Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Guest Blogger

  • Beyond the Office: 7 Powerful Ways to Cultivate Your Identity Outside Your Career

    Beyond the Office: 7 Powerful Ways to Cultivate Your Identity Outside Your Career

    This week, we are thrilled to feature Guest Blogger, Mark Danaher. Mark is an Executive & Career Coach at Careers by Design and a good friend of Horizon Point. Originally published on LinkedIn, here is “Beyond the Office: 7 Powerful Ways to Cultivate Your Identity Outside Your Career”.

    “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker.

    In a world where 55% of Americans define themselves primarily by their job, according to a 2014 Gallup poll, it’s crucial to pause and reflect: Are you more than your office role? This startling statistic reveals a dangerous trend in our society – the merging of personal identity with professional roles. While dedication to one’s career is admirable, allowing it to become the sole definition of who you are can lead to a precarious balancing act, leaving you vulnerable to burnout, stress, and a loss of self when faced with career changes or setbacks.

    As a career strategist and resume development expert, I’ve witnessed firsthand the pitfalls of over-identifying with one’s career. I’ve lived through it myself. For over 14 years, I served as a career counselor and coordinator at Manchester, pouring my heart and soul into helping others find their path. My role wasn’t just a job; it was who I was. Then, without warning, a new principal closed the career center, pulling the rug out from under me.

    Suddenly, I found myself adrift, grappling with a profound sense of loss. Who was I if not the career counselor? How could I introduce myself without my title? The burnout and stress that followed were overwhelming, and it took working with a coach to rediscover my purpose and reconnect with the world beyond my former role.

    This experience taught me a valuable lesson: while our careers can be a significant part of our lives, they shouldn’t define us entirely. In this article, we’ll explore seven powerful strategies to grow your identity beyond your career, ensuring that you’re not just surviving in your professional life, but thriving as a whole person.

    1. Quantify Your Life, Not Just Your Work

    In the professional world, we’re often taught to quantify our achievements. “Increased sales by 30%,” “Managed a team of 15,” “Reduced costs by $100,000.” These metrics are valuable on a resume, but what about quantifying the other aspects of your life?

    Challenge yourself to apply this same principle to your personal growth and hobbies. For example:

    – “Read 52 books in a year”

    – “Volunteered 100 hours at the local animal shelter”

    – “Learned to play 10 new songs on the guitar”

    By quantifying your personal achievements, you’re not only setting goals for yourself outside of work but also recognizing the value of your non-professional pursuits. This practice helps shift your focus from solely career-based accomplishments to a more holistic view of your capabilities and interests.

    2. Problem-Solving Beyond the Office

    Your ability to overcome challenges shouldn’t be limited to your professional life. Could you identify problems in your community or personal life and apply your problem-solving skills there? This helps others and reinforces that your value extends beyond your job title.

    For instance, if you notice a lack of green spaces in your neighborhood, you could:

    – Research urban gardening initiatives

    – Propose a community garden project to local authorities-. Organize volunteers and resources

    – Implement the project and measure its impact on the community

    By tackling issues outside of work, you’re demonstrating to yourself and others that your skills and initiative have a broader application. This can be especially powerful when facing career transitions or setbacks, as it reminds you of your inherent problem-solving abilities.

    3. Take Initiative in Personal Growth

    As you might go above and beyond in your career, apply that same initiative to your personal development. Set ambitious goals for yourself that have nothing to do with your job. This could involve:

    – Learning a new language

    – Training for a marathon

    – Starting a blog about a passion project

    – Taking up a challenging hobby like rock climbing or chess

    A study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that individuals who engaged in leisure activities reported higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of stress. By taking initiative in areas outside of work, you’re not only expanding your skillset but also building resilience and a more robust sense of self.

    4. Optimize Your Personal Time

    Efficiency shouldn’t be confined to the workplace. You can look for ways to streamline your personal life to make more time for the things that truly matter to you. This might include:

    – Meal prepping to save time during busy weekdays

    – Creating a capsule wardrobe to simplify your morning routine

    – Using productivity apps to manage household tasks and errands

    By optimizing your time, you’re freeing up space for activities that contribute to your identity outside of work. This could mean more time for family, hobbies, or self-care – all crucial elements of a well-rounded identity.

