Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

  • Beyond Grit: Getting Situated to Bring Out Your Best

    Beyond Grit: Getting Situated to Bring Out Your Best

    As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more aware of how much my situation impacts my wellbeing. The space I’m in. The place I call home. The people around me. All of it influences how I think, how I feel, and how I show up.

    I’ve also become more willing to ask whether something needs to change instead of assuming I just need to work harder.

    Angela Duckworth’s book, Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best, gave me language for this. The researcher who helped us understand grit now asks us to consider how our surroundings can help us put that grit to good use.

    One question from the book has stayed with me:

    “Can we learn to worship strategy as much as strength?”

    For those of us accustomed to pushing through, that is a question worth sitting with.

    1. Situational Awareness: Go Beyond Grit

    We’ve written quite a bit about grit at Horizon Point. In Leaders, Set Manageable Goals to Lead and Run Well, I shared how breaking marathon training into smaller pieces helped make a big goal manageable. In Open the Door to Growth, Grit and Yourself, Emily connected perseverance and self-awareness with a workplace that encourages people to grow.

    In Mommas Maintaining Grit?, I wrestled with what perseverance looked like while caring for a sick child and trying to meet work commitments. My husband, in-laws, and team helped make that week possible. I also questioned whether grit leaves enough room to reevaluate our goals and shift focus toward what matters in a particular season.

    Looking back, I can see situational awareness in that story. The demands changed, and so did the support and priorities I needed. Passion and perseverance were still there, even when they looked different from what a quiz might measure.

    Together, these pieces point toward the importance of the conditions surrounding our effort.

    Duckworth takes that idea further in Situated. We often focus on willpower at the point between a thought and a response: resist the distraction, choose the better behavior, make yourself do the hard thing.

    She encourages us to move to the left. Before the thought comes the situation. What could we change there to make the behavior we want easier to repeat?

    If you want to focus, where is your phone? If you want to exercise, how easy is it to get out the door? If you want your team to speak honestly, what happens when someone raises a concern?

    As Duckworth writes:

    “A little willpower goes a long way when you use it to get situated first.”

    For leaders, this means examining what surrounds the behavior we’re asking for. Our calendars, meeting practices, relationships, and responses to mistakes all shape what people do next.

    What in your situation is helping you become who you want to be? What is making it harder?

    2. Situational Agency: Do Something About It

    Awareness gives us a starting point. Agency asks us to act on it.

    Four ideas from the book stood out to me.

    Set Up Your Space

    Align where you are and what is around you with your goals.

    This can be as simple as putting the book you want to read within reach or finding a quiet place for work that requires concentration. At work, it might mean making the tools people need easier to access or protecting time to finish work between meetings.

    We ask people to manage their time while filling their calendars. We ask for collaboration without creating opportunities for connection. Getting situated means paying attention to whether the space and routines support the goal.

    Pick Your Peers

    One of my favorite examples is the commitment-card practice used by the De La Salle football team.

    Players write their goals on an index card and commit to a named teammate. They exchange cards, and that teammate observes their follow-through during the next week. At the following team gathering, the partner reports on whether the commitments were met.

    The card makes the goal visible. The relationship gives someone a reason to follow through.

    Think about what this could look like on your team. Each person identifies one specific commitment for the week and shares it with a peer. They check in, offer support, and have an honest conversation about what happened.

    That kind of accountability takes trust. It also gives us a practical way to help each other do what we said we would do.

    Make Mentorship the Mode

    Get one. Thank one.

    Who helps you see possibilities you might miss on your own? Who offers perspective when you’re too close to a situation to see it clearly?

    Seek out that person. Make time for the relationship. And thank the people who have already played that role in your life.

    Then consider who needs the same from you. Mentorship can happen in ordinary conversations when we ask a thoughtful question, share what we’ve learned, or help someone recognize a strength they haven’t yet seen.

    Champion Cultural Carriers

    Pay attention to the people who make a culture’s values visible through their everyday behavior. Who models curiosity? Who welcomes someone new? Who makes it safe to ask for help?

    Support those people, and examine the norms we accept simply because they are familiar. Status quo bias can keep us in situations long after we’ve stopped asking whether they fit.

