Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

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

    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 I watched, Benny does four things and in a natural progression to help Scotty, aka “Smalls” be a part of the team and get better at baseball.  Here are the steps I learned:

    1. Include First.  Benny notices Smalls as the new kid in town and invites him to play.  He needs one more person to round out the team (inclusion doesn’t have to be all altruistic) and invites him to play. He gives him a better hat and better glove to help him acclimate easier into the team and advocates for him so the other (skeptical) kids will include him.  But if Benny is including him, the others will follow. People have to feel safe and included before you can help them grow in confidence and skills. 
    1. Nourish Confidence.  Poor Smalls hardly knows a baseball from the sun, much less how to throw and catch. Benny puts him in the outfit and realizes this rather quickly.  Instead of thinking the kid is a lost cause, he knows he needs to give him a win so he will stick it out and the other kids will accept him.   

    In my favorite scene, he jogs out of the outfield after Smalls has made a fool of himself and tells him to just hold his glove up in the air and he will do the rest. He jogs back to home plate with bat and ball in hand and shouts, “Smalls, throw it to second!”  Benny spits on the ball and launches it into the outfit towards Smalls as Smalls chants “Please catch it, please catch it!” eyes closed and glove up.  And Benny’s hit strikes square in the center of Smalls’ glove.   

    The other kids say, alright, this kid is okay and they go on playing. Smalls moves forward a little more confident because of Benny’s hitting and leadership skills, so that now he can build his own skills. 

    1. Build Skills.  Just like my boys, Benny LOVES baseball. It is his life. So, naturally they all play a lot, a whole lot, all summer long.  This practice helps them all grow in their skills, and as they all improve individually they improve together, Smalls included.  You’ve got to build people’s confidence enough for people to be willing to put in the work/practice to be able to build skills. 
    1. Mobilize and have your people’s back when things get tough. Like any good movie, a major problem erupts about three quarters of the way in. The kids need a baseball, so Smalls goes and takes a ball out of his stepdad’s office. Little does he realize that it is signed by the best baseball player of all time because he doesn’t know who Babe Ruth is.  Smalls crushes his first home run with that ball, over the fence and into the yard of “The Beast” the monster and legend of a dog all the boys are terrified of. Naturally, Smalls panics, and when the other kids realize who signed that ball, they all panic together. How are they going to get it back? They have to. 

    Benny gets them all together, tells them to calm down, or shows them to calm down because he is calm, and gives out direct instructions on how they are going to handle this offering the next right thing.  He doesn’t jump off the deep end with panic and what ifs, he just works the team to do what is needed next.  

    Benny has Smalls’ back to fix the biggest “pickle” he’s ever been in. He mobilizes the team to help fix the mess. 

    These leadership lessons from The Sandlot feel eerily similar to leadership lessons at work. Undoubtedly, leading people is going to erupt in some major problems, whether three quarters in or not.  When it does, good leaders have already taken the time to include and build confidence and skills, so when the going gets tough, they can get the team going to fix the issue with as little infighting and panic as possible.  Which continues to build inclusion, confidence and skills. 

    How do you build inclusion, confidence and skills in your people? Can you take these leadership lessons from The Sandlot and apply them at work?

    At HPC, we are launching coaching moment videos in 2025! Check out the first moment on Nourishing Confidence here! 

  • SPECIAL FEATURE: Taste and See

    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 joy to work with each of you. 

    Thank you to my team at Horizon Point for nominating me.  I don’t take lightly what a rarity and privilege it is to get to work day in and day out with such wonderful people who are family.  Taylor, Lorrie, Jillian and Emily- you live out all of our organizational values day in and day out, but this year you have shown me what it truly means to put People First and Give Back.  Thank you for putting me first and giving back to me so fiercely this year when I have needed it the most. 

    There are so many friends in and out of this room to which I will always be grateful for- that have supported me both personally and professionally.  Thanks especially to Whitney and Cindy. 

    Thank you to our past, present, and future clients in and out of this room.  We love innovating the workplace with you. 

    Many of you know that I pretty much hit the jackpot with parents. My parents have been a constant source of support in all seasons of my life and shown what it means to be servant leaders in the community and at home. 

    My in-laws have always been there for me and our family and have always supported us in big and small ways.  Thank you for letting me marry your son. 

    Two of my children are here today.  We spared you all the joy of the five year old being here because he would probably be right up here with me wanting to entertain you all- we opted for him to stay at Pre-K for nap time instead. Paige and Andrew, along with your little brother, you are my reason for breathing most days and a constant source of joy.  Thank you for being you. 

    Drew- man- you are my rock and my better half, thank you. You have always supported my career and community endeavors and been my biggest cheerleader.  I don’t know what I would do without you. 

