read what others say about the value Ann provides:

"'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

"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 straightforward 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 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, Video Communications, Inc.

"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

 

Uncommon Clarity, Inc. - Easthampton, MA 01027 - 413-527-3737
info@uncommonclarity.com

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