Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

  • The Best Books of 2015

    The Best Books of 2015

    We, at Horizon Point, love a good book or two. Here are our recommendations for you to consider for your 2016 reading list and/or ideas as gifts to give this holiday season:

    Mary Ila’s recommendations:

    For help shaping your New Year’s resolution:

    Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. Goldsmith, one of the best executive coaches in the world, helps you understand that most of self-improvement isn’t necessarily about starting something, it is about stopping something. He gives a simple method for analyzing and measuring our daily behavior in order to see positive habits form which lead to results.We use this process in our leadership coaching often now.

    The 2020 Workplace. This isn’t your run of the mill, what should I do with millennials in the workplace read. Instead, it focuses on creating competitive advantage through people practices based on the desires of all workers, regardless of generation, and the technology and practices that will allow an organization to meet these desires.

    The opening story in this book creates a visual image of the norms we can expect in just a few years in the workplace, in particular the ones that will make a company competitive through its talent. This quote in the book says it all,

    “The organizations that create a competitive advantage in the 2020 workplace will do so by instituting innovative human resource practices- by first defining an authentic core set of organizational values and then augmenting these by leveraging the latest tools to reimagine learning and development, talent management, and leadership practices.”

    All the Light We Cannot See. The best novel I’ve read this year. Set in World War II Europe, it captures how seemingly alike we all are even when the world portrays us as so different.

    As a close second in the novel category, check out The Girl on the Train. I didn’t see what happened in that one coming! If you love a good suspense, get it.

    Mere Christianity. I read this one again and found it to be much more valuable than the first time I read it in high school. Whether you’re looking for a good faith shaping read or not, I’d suggest you pull out something in 2016 that you’ve read before that was impactful the first time around and read it again. You’ll be surprised how much new insight you might glean from a re-read.

    Also, giving a book that has had an impact on you is a great gift idea.

    And a new favorite author- Jen Hatmaker. She is the author of several books that cater to the mom trying to live a life that is unconforming to the world and teach her kids to do the same. And she’s hilarious!I devoured Out of the Spin Cycle (a devotional) and Seven and look forward to reading her latest, For the Love, in 2016.

    If you like this post, you may also like:

    10 Books Leaders Need to be Reading

  • What do teachers really want for Christmas?

    What do teachers really want for Christmas?

    It’s that time of year again. As you prepare to do your holiday shopping, don’t forget about the wonderful teachers in your life! With that being said, where do you begin? What do teachers really want for Christmas?

    My sister is a teacher and I recall her saying once that teachers like to receive gifts that can be used up not items that sit around (think candy or other food items, lotion or hand soap, or candles).

    In preparation for writing this blog, I surveyed a few of my teacher friends and got some great insight. Consider these 3 top picks while you’re making a list and checking it twice:

    1. Gift cards (restaurants especially!)  Darden gift cards can be used at several restaurants.
    2. Movie tickets (You can’t go wrong with a Fandango gift card!)
    3. Handmade gifts from students (Check out Teacher Gift Ideas on Pinterest for handmade & other ideas.)

    Having been a homeroom mom more than once for my children’s classes, I remember always receiving a “favorites list” from PTO about the teacher. I always sent that out to all the parents so they were in the know on what the teacher liked if we weren’t planning a group gift. So, you might also consider contacting your homeroom mom if you have elementary/middle age kiddos. If not, just ask! Create your own “favorites form” to be completed by the teacher you are shopping for. Knowing what the teachers like always makes the job easier.

    Happy shopping!

  • Count Your Problems and Be Thankful

    Count Your Problems and Be Thankful

    An employee of yours is late for the third time this week; you know you are going to have to have a discussion with him. Your company has had a stellar year. Now you’re worried about what size check you are going to have stroke to Uncle Sam come April 15th. A customer calls mad because their name was spelled wrong on a letter you sent to them. You realized you sent a marketing piece to print containing incorrect numbers. To top it all, your computer crashed and, ouch, you don’t have your files backed up.

    Leaders deal with problems day in and day out and better yet, we’re responsible for fixing them. The buck stops with us.