    The sentiment of Luke 12:48- to whom much is given much is required- has always been a guiding principle in my life.  As you can see by the cloud of witnesses I have mentioned and many more I have not, I have been given much. So much. 

    But I turned 40 this year, and yall, it has kicked my tail.  Forty don’t play or at least with me it hasn’t. Chasing down the “requirements” for 40 years has taken a toll.  I’ve had a year of personal and professional challenges I’d never imagined. Even volunteer leadership opportunities throughout the year have been especially heavy.  And the weight of all of this together has left me spinning. 

    When you feel helpless trying to help the people and the things that you care about the most, sometimes the serenity prayer isn’t all that can pull you through. And the weight of doing what is required of you can’t either. 

    I found out I was receiving this award on a Tuesday afternoon in November. The same day, I had been at the doctor all morning. The reality I am in has gotten to the point where I knew it was affecting my health. I left the doctor with a referral to a cardiologist because of a concerning EKG and a prescription for medicine which I thought I would never be one to need. 

    So the receiving of this award came at a time where I was just about ready to throw in the towel. All of us, every one of us, is carrying around something that is hard, and if you aren’t now, you have or you will.  Let’s all be there for one another.  

    I left the Chamber to pick up my prescription, and as I walked back to the pharmacy, the ice cream cooler caught my eye.  The year has left me not enjoying much, in particular food, so the ice cream cones speaking to me- buy me!- was different.  I hurriedly grabbed them and my prescription and headed home. 

    After dinner, my oldest son went to get the ice cream cones out of the freezer for us all to share.  As he opened the box, he pulled one out and said, “Mom, is this what you meant to get?!”  

    Yall, I’m all for portion control, but what on earth? As you can see, the cone was literally bite sized.  

    We laughed as Andrew tossed one back in a bite and asked if he could have another.  We all had more than one that night. And they were good. 

    Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” 

    As most of us are professional women sitting here in this room, I imagine you chase a lot of “requirements” as well. The list can be endless. But I hope you will join me as we move into a new year with permission to taste and see what is good. To be the good as conduits of grace and light from our always loving God.  Maybe, just maybe, tasting and seeing the good is the only real requirement of us all. 

    My team will have a bite sized ice cream cone for you to savor if you’d like as you leave here today.  “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” The ice cream is good, even if it is just one bite.  And this award is something I am so thankful to savor as well amidst a year of hardships. Thank you for this honor. 

     

  • 2024 Book of the Year

    2024 Book of the Year

    Productivity has always been one of our five operating values at Horizon Point. We tie it intimately to our value of passion, which looks something like this: Get stuff done. Get stuff done that is important and that we care about.

    We are adamant about protecting the fact that productivity doesn’t dictate how and where and when work’s done, but that it gets done and meets the need.

    This mindset hasn’t changed, but throughout 2024 our idea of what it means to be productive has grown and it is captured in our 2024 Book of the Year: Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. Seemingly an oxymoron – How can you be productive and slow? – Newport’s book gets to the heart of what it means to get stuff done that is important through his three premises:

    1. Do fewer things
    2. Work at a natural pace
    3. Obsess over quality.

    He points to the fact that, often, we are doing too many things AT ONCE and in an effort to be “productive” we are sabotaging the exact thing we are trying to accomplish. We are also being “pseudo-productive”- acting like being busy is being productive. It is not.

    We can actually be more productive if we focus on one thing at a time and hone in on what those things should be – what brings the greatest return? Working at a natural pace helps us maximize our productivity and bring those greater returns, as does obsessing over quality.

    If you are like many who think, ha, this is funny, I have zero control over what work I have to do. How can I do fewer things when I’m not in charge of those “things” I have to do? Newport will challenge your thinking on how to reframe your situation. He gives practical solutions on how to execute his three premises.

    And if you are leading people and pushing those “things” around to others, Newport’s book may help you rethink your views on productivity and who actually adds and creates the most value on your team. Looking or being busy isn’t productive.

    We often overestimate what we can get done in a day, multitasking our way through them, but slow productivity might just be the way we can multiply the underestimation of what we can get done in a year and very well save our sanity in the process.

    As always, we are so appreciative of our clients and supporters. We are beyond blessed to do work we can all be productive and passionate about. Thank you for your trust in us and your willingness to innovate the workplace with us.

    We hope you enjoy our selection! Happy reading!

  • Trash and Treasures on Election Day

    Trash and Treasures on Election Day

    Over fall break, I had the chance to walk to the park with my five year old. On the first day, he decided he was going to search for “treasures” on our walk.  He found flowers and rocks and leaves and sticks that he thought were “beautiful”.  I couldn’t help but notice things I wasn’t noticing but he did. With every stop and examination he made, he did in fact find lots of beautiful things.  