    This year, my family made a significant change. We moved more than 300 miles from where my husband and I grew up and the only hometown our children had known.

    Being hometown kids raising kids in our hometown came with relationships and roots we value. It also came with expectations we had grown accustomed to following.

    Moving has given us more margin, more proximity to the things we value and enjoy, and less pressure to conform to what we’ve always conformed to. It has helped us choose more intentionally how we want to live.

    A move isn’t everyone’s answer. But questioning a familiar situation can help us see choices we didn’t realize we had.

    3. Situational Responsibility: Help Others Get Situated

    The book also prompted me to reconsider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

    The familiar pyramid makes it easy to imagine we finish with one need and climb to the next. Duckworth revisits a more fluid understanding: Maslow did not draw that pyramid, and our needs don’t disappear as we grow. We continue to need safety, belonging, esteem, and opportunities to develop. Different needs come to the foreground at different times.

    That matters at work. Someone can be ambitious and still need rest. A capable leader can still need belonging. A person doing meaningful work can still be worried about paying the bills.

    Duckworth’s discussion of self-transcendence takes this further. Beyond developing our own potential is the opportunity to use it in service of something larger than ourselves.

    That is situational citizenship: helping create conditions in which others can thrive, too.

    We don’t all have the same freedom to change our circumstances. Leaders have a particular responsibility to consider the situations they create for other people. Can we offer clearer expectations, access to a mentor, room to learn, or a more sustainable workload?

    At Horizon Point, growing people means paying attention to both the person and the workplace around them. Getting situated can help us bring out our best. Leadership asks us to extend that opportunity to others.

    What lights you up? Go let it shine so others can see you—and do the same.

  • 15 Years of Workplace Innovation. What Will the Next 15 Bring?

    15 Years of Workplace Innovation. What Will the Next 15 Bring?

    It’s the summer of anniversaries. On July 4th our country will celebrate its 250th anniversary.  Relatively young for a country, but a milestone nonetheless.

    In August, my husband and I will celebrate 20 years of marriage. Still possibly a young marriage, but a milestone anniversary as we enter our midlife years.

    And this summer, Horizon Point celebrates our 15th anniversary. Established as a business- but still an adolescent- we’ve always been predicting and navigating what will happen next when it comes to the workplace.

    Fifteen years ago, writing my first blog post seemed to be the official way to announce the business. I looked for the post and that first platform of those infant writings, but couldn’t find it.  It was written on a platform that is long forgotten and no longer in existence.

    The post played off the theme of Sarah Bareille’s song “Uncharted”. And boy, we’ve navigated some uncharted territory-some anticipated and some totally unexpected- shaping the workplace.

    How the Workplace Changed Over the Past 15 Years

    In 2011, smartphones were taking over, millennials were taking over, and cloud computing was changing how we worked and collaborated.  We were coming out of the “Great Recession” yet many employers were still complaining about the quality and quantity of labor.

    Throughout the first several years of business, “employee experience” became a buzz phrase, people wanted to constantly talk about the five generations in the workplace and what it meant and DEI initiatives began to take off.  “Wellness” became a workplace strategy.

    As we approached 2020, remote and hybrid work largely driven by technology and the desire to retain and expand talent pools began to creep up on all of us.  Around 2018 we began to get an explosion of calls about help with compensation. We were still largely operating at recession wages ten years after the recession. Then the pandemic hit and accelerated these paths exponentially.

    The Great Resignation hit and we were up to our eyeballs at work helping a diverse set of employers recruit and retain talent in this new paradigm.

    And although I wouldn’t have dreamed of all that AI can do and how it could help me write a blog post fifteen years ago- yes, I did dump the topic for this blog post in ChatGPT to help me begin- there are some things that still remain the same and will continue to shape the workplace for the next 15 years.

    Looking Ahead: What the Next 15 Years May Bring

    Here are my predictions:

    How and Where Work Gets Done:  We will still be “arguing” over the mix of work- remote, hybrid, in office, etc. etc.- and what is best universally and by company and industry. We will still be arguing what makes people most “productive”.

