Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

2026 Book of the Year

As we reflect on this past year and our 2025 theme of NOURISH, we are thrilled to share the book that has captured our hearts and minds as our Book of the Year: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

Throughout the year, we wrestled with choosing a book—considering titles on leadership, career development, workplace culture, and change management. Yet, nothing seemed to align with what we truly wanted to communicate. We were forcing a choice.

Then, serendipitously, we rediscovered The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. And, much like our first-ever selection, When Breath Becomes Air, we were reminded that sometimes the most impactful books are those that appear to have nothing—and yet everything—to do with our work at Horizon Point Consulting.

This beautifully illustrated treasure offers nourishment in just a few minutes of quiet reading and reflection. It’s a profound reminder of the quiet strength found in kindness, connection, and vulnerability—values that are foundational to the work we do and to the relationships we are privileged to build with you.

As we turn the page to the new year, we hope this book nourishes your spirit, just as it has nourished ours. We are deeply grateful for your trust and partnership.

Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to announce our new theme: SIMPLICITY. In a world that often feels complex, we’re reminded that the simplest things—like a ten-minute read—can yield the most profound insights into courage, kindness, leadership, and connection.

Wishing you and your team many blessings in this season of joy and reflection!

December 16, 2025
What Cultivates Gratitude? Or Better Yet, What Does Gratitude Cultivate?
This week we are featuring a reblog from Mary Ila, originally published November 23, 2021.

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I was tasked with writing a blog post on gratitude for this week- Thanksgiving week. I love it when my team gets together without me while I’m on sabbatical and sends me an email telling me what to write 🙂 It’s a given- a post with a theme of thankfulness- even though as a culture we’ve seemed to skip right to Christmas once Halloween ends.

I’ve written about counting your blessings and even counting your first-world problems and being thankful when tasked with the same thing before.

But what keeps jumping back into my mind this year as I think about how to articulate some inspiration for gratitude is to cite Bryan Stephenson. I had the opportunity to hear Stephenson at a conference I attended this fall. Bryan Stephenson is the author of Just Mercy and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.

He is obviously an in-demand speaker. He apparently charged the group nothing for an almost hour-long talk. He started the session by thanking the people in the audience for the work they do. Mostly public servants in the audience who spend their days helping people on the margins, he made reference to how some of the services the group was involved in impacted him as a child.

He thanked and he thanked and he thanked before he moved into any form of argument or points.

But his points were powerful, and also speak to a heart of gratitude I believe that then leads to a heart of grace and mercy, and then one of action.

In speaking about the marginalized, or “least of these” Stephenson made four points:
1. Commit to getting proximate. We can’t help if we aren’t close because then we don’t know what we don’t know. We need to affirm people’s humanity to help them get to higher ground and realize that all our journeys are tied to one another.
2. We have to change our narratives. This means we have to talk about things we haven’t talked about before. He says we have to, “acknowledge, confess, and repent.” My favorite quote of the night was, “Beautiful things happen when we tell the truth. We close ourselves off to beauty when we don’t tell the truth.”
3. We have to believe in hope. This means believing in things we haven’t yet seen and being confident that in getting proximate and changing narratives, they will become seen.
4. We have to do things that are uncomfortable and inconvenient. Really, the first three things echo this point. Getting proximate is uncomfortable and inconvenient. Changing our narratives and telling the truth is uncomfortable. Staying hopeful is not only uncomfortable, it is also inconvenient to train our brains to be so. But in the end, and in the journey itself, that is where the beauty lies.
I hope you’ll take this week to be thankful and it will lead you to grace and mercy, which will then inspire you to action.

During this holiday season, where do you need to get proximate, change a narrative, have hope, and/or be uncomfortable or inconvenienced?
November 25, 2025
Horizon Point is Supplier of the Year!

Horizon Point was honored last week by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA) with the Supplier of the Year Award in the Service Provider category.

As we look back over our time working in the automotive sector, we are grateful for the people who taught us about the industry before we even knew we would be a service provider to it one day.

We are also thankful for the first Tier One supplier that put their trust in us when we were a start-up business and allowed us to work alongside them for years. And we are thankful for the first OEM that asked us to partner with them in structuring and growing their workforce of over 4000 people.

And of course, we are thankful for AAMA putting their trust in us to impact the workplace across Alabama through collaborative partnership and keynote speaking.

And finally, we are thankful for our clients that were willing to give testimonials that went into the video honoring us at the AAMA Annual Dinner:

Organizational growth is built over time through lasting learning and relationships, and we are thankful for the Automotive sector in Alabama teaching us this. As we enter the season of gratitude, we hope you’ll take a minute to reflect on the learning and relationships you’ve developed over time and thank those that have shaped your growth and your future.