    On our walk the next day, he decided it was time to pick up the trash. He noticed some along the roadway when he was scouting out his treasures. He then decided we would use the Target bags we carried to collect trash instead of treasures. We filled up all three of the bags we had before we made it to the park.  

    We couldn’t pick up all the treasures along the way, nor could we pick up all the trash. But we did notice both. We attended to both, sometimes at the same time, realizing what we could relish in as well as what was less than ideal. We could use our awareness of them and our hands to make a small difference.

    As we walked back from the park with the trash we had collected in the dumpster and our hands now empty, he grabbed for mine. Our shadows cast out in front of us.  

    “Look mommy!” he said, “Our hands make a heart.” 

    Not realizing what he was referring to, I looked at him kind of puzzled. 

    “Our shadow,” he said, “Look! A heart.” 

    And he was right. There was a heart. 

    I’m fortunate to live in a country and raise my children in one where we have the freedom to walk to the park. I know in America we may not all live in an area where we feel safe enough to walk to the park or have one within walking distance, but we all have the freedom to impact these less than ideal circumstances. When we see both trash and treasure along the way, connections and hearts form in the freedom to just be. 

    It isn’t like that in all countries, and if there’s anything I think is worth fighting for in this one, freedom is it.  

    If I’m honest, I’ve been disillusioned by all the “trash” out there that seems to revolve around the Presidential and other elections. Maybe you have been too. We all seem to have strong opinions about who should be our next president regardless of which side we lean towards. 

    Maybe, like me, you’ve thought about simply not voting this year. 

    But like the walk to the park with my son, we’ve got to take the treasure with the trash. They are both everywhere along the way. Ignoring one really makes you ignore them both. 

    So on this election day in 2024, I would encourage you to take the trash with the treasure of your freedom to vote and exercise that freedom. 

    My vote will be focused on the candidate I think will be the most focused on maintaining freedom (and you could spin this statement to either side you want to) so that my husband and I – and everyone else in the land of the free and the home of the brave – can continue to raise up the next generation in a place where they can see both trash and treasures along the way. Where they can use the freedom the generations before them fought for to shine a light through both the trash and the treasures. 

  • 3 Tips for Leading in the New Normal

    3 Tips for Leading in the New Normal

    I’m speaking today at AARC’s Annual Conference.  We’ve had the privilege of speaking at this annual conference for the last several years. We love all of the Regional Council on Governments and Planning Commissions that partner with us across the state. 

    As I speak on “Leading in the New Normal,” I’m reminded of all that has shaped this “new normal”.   Shifts in the economy and technology, the pandemic, generational differences.  Even Surgeon General’s warnings. 

    But as I begin to unpack these influences imparting a new workplace paradigm, has leadership gotten easier or has it gotten harder?  Most would say harder. 

    But does it have to be? 

    The advice I have to offer in today’s presentation and to you today about how to lead in the normal are not that complex.  Ignore the things that caused whatever you are dealing with and instead focus on the people in front of you. 

    If you can do half of things half better than the rest of “leaders” out there, you won’t be normal.  You’ll be a standout leader. 

    1. Know what is actually required for the people you lead to get the job done and done well.  This should be a product of two things:
      1. Your organizational values- that create your competitive advantage
      2. The jobs requirements that create clear work expectations

    What is not required is the latest workplace fad, the trend to go back to the way things “used to be” (Amazon, just recently announced it is), or a focus on “fairness”. 

    1. Know what is actually required of YOU to lead well.  The number one requirement of leading well is leading- your influence to get work done through others and to grow them in a way that expands the capacity of what can get done and done with excellence.  Apparently, there are only about four things that if done well separate the good from the bad:
      1. Don’t make people work nights and weekends (and you doing so makes them think they should)
      2. Have regular one-on-one meetings with each direct report
      3. Build relationships across departments (and organizations, I’ll add)
      4. Stop keeping people in meetings all the time
    1. In the words of Brene Brown, Be Daring, Not Armored.  Leadership is hard, and no one is going to be perfect at it.  Striving for perfection leads to armored leadership behaviors.  It leads to a mentality of “I am right” and a tone of leadership defined by fear.  It doesn’t work.  Instead, practicing daring leadership leads to learning and growth for yourself and others.   Here’s some of our posts on this concept if you want to dive deeper into how to actually practice it: 

    If you are leading in the “new normal”, what is one thing you can do today to lead well? 
    Find the resources for Mary Ila’s presentation here: Horizon Point What’s Up Page