    I found Adam Grant’s most recent research interesting around why and what type of boss wants people to return to the office full-time.  Spoiler alert: it isn’t really about productivity.

    I myself have re-examined this in the last year or so, to a varying degree of extreme.  We’ve always had the core values of people first coupled with productivity driving us to not care “when and where work gets done as long as it meets the client’s needs.”  We all work from home and work based on client demand and our own personal time clocks and rhythms to maximize our motivation, productivity, and outcomes. This looks different for each of us.

    But as we transition into year sixteen of the business, I will be relocating with my family six hours away from where I’ve done life and business for the last fifteen years. I still have total confidence work will get done to meet client needs. Will it look different, yes, but it will still be work getting done. If you want to read more about our decision to move, you can find it here. Home and work, at least in my industry, can be almost anywhere in 2026 and beyond.

    As technology continues to advance, even 24/7 industries like healthcare, public service/safety, and manufacturing will have to examine if it will be realistic to operate 24/7/365 without some drastic changes.  Because what will drive all this is the next one…

    Our quality and quantity labor crisis will only grow:  We aren’t making enough babies in the United States or across the world.  Immigration policy is a hot button and I believe will remain so for the near future.  People are exiting the workplace left and right, some for valid reasons, like a much deserved retirement, and for some not so good, for example, the decline of working-age men in the workplace and what this idleness is causing.

    We’ve written about all of this extensively.  You can find more about this labor crisis that will only grow here:

    The Evaporation of Male Labor Force Participation

    What’s Affecting the Labor Force Participation Rate?

    We will still need (and there will still be a gap in) good leadership:  If you asked me at the beginning of 2026 what we would receive the most requests for this year, I honestly would not have said leadership training. Boy was I wrong.  We are getting a minimum of 1-2 requests a week for leadership training proposals, and I’m not talking about a one-and-done stab at leadership development.  I’m talking months and months of a willingness to invest in identifying and growing leaders.

    Driven by the first two above, the quality (and quantity) of good leaders will be needed.  And it will be about embracing authenticity, vulnerability, bravery, and courage. It will demand self-differentiated leaders. For more on this visit work done by Brene Brown and the late Edwin Friedman.

    And like we’ve often said, what got you here won’t get you there. Good leaders can be grown, but it takes training in a different type of skillset than being a good doer.

    With this in mind, we have launched the Doer2Leader Program to meet this demand that isn’t going anywhere.

    AI will continue to shape the workplace and the classroom: I used AI sparingly just a year ago. I use it pretty much every day now. My kids use it on the regular for school and non-school related things. How will it look in 15 years? I’ll leave that to the experts in the field to discern, but I know it will make an impact.  We will need people who know how to leverage constantly evolving technology wisely. I don’t think it is going to largely replace humans at work, or at least not to the extent that number two above won’t continue to be a problem.

    Education will continue to need to focus on in-demand skills, not degrees, but it will continue to need to help students know how to think, not just do:  It’s hard for me not to look at this from the lens of a mother instead of someone trained in organizational psychology.  Although I’m not sure of the means to get to it (and how the trends in school choice do or don’t impact it), I do know we’ve got to do education better.  We’ve made strides in the last fifteen years in resurrecting the focus on career and technical education. But, in my opinion, we still aren’t doing enough to integrate cross disciplinary instruction and thinking as well as character development into our educational pedagogy across the country.

    We are largely still asking kids to memorize things they can look up online, structuring classrooms like we did during the industrial revolution and failing to show students how to connect the dots across multiple disciplines, ideas, and basic life skills. Haves and have nots continue to be further divided based on who gets this type of learning in the home and who doesn’t.

    The “traditional” worker will shrink: Those who think and not just do will not stay in the “traditional” workplace. They will go out on their own and do their own thing or work for someone who will let them do so. They won’t be governed by corporate policy or the corporate grind and by work hours and mindsets that aren’t conducive to their lifestyle desires or pay systems that don’t reward them for their value and performance. Some will couch this along the lines of generational issues, but I think there is more to it than that.

    The best and brightest will leverage technology, interpersonal skills, and vision, and tell the workplace to peace out if it doesn’t get a grip with things mentioned above and the value they create. I am seeing this in droves now and it will continue.

