Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

  • HR Santa Clauses focus on the Employee Experience

    HR Santa Clauses focus on the Employee Experience

    Whether you like it or not, the Christmas season really starts the second Halloween is over.  I walked into Target a few minutes after it opened on November 1st (like at 8:01 a.m. because we were out of dog food and the dog was hungry) and it had been transformed into a Christmas shopping wonderland. Where has Thanksgiving gone?

    With Christmas marketing screaming at all of us to buy a lot of stuff most of which we don’t need, I’m beginning to think about how to make Christmas meaningful for my almost six and two and a half year old without turning them into materialistic hoarders.

    In thinking about this, I’m drawn to a concept that I’ve been hearing a lot about in HR circles and that is the importance of the employee experience. Many people in human resources and talent management are seeking to shift the conversation about employee engagement to one that is centered on employee experience.

    At work, this means focusing on meaningful, positive and memorable experiences for employees. Whether it is the company picnicor how the employee logs on to his or her 401K portal to view their assets, it should be an experience. It can be seen from the experience generated when someone requests time off to how that person’s immediate supervisor interacts with them.  As these examples illustrate, the focus on experience encompasses the mundane HR relevant tasks (and let’s face it, sometimes those “experiences” are the most frustrating, which can decrease satisfaction in a hurry) to the key leadership decisions and behaviors that drive an organization to be considered a best place to work.

    Whereas I’m somewhat thinking the whole focus experience instead of engagement is really just a different word to describe the same thing, I’m beginning to see through the value in a focusing on experience in order to make Christmas meaningful for my children. Maybe experience is what drives the engagement.  And focusing on those interactions or experiences is the means, which leads to the end- aka- engagement.

    So, this year, as my husband and I prep to make Christmas magical without turning our kids into entitled brats, we plan to have a gift for each of them under the tree that then ties to a more important experience for them.  And a personalized experience at that.  For example, my son loves Legos, so his gift and experience is shaping up to look like a new Lego set with a “gift certificate” to Lego world in Atlanta for us to experience as a family.  My guess is he will remember the trip to Lego world far longer than he will remember the set of blocks given to him under the tree. Just like his time at Lego camp, which uses Legos to focus kids in STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math- learning at school once a week will shape him more than the actual physical toy and will help him to more fully enjoy and engage in school and learning.

    And maybe focusing on experiences will help us all put some thanksgiving back in the holiday season by avoiding the time spent shopping for stuff.  And just maybe, some thanksgiving can be restored in your organization by a higher level of employee engagement through focusing on the employee experience.

    What one HR process do you need to view from the lens of the experience it creates for employees?  Does the way you do it now lead to a more or less engaged staff?

    Like this post? You may also like: The HR Metric You’re Not Measuring (But Should Be)

  • Leaders, Set Manageable Goals to Lead and Run Well

    Leaders, Set Manageable Goals to Lead and Run Well

    Week 14

    Weekly Mileage: 32

    Long Run: 16

    I dipped out last week and didn’t write a week 13 running and leading post. I was too busy with work and with trying to keep up with training and family, so I gave myself a bye week- for writing, not running (we ran 38 miles last week).  Maybe the best leadership lesson for this post should be for us all to give ourselves a bye every once in a while….

    But a topic has been weighing on me related to running and leading stemming from my long run of 22 miles alone a couple of weeks ago.

    It wasn’t as bad as I thought. And if I’m honest, the training for this entire marathon hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be either. And I think the reason why is because of one simple tactic: chunking the training and the long runs into manageable pieces – small, accomplishable pieces that I can wrap my brain around.

    For the long run, I found myself breaking it into these pieces: Eight miles on the beach road and a water, Gatorade and chews break where I had set these things out prior to getting started.  Five and a half miles to my hotel and back to where I had left these things out.  Six miles out and back on a backwoods trail for another break, then two and a half miles back to the hotel.  Done.   In each section, I just thought about getting to the next break, not getting the 22 miles done and it helped me mentally and physically.

    Same is true for the longer view of the training plan.  I just posted one month at a time on the fridge and tried to take it week by week. Low and behold, we’re headed to Philly for the run a week from today, and the training seemed manageable (with a lot of help along the way that made it manageable).

    Getting an itch to run a marathon? You can view and download the month by month calendars we used here:

    When we think about what makes people successful in achieving long-term goals, many people point to grit as a key factor in doing so. “Grit is living life like it is a marathon, not a sprint,” Angela Duckworth, the guru of grit says.   She goes on to say in her TED Talk on the topic, though, that science knows very little about how to build grit.

    In my experience, chunking tasks to meet a long-term goal into smaller, more manageable pieces is a good step in the right direction.   Many people refer to this as creating the action plan and focusing on it instead of the end goal.  Nick Saban would call this “the process”. And boy does he win with it.

    So if you find yourself overwhelmed in trying to accomplish your leadership goals, break them down into smaller pieces.   And if you need a calendar type model to help you accomplish this like the monthly race calendars do, Gantt charts are a beneficial way to manage projects with long-term goals.  Here’s a tutorial on how to make one for yourself in Excel.

    What helps you achieve success towards your marathons in life?

