Conflict, Conflict Everywhere: How to Resolve Conflict at Work

AI generated image depicted people in conflict tug of war

Context matters. When conflict erupts at work, it’s easy to focus on the outburst, not the circumstances that led to it. Take my friend’s brother—suspended without pay for lashing out after being undermined. What his boss didn’t consider? He had just lost his mother and had a child in the hospital.

As leaders, we must create space for employees to navigate stress, not just react to their missteps. Using an empowerment-based model like SBAR—situation, background, analysis, recommendations—can help de-escalate conflict and build stronger teams. How do you handle workplace conflict?

Are You Leading or Just Managing? Let’s Find Out

The terms manager and leader often get used interchangeably, but should they? “Leading versus managing” is a common search phrase. At HPC, we don’t really think it’s a “versus” situation. You can be a good manager without being a great leader, but you can’t be a great leader without strong management skills. So, what’s distinct about them, and why does it matter? Let’s break it down.  You Manage Time and Tasks Management primarily involves managing things that largely impact people, but it does not seek to influence people like leadership does.  It’s hard to lead others well if you can

Nourish: A Bold New Direction for 2025

After a year of “Open the Door” as our 2024 theme, we decided this year as a team that maybe we needed to simplify- our theme and our focus.  As I discussed in my speech Taste and See, turning responsibility into obligation to open the door to anyone and anything brought about a state of too much in 2025.  Like they say, there can be too much of a good thing.  So in keeping with tasting and seeing what is good and letting that be the only obligation or responsibility to pursue, trusting that good things will flow naturally from

You’re Killin’ Me Smalls! 4 Powerful Leadership Lessons from The Sandlot

My boys love baseball. I tolerate it. Our little one started t-ball last year and has become obsessed, so naturally The Sandlot is now his favorite movie.  He watches it on repeat now.  Again, I tolerate it being on pretty much 24/7 at our house.  But the other day it was playing in the background, and I sat down for a second to watch.  “This Benny kid”, I thought, “this kid is a real leader”.  Then I proceeded to watch the entire rest of the movie tuned in to this realization: there are powerful leadership lessons from The Sandlot.  As

SPECIAL FEATURE: Taste and See

Last week, Horizon Point founder and president, Mary Ila Ward, was recognized with an ATHENA Leadership Award by the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber during their annual Women in Business Celebration. Her speech deeply resonated with so many women (and men) in attendance, so today we are sharing her words with all of you.—Thank you for this honor. I am humbled. Many of the women who have won this award are women I look up to and who have been instrumental in shaping a community I love through their servant leadership.  Thank you to the Chamber and its staff.  It is a