    This will continue to separate the haves from the have nots (for which I am concerned) and place more of a demand on traditional employers and educators to figure out how to train and lead marginalized groups. This drives a set of challenges we’ve got to figure out as a collective how to address.

    The One Prediction I’m Confident Making

    I’ll be wrong and I’ll be right about some of these things.  But what I know for sure is we will have to keep innovating the workplace if we will continue to be relevant as a business and if any other organization will be for that matter.

    What are you expecting the future of work and the workplace to look like and how do you stay on top of the constant evolution?

  • Recognition Is Not a Perk—It’s a Retention Strategy

    Recognition Is Not a Perk—It’s a Retention Strategy

    At Horizon Point, we believe organizations don’t retain talent through compensation alone—they retain it through connection, purpose, and feeling valued. One of the most overlooked yet powerful drivers of that connection is recognition.

    In today’s labor market, where disengagement and turnover remain persistent challenges, recognition has shifted from a “nice-to-have” cultural element to a strategic imperative.

    The Link Between Recognition and Retention

    Research consistently shows that employees who feel seen and valued are significantly more likely to stay.

    • Employees who feel valued are 63% less likely to be looking for a new job
    • Well-recognized employees are 45% less likely to leave within two years
    • Organizations with strong recognition cultures experience 31% lower voluntary turnover

    These aren’t marginal gains—they represent meaningful shifts in workforce stability. When people feel their contributions matter, they are more likely to invest their energy and future in the organization.

    Why Recognition Works

    Recognition operates at the intersection of engagement, trust, and belonging.

    A large-scale study of over 25,000 employees found that recognition significantly boosts employee engagement and reduces burnout . Engagement, in turn, is one of the strongest predictors of retention.

    Recognition also builds trust in leadership and organizational fairness. Employees who receive authentic recognition are more likely to believe in equitable opportunities and leadership integrity —two critical components of long-term commitment.

    At a human level, recognition answers a fundamental question every employee is asking: Does my work matter here?

    The Cost of Getting It Wrong

    Despite its importance, recognition is often inconsistent—or absent altogether.

    • Only 22% of employees feel adequately recognized
    • Nearly 66% say they would leave if they felt unappreciated

    This gap creates what we often see in organizations: a “quiet risk” population—capable, experienced employees who are not actively disengaged but are increasingly open to leaving.

    When recognition is delayed or impersonal, it loses its impact. Timely, meaningful appreciation reinforces behavior and strengthens connection. Without it, organizations risk eroding trust and loyalty.

    Recognition as a Leadership Discipline

    Recognition is most effective when it is not treated as a program, but as a leadership habit.

    High-impact recognition is:

    • Timely – delivered close to the behavior or achievement
    • Specific – tied to actions and outcomes and the personal preferences of those being recognized
    • Authentic – genuine and aligned with organizational values
    • Frequent – embedded in daily interactions, not reserved for annual events

    Organizations that operationalize recognition see measurable results. Formal recognition programs have been linked to up to a 25% improvement in retention , while even simple, non-monetary recognition can significantly increase job satisfaction and loyalty.

    Building a Culture of Recognition

    Creating a recognition-rich culture does not require complex systems—it requires intentionality.

    Leaders can start by:

    • Equipping managers to recognize effectively and consistently
    • Equipping managers to know their people’s preferences so their recognition has meaning.  A good way to consider preferences is through tools like Appreciation at Work Languages. 
    • Encouraging peer-to-peer recognition, not just top-down praise
    • Aligning recognition with organizational values and behaviors

    When recognition becomes part of how work gets done—not an occasional initiative—it reinforces the behaviors and relationships that sustain performance over time.

    The Bottom Line

    Retention is not solved through policies alone—it is built through everyday experiences.

    Recognition is one of the simplest, most human ways to shape those experiences. It strengthens engagement, builds trust, and signals to employees that they matter—not just for what they do, but for who they are.

    At Horizon Point, we see recognition as more than appreciation. It is a strategic lever for building cultures where people choose to stay, contribute, and grow.

    And in a world where talent has options, that choice is everything.