    5. Lead in Your Community

    Leadership is about more than managing teams at work. Look for opportunities to lead in your community or groups aligned with your interests. This could involve:

    – Coaching a youth sports team

    – Organizing a neighborhood watch program

    – Leading a book club or hobby group

    – Serving on the board of a local non-profit

    A 2018 Corporation for National and Community Service study found that volunteers have a 27% better chance of finding employment. However, the benefits extend far beyond career prospects. Community leadership allows you to develop new skills, build a diverse network, and make a tangible impact outside of your professional sphere.

    6. Apply Your Skills to Passion Projects

    Your professional skills have value beyond the workplace. Could you identify ways to apply these skills to projects or causes you’re passionate about? For example:

    – If you’re a marketing professional, offer your expertise to a local charity

    – If you’re an IT specialist, volunteer to teach coding to underprivileged youth

    – If you’re a financial advisor, start a blog offering budgeting tips for young adults

    By applying your skills in diverse contexts, you’re reinforcing that your abilities are part of who you are, not just what you do for a living. This can be particularly empowering during career transitions or when facing professional challenges.

    7. Cultivate Diverse Relationships

    Your network shouldn’t be limited to professional contacts. Actively seek out and nurture relationships with people from various walks of life. This might include:

    – Joining clubs or groups based on your hobbies

    – Attending community events or workshops

    – Volunteering for causes you care about

    – Participating in online forums or social media groups aligned with your interests

    A study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that having a diverse social network contributes to greater life satisfaction and resilience. By building relationships outside of your professional circle, you’re creating a support system that isn’t tied to your career status.

    The Journey to a Holistic Identity

    Remember, growing your identity beyond your career is a journey, not a destination. It requires conscious effort and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. As you implement these strategies, you likely find that your sense of self becomes more robust and resilient.

    Psychologist Dr. Susan David, author of “Emotional Agility,” offers this powerful insight: “The most resilient individuals and organizations aren’t the ones that don’t fail, they’re the ones that fail, learn, and thrive because of it.” By diversifying your identity, you’re building this resilience, preparing yourself to thrive regardless of professional ups and downs.

    My journey from career counselor to rediscovering my purpose taught me that our true value lies not in our job titles but in the unique combination of skills, passions, and experiences that make us who we are. By consciously cultivating your identity beyond your career, you’re not diminishing your professional self but rather enriching your whole self.

    As you progress, challenge yourself to assess the balance between your professional and personal identities regularly. Are you giving enough time and energy to your life outside of work? Are you recognizing and celebrating your non-professional achievements with the same enthusiasm as your career milestones?

    Remember, you are not your job title. You are a complex, multifaceted individual with the power to define yourself on your terms. By embracing this truth and actively working to grow your identity beyond your career, you’re not just safeguarding against professional setbacks – you’re opening yourself up to a richer, more fulfilling life.

    In the words of Roman philosopher Seneca, “As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” Make your tale about more than just your career. Make it a story of growth, resilience, and the continuous discovery of who you truly are.

    Reach to me if you are struggling with your identity. Talk to Mark

    For similar content on what we call “wholepersonness” and work-life integration, check out these posts on The Point Blog:

  • Creating Actionable Insights from Open Text Survey Questions

    Creating Actionable Insights from Open Text Survey Questions

    We are excited to feature a post by Dr. Larry Lowe with RippleWorx in our AI for HR series. We’ve been fortunate to work alongside RippleWorx with mutual clients, and Larry and I were classmates in Leadership Greater Huntsville’s Flagship Program. Larry is wicked smart, but better than that, he is a really great guy!

    We trust Larry’s in-depth insights on AI for HR and how they (and you) can utilize it to your advantage to understand your workforce’s needs and impact organizational culture. Enjoy!