    Yet good leaders realize that most of the problems that they deal with are of the fancy variety (as Editor and Chief of Southern Living, Lindsay Bierman describes in his November issue letter). No one is dying; no one has maliciously been harmed.

    This doesn’t negate the fact that the problems still have to be handled and can be stressful to deal with, but it is the realization or perspective that most of our problems are of the first world variety means that we are better equipped to handle them in a proactive and effective manner.

    During this week and month of thankfulness, count your problems, realizing most of them are of the fancy variety, and give thanks.

  • Scholarship Search – Where do I begin?

    Scholarship Search – Where do I begin?

    Whether you are a freshman in high school or closing in on your junior year, scholarship searching should be at the top of your to-do list. Paying for college is expensive and scholarships are a great way to help soften the financial blow for students and parents.

    Here are a 7 few tips to help you get started:

    1. Keep track of your high school activities. Well-rounded students are favored when scholarship boards are sifting through hundreds or thousands of applications. If you aren’t already, get involved! Join clubs in school, volunteer in your community and/or get a part-time job. These will all be helpful when preparing for scholarships (and life).

    2. Develop a master essay for ease of applying for several scholarships. Check out How to Write a Killer College Application and/or Scholarship Essay.

    3. Proofread and have others proof your essay and application.

    4. Check with your parents’ employers. Often times, employers offer scholarships for children of their employees.

    5. Utilize free scholarship search sites. Fastweb and Unigo are a couple of good ones.

    6. Check with your high school counselor for ideas on scholarships that would be a good fit for you.

    7. Don’t miss the deadline! Be sure you are aware of due dates for applications. This is crucial. You don’t want to waste your time applying if you have already missed the cut off.

     

    In addition to following these tips, check out these are helpful articles on scholarship searching:

    Where to Find College Scholarships

    10 Tips for Finding College Scholarships

    12 Tips on Winning Scholarships

  • A personal account of performance management that works… and doesn’t

    A personal account of performance management that works… and doesn’t

    My take on performance management is quite different than it was 10 years ago. I once worked for a company that basically rewarded all employees for their continued employment, and performance was not really taken into consideration when we all received a 5% raise. Regardless of how fabulous of a job I was doing or how not-so-fabulous my co-worker in the cubicle over was doing, we both received the same reward. This was not motivating me to be a better employee nor was it motivating for my mediocre colleague.

    Fast forward well over a decade. Not only has the world of work changed in many ways, so has my career and thoughts on performance management. As I reflect on this past year with Horizon Point Consulting, I think about what has been motivating. What have I enjoyed? What have I really not enjoyed? As I’m asked to reflect on these things in preparation for plans for another year with HPC, I’m so very thankful for an employer who seeks my input and is genuinely concerned about how I see my career moving and my ideas for furthering our mission.

    First, I will say, my personality is that of a planner and one that needs plenty of notice concerning a change. When I think about what has been most stressful this year, I would have to say it was my very first week on the job. I was given a project that involved computer codes and website administration. I thought, what have I gotten myself into? I was stressed to the max to say the least, but I completed the project and am thankful for the learning opportunity it provided. I’m also thankful for an employer who asked me how I liked working on this and other work concerning marketing and website management. When I shared how stressful it was for me and that it just wasn’t what I felt was the best use of my time where my strengths are concerned, my employer listened and began thinking of better ways to get those projects done.

    I’ve learned so much this past year. The ability to select what professional development I wanted to do was wonderful. I’ve received three credentials and am working on completing a course to be an instructor for one of the courses we offer. All of this was so rewarding.

    I’ve also been motivated by the type of work I get to do. I especially love the program development and one-on-one coaching I do. And, of course the commissions that come along with some of the projects are always motivating.

    In the end, what matters most is that I have career that I love and have the flexibility to get the work done when it best fits my schedule. That’s huge for a mom of two and allows me to do my best to live out my mission statement:

    I will strive daily to present the best version of myself to clients, family, friends and others. I will work to empower others and help them in their journey to lead better lives.

     

    What are your thoughts on performance management? Are they in line with how your current employer sees performance management?