"The one thing that sets apart people who wish for something, and those who achieve it, is that the second group at some point was able to get clarity. Ann explains in a smart and entertaining way why achieving and embracing clarity is the first step to become the better version of yourself, to work smarter, not harder, and to simply lead a happier life." 

Dr. Martina Muttke

author of Build Better Brains - A Leader’s Guide to the world of Neuroscience

"Ann Latham’s book, The Power of Clarity, is hands down the best business book I have read in years. It is well written and loaded with profound insights that can be immediately applied no matter where you sit in an organization." 

Joanne Irving, Ph.D.

clinical psychologist, management consultant, and executive coach

"Have you ever read a book that hit you over the head in the first two pages? The Power of Clarity opens with a scene straight out of my life (and the lives of just about everyone else who has ever had a boss or been a boss). Author Ann Latham illustrates why we think we're clear, yet soooo often we're not. What really resonated with me were: 1. The examples, spot on. 2. The practical tips Latham provides to help you improve your own clarity and the clarity of others." 

Lisa Earle McLeod

author of Selling with Noble Purpose, speaker, and consultant

"This is really a big, breakthrough idea. Why do we expect (and get!) precision operation in production processes and tolerate chaotic strategy discussions, messy organizational engagement, revisited decisions, and soul-crushingly endless meetings? Ann Latham has figured it out! And what’s better she has offered a way out. Once you read this (and probably read it a couple of times…or more) it will seem so simple." 

Jane Lansing

Brand Officer and Vice President Marketing, Emerson Automation Solutions

"Unbelievably packed with insight. It's impossible to read this book and not immediately be more clear on one's essential matters. Great methods for increasing clarity. Prepare to simultaneously feel both grief and excitement. Excitement for what is now possible with this lens...grief for the amount of waste that a lack of clarity continues to cost you. Thankfully Ann Latham normalizes all of this and as a reader I finished the book affirmed and excited. I recommend this book particularly for business leaders, but it's impact touches all of us." 

D. Neitz

executive coach and speaker and founder of COR

"Are your days and weeks filled with endless meetings, emails and reports that are about as productive as shoveling snow with a pitchfork? The Power of Clarity will guide you toward actionable steps to finally live the life at work that you deserve. Finally a book that clears the path to real productivity." 

Alan Luoma

Benchmark Consulting

"No matter who you are or what you do, this book can change your life. There’s a focus on work and teams but I found it very helpful in creating clarity in my own life and business. Highly recommend!" 

Heather Hansen

coach, keynote speaker, author of The Elegant Warrior, and host of the Elegant Warrior Podcast

"Without hyperbole, if you’re a manager and could only choose one book to help you better manage so-called knowledge work (as distinguished from manufacturing or production work), this should be a top contender. Ann Latham gets right at the heart of what prevents nearly all of us from achieving what we expect to be capable of in our organizations, and the frustrations that accompany that.

"At the end of her book, Latham lays it out clearly in “What you need to do.” How often do you see something like that in a business book? She gives us the roadmap to find a more successful, fun, and rewarding path. I’m keen now to have all our managers learn what she teaches and see if we can take our game to a whole new level of play." 

George Carmel

President and owner of FlagHouse, Inc.

"Ann Latham's book on The Power of Clarity is so well written, that I couldn't put it down. Read it in one day. After years of following Latham, I now know the secret sauce she uses to create clarity in some of the world's top organizations. She holds nothing back in this book.

"The Power of Clarity is written in such a way that readers will be able to immediately apply these principles to their organizations and immediately unleash the true potential of workplace productivity, confidence, and empowerment.

"This is by far, one of the best business books I've read and I'm recommending it to all my clients. If you haven't picked up a copy of Ann's new book, I'd suggest you do so today. You'll be glad you did." 

Roberta Chinsky Matuson

author of Suddenly in Charge and Can We Talk?

"In her fabulous new book, The Power of Clarity, Ann Latham asserts that people aren't as clear as they think they are, and she's correct about this. The trouble is, we assume that others have the same meaning for ideas, concepts, or even a single word, as we do. But often, the details remain in our heads.

"What happens when, without any malice at all, people aren't clear? Even with themselves? At a minimum, too much back and forth, and at a maximum, tempers flare, and people find themselves locked in conflict. Many of these issues are avoidable, but not without deliberate thought and actions. These actions aren't inborn, but they are all learnable. Ann shows us how in her terrific book." 

Constance Dierickx, Ph.D.

author of High-Stakes Leadership, consultant, speaker, and coach

"We all emphasize the importance of "clarity," but that doesn't mean we understand it or practice it. Ann Latham's The Power of Clarity is a distillation of what Latham has learned working in over 40 industries with dozens of organizations and leaders (including me).

"One of the most important jobs of an executive is to create clarity. Lack of clarity is a huge waste of time and the cause of so much organizational confusion. We make the wrong assumptions. We focus on the wrong things. We spend too much time in meetings, and too much time talking instead of taking action.

"Getting clarity sounds easy and it is not, primarily because our brains are not wired for clarity. The discipline needed to achieve clarity is not complicated, but it does require giving it more attention than we normally do.

"Latham’s book should be required reading by all executives and leaders. Clarity is far too important to be left to brains not wired for the modern work world."

John Bidwell

executive director, United Way of Franklin and Hampshire Region

"Ann does a great job of outlining the importance of and value realized from clarity up and down the organization. From leadership clarity to managerial role clarity to day in / day out role clarity. The book offers principles and lessons learned that can also be applied outside of work in the community and other philanthropic activities.

"The book starts with defining clarity (and disclarity), moves into a discussion on how to crush disclarity, covers all of the reasons that we are naturally "not clear," and finishes with coaching and advice on how to operate more clearly. She provides a number of practical models throughout the book that can be immediately leveraged regardless of role in the organization. Great read and great topic! Clarity Is critical for organizations large and small. And especially for people leaders." 