    Guest Blogger: Dr. Larry Lowe, Chief Scientist at RippleWorx (larry.lowe@rippleworx.com)

    Major Changes Are Coming to Your Organization

    When your organization faces significant changes, a common first step is to send out a survey to understand your workforce’s views on specific topics. Your survey will likely include Likert scale questions, Net Promoter Score (NPS) questions, and some open-text questions. While Likert and NPS questions are straightforward to analyze, open-text questions pose a unique challenge. These responses can be messy in terms of length, sentiment, context, content, format, spelling, and even include emojis  and text speak (SMH). Despite this messiness, open-text questions often provide the most context and insight. Distilling them into common subject categories is difficult and time-consuming. It is mentally draining to read and categorize thousands of responses, and keeping biases from influencing our decisions is challenging. If only there was a tool to help create structured insights from unstructured data…

    RippleWorx has cracked the code to actionizing real data insights to drive meaningful change in organizations. With years of experience analyzing customer feedback, RippleWorx has developed the right AI models to drive continual organizational performance improvements.

    The Power of Generative AI

    If the problem of analyzing a large amount of employee feedback data sounds familiar, good news! One of the greatest benefits of Generative AI in the workplace is its ability to create structured insights from unstructured data. Let’s clarify some terms.

    Structured Data: These are items that fit neatly into rows and columns, like a well-organized Excel spreadsheet where the columns contain consistently formatted data. With structured data, it is straightforward to calculate averages, count categories, or identify outliers. The structure naturally leads to clear insights.

    Unstructured Data: These are items that do not have a predefined format or structure, such as the varied responses to open-ended survey questions. The lack of structure makes deriving insights extremely challenging and sometimes misleading.

    The key to analyzing the open-ended feedback questions from your employees’ surveys is to generate structured, actionable insights from highly unstructured data. Different analytic approaches can be applied, but there are trade-offs. Let’s explore a few.

    Traditional Methods to Analyze Open Text Responses

    Traditional methods for analyzing open text responses include:

    ·         Manual Coding: Reading each response and categorizing it into predefined themes or codes.

    ·         Content Analysis: Reading the entire corpus to determine patterns, themes, and meanings.

    ·         Statistical Text Analysis: Counting word frequency or creating word clouds.

    While statistical text analysis is expedient, it often lacks understanding and semantic meaning across all responses. Manual coding and content analysis are both complex and time-consuming endeavors. When the unstructured data set is large, the human brain cannot equally consider all expressed thoughts. We often get tired and start “seeing” our biases in the data.

    A New Method: Generative AI

    By now, I hope everyone has experimented with the latest chat completion models, such as GPT-4, Claude 3.5, and Gemini 1.5. These models excel at summarizing large corpora of text into easily interpreted bullet points or narrative paragraphs. If the open text responses are saved as a PDF, follow these steps for effective summary insights:

    1.      Attach the PDF in the prompt window.

    2.      Write the following prompt into the chat window:

    “You are a helpful HR assistant. I have attached a document that includes open text survey questions along with all the responses aggregated across the entire organization. I need you to summarize the top three most mentioned themes in the open text responses. The summary output format should be bullet points, each less than 200 words.”

    Two key benefits arise from this approach:

    1.      Semantic Interpretation: The models semantically interpret all open text responses simultaneously, resolving the “messiness” of varied responses. This addresses human fatigue associated with processing large amounts of information, as the language model interprets every response equally and almost instantaneously.

    2.      Coherent Output: The model connects extracted themes from the responses and generates a coherent summary following the provided instructions.

    These models’ ability to identify threads and concepts from numerous responses is remarkable. Adjusting your prompt can extract additional information from the PDF. For example, you can ask the model to summarize the top “positive” and “negative” themes mentioned or to develop an action plan addressing the top issues in the responses.

    While these models significantly improve and expedite the summarization of open text questions, there are important considerations. Uploading corporate information into a public chat completion model poses risks. Sensitive topics discussed may not be intended for public disclosure. This data could be used to train future models, or your prompts and attached data could potentially be hacked and published later. Ensuring data security should be paramount when using Generative AI in your workflows.