November 18, 2025
Should I Let My Employees Have Side Gigs?
Three people work with me full-time. All three have side gigs. Two are adjunct instructors at local universities. One writes résumés. Another picked up a gig I once had but didn’t want to do anymore. She was skilled in the area and enjoyed the extra income.

The side gigs they have are in adjacent spaces to our business. They are able to share their expertise, make connections, and help themselves and others grow while they earn extra income.

Why I Support Side Gigs

Some people think I’m crazy for “allowing” this. I don’t just allow it. I support it and encourage it. Their side work has never interfered with delivering on our clients’ needs. Never, not once.

In fact, the way we work makes supporting side gigs easier. It does not matter when or where the work gets done as long as client needs are met. That is harder to pull off in environments that require standard hours and physical presence. But I would argue that banning side gigs actually hurts morale. If people really want or need to do outside work, they will. They will just keep it hidden, which only diminishes trust and weakens culture.

What Leaders Should Do

So what should you do as a leader when you have full-time employees with pursuits outside of what you pay them to do?

Talk openly about their interests and pursuits outside of work. This includes side gigs, hobbies, and family-related commitments. Ask about what matters to them and encourage holistic development. No one can get everything they need out of their “day” job.

Talk openly about compensation and salary needs. You may not always be able to pay more, but being supportive when someone wants to drive a few Uber routes, Airbnb their home, sell art or jewelry, or teach a class helps foster open communication and trust. Life is expensive, and for many people multiple streams of income are a necessity.

Handle it directly if it becomes a problem. If tasks are not getting completed, deadlines are missed, or presence is required and not met, sit down one-on-one and discuss performance. Reiterate or set clear expectations and allow the person the autonomy to meet them. Avoid ultimatums about quitting side work. This approach holds true not only with side gigs but also with personal issues that may impact performance.

Be clear about your organization’s standards. Define what counts as competitive work. Communicate that taking competitive work or soliciting it for personal benefit is off limits. Side gigs in adjacent spaces can be acceptable, but if the organization offers the service, the organization—not the individual—owns that work.

Keep the Conversation Going

Sometimes the lines are not clear. For example, there is a difference between:

An electrician employed by an electrical company doing side jobs without routing them through the employer, and

A firefighter who is also a certified electrician and takes residential electrical work on days off.

If the lines are blurry, talk about it. If you are already open about side gigs, it is much easier to have honest conversations when gray areas arise.

At the end of the day, supporting outside pursuits builds trust, morale, and culture. People bring their whole selves to work. When we acknowledge that, we all grow.
September 16, 2025
Make It Fun: Choosing AND at Work
Mary Ila spoke at the 2025 DisruptHR Huntsville event in August, all about how to make work fun and productive. Here’s a recap on what her five minute talk emphasized!

Work and play. Too often, we treat them as opposites—like you can only have one at the expense of the other. But what if the real secret to stronger results, happier teams, and better workplaces is choosing AND?

At Horizon Point, we believe the most impactful organizations are the ones that put people first. And putting people first means recognizing that work and play don’t have to be at odds. In fact, blending the two is where innovation and connection thrive.

The Power of AND

For decades, we’ve separated the serious from the playful. Work is about productivity, deadlines, and outcomes. Play is what happens after hours. But that split ignores a core truth: people bring their best selves to work when they feel safe, connected, and able to enjoy what they do.

By embracing AND, we unlock a workplace culture where high performance and genuine joy coexist.

The Elements of Work AND Play

When we think about combining work and play, three core elements rise to the top:

1. Fun

Fun doesn’t mean frivolous. It means creating moments of levity and joy that break up the intensity of daily tasks. Laughter, shared activities, or simply celebrating wins together makes teams more resilient and energized.

2. Connection

Play builds bridges. When teams connect on a human level—beyond job titles and roles—they develop trust that strengthens collaboration and communication.

3. Inclusivity

Play levels the playing field. When everyone is invited in, regardless of position or personality, workplaces become more open, creative, and equitable.

Psychological Safety: The Foundation

Of course, fun, connection, and inclusivity can’t thrive without psychological safety.

Psychological safety is the shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. When employees know they can speak up, make mistakes, and be themselves without fear of judgment, they feel respected and valued. Research shows it’s one of the most important factors in effective teams.

Your Turn

So, how do you choose AND at work?

Find small ways to infuse fun into your team’s routine.

Be intentional about building meaningful connections.

Make sure everyone feels included, seen, and valued.

Create a culture where psychological safety is the norm, not the exception.

Work and play. Productivity and joy. Results and people first. When we stop choosing one over the other, that’s when workplaces truly thrive.
September 3, 2025