Justin Honaman

consumer products expert and host of the ContenderCast podcast

"This is a Gold Mine. As the CEO of an international manufacturer I often thought "training" could be valuable if people could walk away with three or four "nuggets". To me a nugget is a piece of information or a process or an insight that is so valuable it makes immediate sense, is easy to implement, and most of all is a continuing topic of conversation after the trainer has gone. In this respect, The Power of Clarity is a gold mine with nuggets everywhere you look.

"I highly recommend this book. You will find your own nuggets." 

Perry Walraven

CEO and president, Performance Controls, Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi Corporation

"The thrust of this book is that we've given short shrift to focusing on workplace efficiency and productivity when it comes to the office. In comparison to the factory floor or service procedures, a company's HQ is an inadvertent model of INEFFICIENCY as time gets lost with incoherent, incomplete directions, endless and rarely productive meetings and the like. Everyone thinks about thinking, but precious little end-to-end, get-it-done mental activity results. 

"Ann's book tackles this problem with the kind of clarity one would expect of a book with this title. Not only is the argument well made intellectually, the book's ideas are captured in the kind of lucid, straightforward prose that one most often finds only in something written by, say, Peter Drucker - my gold-standard for biz writing. Read it, and enact this advice and a company will undoubtedly perform better than it currently does." 

Daniel A. Hill, Ph.D.

president of Sensory Logic

"A real gem! The Power of Clarity provides a roadmap for businesses and organizations to create effective, committed and confident teams. Ann Latham lays out a path that challenges the way we all work as individuals, groups and organizations, leading us to a clear understanding of the obstacles that slow down progress and demoralize us in the process.

"Latham’s book is a gem, a real guide on how to alleviate ambiguity and distractions at the individual and team level. If we follow her process of ‘harnessing the power of clarity’ we will change the way we work, increasing effectiveness, trust and commitment. Her method applies to all of us. I can’t wait to use The Power of Clarity with my team!" 

Amazon Reviewer

"The Power of Clarity is a valuable improvement tool for executives and managers. Ann's ideas are terrific! She explains both what the problems are and how to fix them. This book is so packed with vital ideas and information that the chapter summaries are invaluable. This is really good stuff! Ann's book is packed with power!" 

Rick Pay

principal, The R. Pay Company

"Ann Latham draws from her experience consulting to corporate managers, entrepreneurs, and non-profit leaders and distills the essence of what works to facilitate strong communications and what sends people on tiring, unproductive detours.

"She shared additional stories and insights on My Quest for the Best, the podcast for ambitious small business leaders, which you'll enjoy as a supplement to this book." 

Bill Ringle

consultant and host of My Quest for the Best podcast

"This book is not just for the corporate world!

"Though I am not a part of the corporate world, I found this book interesting - and an enjoyable read! It also helped me to reconsider my expectations in my work and in my personal relationships." 

JSC

Amazon reviewer

"This is a really excellent book. I’d say it does for knowledge workers what Lean Thinking and The Toyota Way did for the factory floor - seriously! It’s a masterclass in how to manage more productively and effectively. The author starts with a trenchant critique of a serious waste we all too often accept - management 'disclarity'. Her critique may seem harsh at first, but not once she explains what the problem is and then goes on to tell the reader what to do instead.

"Ann is very good on why pat solutions for improving meetings never really improve things, and provides new ways to think that will totally change how you run meetings. I particularly like her concept of 'treadmill verbs' and the importance of replacing them with 'destination verbs' - the distinction addresses such an obvious issue when it’s pointed out but few people run meetings as if they are aware of it. Using the distinction will lead to significant improvements in productivity. Ann also offers excellent advice on word choice that will help people cut to the chase and accomplish more.

"The Power of Clarity terminology in the Appendix deserves to become part of the language of business. But The Power of Clarity is not just about language and communication. The book also provides genuinely fresh insights on effective knowledge working processes (processes that work in what Ann calls 'the cognitive zone'). I also found very useful insights on what to do when we have too many priorities, and how to ensure we are always working toward one of the 'cognitive six' that constitute real progress and prevent 'kitchen sink' conversations.

"This book would be a great investment for anyone who needs to improve knowledge worker productivity - their own or their team’s. Anyone who is a consultant should also consider The Power of Clarity essential reading.

"In addition to providing brilliant and game-changing new ideas, The Power of Clarity is also really well-written - clear, rigorous yet easy to read. I thoroughly recommend it." 

Andy Bass, Ph.D.

author of Start With What Works, consultant, and speaker

"If you've ever asked yourself these questions:
What the hell am I supposed to be doing? With whom? and Why?
Then read this book.

"Whether you're the CEO of a multinational, or the Chief Everything Officer of your own consultancy business, your ability to think, decide, and take appropriate action with the right people at the right time is what sets you apart from those businesses that fail. Clarity in purpose, process, and focus is the holy grail of all knowledge workers (and we're all knowledge workers). The Power of Clarity provides all three with practical and effective examples and actions.

"My biggest take away is Latham's explanation of the 'cognitive zone' - where we deal with ideas, decisions, strategies, problems etc. She explains why this zone is so unclear, and how when we get more clarity on moving these 'cognitive objects' using 'cognitive processe's we can harness the power of clarity.

"The Power of Clarity is a must read for anyone who wants to be more efficient, effective, productive, AND valuable in any kind of work environment. Ann Latham has provided an extremely thorough analysis of the problems that we face on a day-to-day basis as well as the solution so that we can cruise with confidence. She gives us the tools that we need to create clarity at work and in our personal lives." 

Debs Jenkins

founder of The Asset Path