    An Even Better Method: Generative AI Mapped into a Performance Taxonomy

    For even greater insight, integrating an organizational performance taxonomy into the prompt allows the model to categorize responses into different dimensions of the organization before summarizing actionable insights. This approach provides more precise results by highlighting not just the overall organizational strengths and weaknesses but pinpointing strengths and weaknesses to specific areas within the organization.

    RippleWorx has created a model for organizational performance called the Performance Chain. In the Performance Chain, an individual addresses a role, roles combine to form teams, and teams combine to form the organization. A performance taxonomy accompanies each link in the chain. The taxonomy for the individual includes motivation and well-being concepts. The taxonomy for the role covers hard and soft skill proficiency and employee readiness. The taxonomy for the team covers collaboration and tactical task execution. The taxonomy at the organizational level covers strategic leadership, culture and climate setting, and key performance metrics.

    Embedding the performance taxonomy within the prompt flow results in more precise insights within the organization. For instance:

    General Prompt Response: “Communication is an issue in the organization.”

    Performance Taxonomy Prompt Response: “Multiple middle managers are having trouble communicating action plans with their teams.”

    The general prompt provides a broad level of actionable insight, but the prompt with the performance taxonomy offers deeper insights, such as the need for targeted training for middle managers. The primary goal of assessing actionable insights is to implement targeted interventions that increase organizational performance.

    The Wrap-Up

    Organizing and analyzing open text survey responses is just one example of how RippleWorx is utilizing Generative AI to transform organizational performance. The Performance Chain framework also integrates external surveys, performance evaluations, and key performance indicator data into our Generative AI prompt workflows. Including this information along with a performance framework provides an even greater level of resolution for actionable insights. The additional resolution aids leaders across the organization in creating targeted action plans that keep individuals motivated and increases organizational momentum.

    www.rippleworx.com

  • Demystifying AI for HR Professionals

    Demystifying AI for HR Professionals

    The team at Paylocity are good friends and collaborators of ours at HPC.  We asked them to give you some insights into the different types of AI in the market and how they are applied.  Like Shari says, AI is more than ChatGPT.  In addition, Shari provides insights on how to evaluate AI tools for HR and how to get started with new technologies. Thank you Shari and Paylocity for your collaboration! 

    Technology does more than merely simplify routine tasks and complex calculations.

    From the static of the first commercial radio broadcasts of the 1920s to the screech of an AOL dial-up in the 1990s to today’s familiar ‘da-dum’ of Netflix, technological advances have fundamentally changed how we experience our world.

    Sometimes, the rate of change can be frightening. Still, in the past century, when technology has been moving forward at such a blistering pace, human curiosity has always taken up the challenge of striving further into the realization of thought into technology integration possibilities.

    Nowhere is this truer than in adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI). While it’s been behind the scenes for years, 2023’s introduction of ChatGPT thrust AI into the public spotlight and our daily lives. But with opportunity always comes innovation, which raises ethical responsibility issues. HR should be no exception.

    Our challenge is to shape a future where technology and AI enhance human well-being. Let’s start by breaking down what AI is and how we use it.

    What Is AI and What’s It Doing in HR?

    There’s more to AI than ChatGPT.

    Here are some definitions and examples of how AI is used every day in life and at work.

    • Artificial Intelligence (AI): The science of building intelligent programs and machines to solve problems creatively. For example, a computer program designed to play chess or checkers.
    • Machine Learning (ML): A subset of AI where systems learn to solve problems from experience without being explicitly programmed, like the recommendations on Netflix after learning about your viewing habits.
    • Deep Learning (DL): It is a subset of ML that uses algorithms and a lot of information to discover intricate patterns in data by simulating the human brain. For example, how is it used in image recognition to find instances of cancer?
    • Large Language Models: Advanced AI systems, purposively built to understand and generate human languages. These can be used for various things, like translation and summarization, and can generate text, so they are quite a powerful tool for natural language processing.
    • Generative AI is a subcategory within LLM, where a new content type is generated, whether text or images, based on patterns learned from input data. While ChatGPT is one instance, another is automated customer response—chatbots.