     

  • Leaders and Runners, Don’t Run the Race Alone

    Leaders and Runners, Don’t Run the Race Alone

    Week 12 Mileage: 42-51 miles  (depending on how well you stick with the true plan)

    Long Run Distance:  22 miles

     

    I’m gearing up to run the longest run of the marathon training plan tomorrow, and I have to go it alone. This peak week of training happens to correspond with an out of town business trip.

    And I am DREADING it.

    Whereas a 3-4 mile run alone can be a refreshing experience, running 22 miles solo is just downright terrible in my opinion.  Who wants to do that alone?  There is not enough music and not enough podcasts to possibly get you through it.

    All runners, and leaders, especially those out for the long hall, need a wingman, or four as in my case with our training group.  The more the merrier.

    In an episode of The Runner’s World Show, Kirstin Armstrong describes the power of a “wingman” when it comes to running. It so worth the listen, and her words and the concept is very powerful indeed.

    My wingwoman sent me this just a second ago as I prep for this solo run:

    “You made it ok? Find a place to eat salmon tonight?  (Note from me: This the food we’ve decided sets the stage for a good long run based on much trial and error.  I did not eat salmon; I pigged out in a fit of hunger on something else).  If you get bored on the run, call me and we’ll chat! You got headphones? I’ll be working at home so you can call me anytime!”

    Leader, do you have a wing(wo)man? Someone you can call at anytime, even when you know they are in the heat of work, and they give you permission ahead of time to interrupt them?  If not, get you one.  It makes the journey so much easier and way more enjoyable.

    Here’s some food for thought on gaining some wing strength:

    1. Join a leadership or professional group outside of your office (or a running group).   What professional association or local leadership group- check with your Chamber of Commerce- can you join to discuss topics and challenges so you aren’t out on your own?  Meet in person regularly and form relationships that allow you to pick up the phone and call someone when you need advice or support.
    2. Get tapped in virtually through the same relevant groups online through LinkedIn or another platform.  You may not have ever meet these folks, but you can still reach out for advice and gain practical insights in a virtual setting.
    3. Start a group on your own.  What leaders do you need to meet with regularly that will help keep you accountable and foster your growth and development?  And might a recommend that this group be cross-generational?   I can’t tell you how much valuable insight I’ve gained from two of our running group being two generations ahead of me and several steps wiser.

     

    Who is at your wing?

     

    If you like this post, you may also like:

    Who Keeps You Accountable?

     

  • Entrepreneurs Give Back

    Entrepreneurs Give Back

    Many entrepreneurs find a path to entrepreneurship in their efforts to accomplish two things:

    1. Find personal fulfillment and satisfaction
    2. Give back to others and the communities in which they serve

    And the reality of it is that, oftentimes, number one is fulfilled because number two is constantly being sought.   Giving back creates the end that satisfies many other means.

    We’ve featured several of these like-minded entrepreneurs over the years, and wanted to remind you of their great stories to check out as inspiration:

    Ginny Pylant- Artist- Just Give it A Whirl

    Ben Eubanks– HR Pro

    Susan Ozier- Fitness Coach

    Who inspires you to be an entrepreneur?

  • Leader, Do You Need to Hold Back?

    Leader, Do You Need to Hold Back?

    Week 11 Mileage: 35 miles

    Long Run Distance:  15 miles

     

    This week (tomorrow) we drop down to a 15-mile run for the long run. Our weekday runs also have dropped back too, with what has been a typical 9-10 mile Thursday run decreasing to seven this week.

    We’re following a training plan from Runner’s World which gives us this “easy” week before next week, which is what I like to call “peak week” – a 22 mile long run, which pushes the weekly mileage close to 50 miles, before the taper three weeks before the marathon.

    As I think about the need for this constraint on holding back this week, I’m reminded of the concept of the 20 Mile March in Jim Collin’s Great by Choice.

    In Collin’s research on how companies thrive in the midst of a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world) a key driver he finds is “fanatic discipline” described through the concept of the 20 Mile March:

    A good 20 Mile March uses performance markers that delineate a lower bound of acceptable achievement.  These create productive discomfort, much like hard physical training or rigorous mental development, and must be challenging (but not impossible) to achieve in difficult times.

    A good 20 Mile March has self-imposed constraints. This creates an upper bound for how far you’ll march when facing robust opportunity and exceptionally good conditions. These constraints should also produce discomfort in the fact of pressures and fears that you should be going faster and doing more.

    As I sit here writing, quite honestly, I want to be running. I feel like I haven’t done enough this week. I’m itching to get outside and go.

    But like Collins describes with powerful research, those people and companies who push too hard and grow too fast end up, well, getting hurt.  This leads to setbacks far greater than if they followed the plan and resisted the urge to “overdue it”, as my dad is so famous for stating.

    Discipline requires us to not only push forward towards challenge, but to hold back for the sake of longer lasting results.

     

    Where do you need to hold yourself back in order to avoid injury?

     

    You may also like:

    3 Things Leaders & Runners Need to Do to Customize Towards Optimal Performance

    You Gotta Gitcha Some Help to Lead and Run Well

    Leader, do you need a change of environment?

    Leaders, Pace Yourselves with 3 Tips from an Elite Runner to Do So

    Leaders, Do You Surprise and Delight?