    Like this post?  You may like this one as well: 

    https://horizonpointconsulting.com/?s=recognition

  • Start the New Year Right with Simplicity

    Start the New Year Right with Simplicity

    At the beginning of a new year, there is a natural pull toward momentum. Fresh calendars, renewed energy, and the promise of progress invite us to jump straight into action. But at Horizon Point Consulting, we believe sustainable success starts with intention—not urgency. Starting the year right means slowing down just enough to be thoughtful, focused, and aligned.

    Here is a simple, disciplined approach we often recommend to individuals and organizations alike.  And you need to write this all down! Don’t just do it in your head. Reflection becomes far more powerful when it moves from your head to paper.

    1. Reflect 

    Before you plan what’s next, take time to reflect on what has been. Two ways to do this are through documenting: 

    Highs and Lows

    Begin by capturing the highs from the past year. What worked? Where did you feel proud, energized, or successful? These moments often reveal strengths and strategies worth repeating.

    Then, honestly document the lows. What felt heavy, frustrating, or misaligned? Where did you lose energy or momentum? Naming these experiences helps you learn from them rather than carry them forward unconsciously.

    Start, Stop, Stay

    Next, organize your reflection into three simple categories:

    • Start: What new habits, behaviors, or practices would serve you better this year?
    • Stop: What is no longer working and needs to be released?
    • Stay: What is already working well and should be protected or reinforced?

    This exercise brings clarity and creates a strong foundation for meaningful change.

    Mel Robbin’s Best Year Workbook highlights a reflection on both of these things and may help you get these reflections down on paper. 

    We also like Emily Freeman’s 10 Questions for Reflection and Discernment

     

    2. Plan — Then Put It on the Calendar

    Reflection without planning rarely leads to results. Once you’ve identified what matters most, it’s time to plan.

    The key here is specificity. Good intentions become real commitments when they are scheduled. Block time for priorities, not just tasks. And understand your natural rhythms to know when the best time is to do what type of activities.  We outline how to do a time audit and other important “when” topics here. Whether it’s strategic thinking, personal development, health, or connection, if it matters—it deserves space on your calendar.

    You also may want to check out Cal Newport’s planner and podcast for more insights on purposeful planning for “deep work” and “slow productivity.” 

    And then, the harder part: stick to it. Treat these commitments with the same respect you give meetings and deadlines. Consistency is where progress compounds.

    3. Simplify

    Starting the year right doesn’t mean doing more. In fact, it often means doing less—on purpose.

    We simplify at HPC by selecting a theme for the year.  Here are some of our previous themes: 

    Ironically enough, our theme for 2026 HPC is “Simplicity.” 

    Look at your commitments, goals, and routines and ask: What can be simplified? Where can you reduce complexity, eliminate distractions, or streamline processes?  We will be working through all of these things this year at HPC. 

    We are starting off this year simplifying our blog and newsletters.  Blogs will be released once a month, not once a week, along with a newsletter.  Often, less is more. 

    Simplicity creates focus and it takes intention.  We are focusing on this in 2026. 

    4. Share

    Goals grow stronger when they are shared. Whether it’s with a colleague, a team, a coach, or a trusted friend, articulating your intentions out loud builds accountability and clarity.

    Sharing also invites support. You don’t have to carry the year alone—and you shouldn’t.

    In fact, with our Doer2Leader (D2L) leadership training, everyone picks an accountability partner so they are sharing their goals and sharing their progress throughout the six month program. 

    We have three groups starting this month and have a spot or two left for more- email us to set up a call to talk about your need!

    5. Calibrate Regularly

    Finally, remember that the year is not a straight line. Starting strong matters, but recalibrating regularly matters more.  Every year will no doubt require pivots. 

    Build in moments—monthly or quarterly (we like to do it quarterly)—to revisit your reflections, plans, and priorities. Ask what’s working, what’s shifting, and what needs adjustment. Calibration keeps you aligned as conditions change.

    Starting the new year right isn’t about perfection or pressure. It’s about clarity, intention, and disciplined follow-through. When you reflect honestly, plan deliberately, simplify courageously, share openly, and calibrate regularly, you create a year that is not just busy—but meaningful.

  • 2026 Book of the Year

    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!