    It seems that most industries have started to integrate AI into their operations, if not already. Collaborative robots work with humans in manufacturing, and software helps retailers analyze in-store customer behavior. Employees might use AI to search the Internet or blur their backgrounds on video calls.

    AI can elevate the role of HR in the following ways:

    • Increasing time available for strategic work founded on deeper insights from data.
    • Automating recruitment processes, such as a resume or application screening.
    • Masking personally identifiable information or sort by keyword to reduce hiring bias.
    • Enriching decision-making with people analytics, such as predicting turnover.
    • Improving employee experience with digital tools like feedback loops, chatbots, virtual reality training, digital location walk-throughs
    • Facilitating remote work with collaboration, employee monitoring, and training tools
    • Personalizing learning and development recommendations
    • Improving communications by use of sentiment analysis and generative AI to make the message more impactful
    • Monitoring legal and compliance requirements.

    It is important to note that none of these functions should run without human supervision. Anytime we use technology to help us manage people, we need to be very cautious and thoughtful.

    What to Ask When Evaluating AI Tools for HR

    Two of the top concerns for HR professionals considering the use of AI are bias and data privacy.

    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces laws prohibiting workplace discrimination. In many cases, an employer is responsible for its use of AI in employment decision-making, even if the tools are designed or administered by a software vendor. In other words, it’s up to the individual employer to mitigate bias in hiring, promotions, and terminations regardless of the technology used in the process.

    Employers must also protect employees’ personally identifiable information (PII). Laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP) give guidelines for collecting and storing personal data. Furthermore, businesses using open-sourced software like the free version of ChatGPT should caution employees not to upload sensitive company information.

    Choosing a technology partner who is laser-focused on the ethical use of data is imperative to achieve AI’s true benefits for employees and HR. Ask vendors these questions about their commitment to AI ethics:

    • How are your AI systems held accountable by humans?
    • How do you provide transparency to AI users?
    • How do you maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations?
    • How do you stay current on AI technology and HR best practices?
    • How do your AI systems help reduce potential bias?

    Getting Started with AI in HR

    If adapting to change is tough, helping an entire organization adapt to emerging technology can seem overwhelming. Use this framework to guide your company’s approach to using AI in HR.

    1. Start small: Adopt generative AI for personal use at first. Try asking questions you know the answer to, so you can gauge how accurate it is. Then, get creative!
    2. Conduct a market analysis: Identify and evaluate how AI is used in software solutions that make sense for your organization, like talent acquisition, workforce analytics, performance management, or employee engagement.
    3. Understand the risks: Weigh the risks and benefits of implementing AI in HR for your company.
    4. Plan: Map out how you’ll implement tools, assess data quality and availability, and monitor results.
    5. Build a team: Leverage the expertise of others in the organization, such as IT and business continuity.
    6. Train employees: Create a schedule to train employees on how to use the new technology.
    7. Provide clarity: Communicate transparently about your AI use and how you’ll help employees develop skills to leverage it ethically.

    What’s Next for HR Technology?

    Everybody wants to know! Yet, what we can gather is that technology will not stand still.

    More likely AI trends in HR and the future include increased use of predictive analytics, augmented employee experiences, AI-driven wellness programs, and tools to manage remote teams effectively.

    This is our chance, HR professionals and business leaders alike, to handle with responsibility what it means to manage the workforce humanely in the world of the future.

    About Shari Simpson

    Shari Simpson stands at the forefront of human resources, blending 20 years of rich experience with cutting-edge educational credentials. With an MBA, MHRM, Certificate in E-commerce Management, and SHRM-SCP, she is pursuing a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Purdue. In addition, as the host of the HR Mixtape podcast, Shari shares invaluable insights with industry experts and establishes herself as a thought leader in HR. She is a guest speaker at local and national conferences, interacting with industry leaders about elevating the HR, Payroll, and Business sectors. Other than this, Shari is an adoring mother of three sons—one a veteran and two currently serving in the US Navy—a devoted dog mom and a consistent reader. Add to that, for the past 25 years, she has been married to a fire department Battalion Chief, which helps deepen her perspective on service and commitment. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharisimpson/

    About Paylocity

    As the award-winning, cloud-based HR and payroll software provider, Paylocity focuses on developing artificial intelligence to reduce friction in HR administration, improve communication effectiveness, engage employees, and increase productivity. Read our AI ethics statement.

  • SPECIAL FEATURE: June Leadership Development Carnival

    SPECIAL FEATURE: June Leadership Development Carnival

    We are honored to host this month’s Leadership Development Carnival. At Horizon Point, we find that each month the carnival is filled with rich content to enhance your knowledge of Leadership. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do!

    Communication

    Is Empathy Dying?
    Sadly empathy seems to be dying. It can be devastating to relationships… both personal and professional. Learn why this is important and how you can reclaim it. — Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE (@macdarling)

    Divided we fail, in dialogue we create the future
    In this time of challenges we need dialogue and solutions but we see polarization. Also at work, you must take a stand. Are you pro or contra? Divided we fail, but through dialogue, we can solve our challenges and create the future. — Marcella Bremer (@MarcellaBremer)

    The Power of Neutral Language: Time to Think First and Communicate Second
    How do we minimize the number of regretful remarks we will make in the future– be they verbally, in writing, or through social media? How do we avoid saying something we might come to bemoan? My prescription? Think first, communicate second, and by doing so, change the language to something neutral. And, when we fail to do this – after all, we’re all human – and instead blurt out something unkind, unproductive or unprofessional, apologize. — DIANA PETERSON-MORE (linkedin.com/in/leadership-consultant-usa)

    Creativity/Inspiration

    June Tune Up! Add a Little Oil!
    Mother Teresa once said, “To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” Leadership is about helping others discover who they are and how they impact the lives of others. We aim to have a positive impact on those around us and be the support system they need to continue growing. — Brenda Yoho (@BrendaYoho or https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendayoho/)

    Development

    Invisible Costs Can Cost You a Lot
    When making decisions, most people view cost as an important consideration. While price is undoubtedly crucial, what about invisible costs that also come into play? — Frank Sonnenberg (@FSonnenberg)

    Which Double Standard for Women Applies To You? All of Them?
    Double standards for women in leadership is an age-old problem, but it turns out that it’s not just a problem for leaders; it’s a problem for all women in the workplace. It’s important to see the double standards women face in their broader context as a result of implicit and unconscious biases we all hold. — Dana Theus (@DanaTheus)

    Opportunity Focused Leadership
    Do you aim to be a problem-focused leader or an opportunity focused leader?

    Many work environments place a premium on leaders with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, that premium often places too much emphasis on being critical and dealing with problems. I suggest a different way. — Bill Treasurer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/courage)

    How to keep your best leaders: 4 keys to build a flourishing leadership pipeline
    A recent Gallup study highlights significant concerns among those serving in managerial roles. Their research found managers more likely than non-managers to be disengaged at work, burned out, looking for a new job and feeling like their organization doesn’t care about their wellbeing. Amid these intense challenges, what can you do to keep your best leaders? Here are four keys to build a flourishing leadership pipeline. — Jon Lokhorst (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonlokhorst/)

    Where Does Your Work Culture Fall in the 5 Levels of Workplace Inspiration?
    A work culture that validates teams members for their efforts and sense of responsibility will create an engaged workforce. — S. Chris Edmonds (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisedmonds)

    Keep Your Business Healthy: The Four Pillars of Sound Financial Practices
    Operational savvy doesn’t always come easy, and a business owner sometimes, out of necessity, has to put on hats they aren’t equipped. I often hear “But I’m not an accountant!” and I understand. Still, if you are going to own a business, you have to take responsibility for the financial aspects of your business as well as other operations and product/service development and sales. — Jon Verbeck (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonverbeck)

    Engagement

    Declining Employee Engagement Signals an Opportunity
    Gallup Research recently issued a red flag about employee engagement. Michael Stallard and Katharine Stallard explain why it actually represents an opportunity for leaders. — Michael Lee Stallard (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstallard)

    Leadership Development

    Leading Through Change in the Workplace: Key Strategies to Use Today
    The complexities of the business environment mean change is one thing most employees can expect, whether they like it or not. Changes in strategy, restructuring, layoffs, the prevalence of mergers and acquisitions, people, and workplace culture issues – the list goes on and on. Read on to see how leaders can help minimize disruption and keep employees engaged. — David Grossman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgrossmanaprabc)

    Productivity

    How Documenting Effective Systems Improves Team Culture and Performance
    Clearly communicated systems aren’t rigid shackles – but rather the essential musical score that ensures everyone plays in perfect harmony, unlocking exceptional team culture and performance. — Sean Glaze (@leadyourteam)

    It’s About Time! 10 Ways to Offer the Time Autonomy Employees Crave
    The clock is ticking towards a more autonomous future. This article offers concrete tools and strategies within any leader’s control to offer the time flexibility people crave – and in the process, build a magnetic and unbeatable culture where talent thrives. — Julie Winkle Giulioni (https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewinklegiulioni)

    Quality is a Journey to Excellence
    Quality means not only the quality of the product, but also the quality of the processes producing the product, the quality of the designs that go into processes and the product, quality people, quality systems, quality service, quality everything… just quality through and through everywhere. We need to adopt a new way to manage and run organizations. – John Hunter (@aJohnHunter)

    \Swinging for the Fence to Slow Productivity
    Following my sabbatical almost three years ago where I said no to everything for almost eight weeks, I came out refreshed and ready to swing for the fence again. I slowly but surely started picking up balls. One at a time, we added client after client, one of which is sucking the ever living life out of me right now. — Mary Ila Ward (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ila-ward)

    Team Building

    Hiring the Right Players
    Every organization needs leaders who can come in and quickly understand the organization’s past, learn the present environment, and develop an effective plan. The challenge is exercising patience and diligence in the selection process to hire the right players; being clear about what and who you need. — Priscilla Archangel (@prisarchangel)

    Is a pro basketball player’s story the key to fighting mediocrity?
    Robyn McLeod of Thoughtful Leaders Blog presents Is a pro basketball player’s story the key to fighting mediocrity? where she shares that while mediocrity can be contagious, the antidote is a focus on winning and innovation – and the encouragement of the Charles Barkleys in your organization who can rally their teams to success. — Robyn McLeod (@ThoughtfulLdrs)


  • Open the Door to New Experiences

    Open the Door to New Experiences

    3,098.0 miles away

    Traveling 3,098.0 miles away from my home to live with the Ward family and shadow Mary Ila and HPC surely is a completely new experience for me. Since February and until May, I have been in the United States. This is the longest time I have ever been away from home and family.

    In one of the training sessions I got to shadow Horizon Point, we did an exercise where we selected two things that motivated us at work, and two others that did the complete opposite. The two that least motivated me from the list were “being in charge” and “being in a constantly changing environment.” 

    When I showed Mary Ila my choices she looked at me and laughed, “Well, you sure kinda threw yourself into a constantly changing environment when you came here!” I answered laughing as well, “I kinda had to do it”.

    Hello I Am Leaving My Comfort Zone name tag sticker to illustrate bravery and courage in going beyond the familiar to new experiences and growth

    It’s necessary

    I am a big routine/agenda kind of girl. I like having a constant routine because that way I feel productive, but I have learned over my 17 years of life that many times we have to step out of our comfort zone to learn and remember some lessons, adapt, and also open paths for opportunities. An important and true thing to bear in mind is that most of the time those lessons and opportunities will only come to us once we are willing to take the step and experience new unknown things. 

    I am so glad that I said yes to Mary Ila’s offer to live here and shadow her and her team because I have surely learned a lot. This experience I would have never been able to have if I stayed in Costa Rica waiting for college to start. Was I scared? Yeah. When I woke up after leaving my parents and brother at the airport, did I feel weird? Sure. Did I know what was going to happen next? Oh, a hundred percent no! However, has it been worth the new experience so far? Oh a hundred percent yes!

    Before I came to the United States, Mary Ila gave me the book Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. There is a quote that I think is all about new experiences. It speaks to the importance of opening the door to new things. “The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.” You just kinda have to do it!