Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

  • The Economics of Union Activity

    The Economics of Union Activity

    Supply and Demand. The first lesson of Economics, or at least I remember it that way. The most important lesson of economics as I remember it. 

    Maybe I’m remembering it wrong, but I think the issues of the supply and demand of labor need to be reinforced when we think about anything and everything that is going on in our world. And one of those things is union activity. 

    The issues at Starbuck, Amazon, UPS… the list goes on and on about union organization and in the media seems on the surface to be about wages, benefits, and the overall treatment of workers. As Jillian pointed out in our last post,  People want to be valued and listened to.  They need to feel like they have some sense of control over their lives, and that includes at work.  Many employers don’t offer that.  When people don’t have this at work, they aren’t happy. 

    But none of that matters from a union sense if only one person feels that way. Many people have to feel that way. And when many people feel that way and there aren’t enough people to go around to fill the demand for labor, they have power.  Or in union terms, they have “collective bargaining” power. 

    And right now, there aren’t enough people to go around to fill jobs in many industries both in terms of the actual number of human beings available and or in terms of a desire to work in certain jobs or industries. And it is only going to get worse. 

    Typically, this issue of supply and demand for labor is measured by the number of job openings compared to the number of available workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there have been more job openings compared to unemployed people since May 2021.  In January 2023, there were almost twice as many job openings as there were unemployed people in the United States according to this BLS data. 

    This challenge is not unique to the United States. Boston Consulting Group’s The Global Workforce Crisis- $10 Trillion at Risk  highlights the differences in labor supply and demand by country (both Germany and Japan are experiencing particularly acute issues with labor supply).  Whereas some countries are currently experiencing a higher level of supply than demand, the piece emphasizes that by 2030 most countries will experience labor shortages.  BCG postulates that this issue could result in $10 Trillion in GDP not created. 

    So, when there is more of a demand for labor than there is supply, employers better pay attention. We would hope they don’t have to pay attention because they are treating people like people. But when they aren’t, the most important law of economics will bite you.  Workers will all leave and go someplace else, because someone else needs them, because there are more jobs than people available to fill them. 

    We can be distracted by the media saying artificial intelligence (AI) is going to take over all our jobs, but the data doesn’t show this. We may need to retool ourselves for the jobs of the future, and that may be where employers need to be focused to not only help with labor supply issues but also to employee engagement issues. Both impact union activity. 

    What are you doing to impact labor supply and union activity? 

  • 3 Lessons in Effective Training from Inmates

    3 Lessons in Effective Training from Inmates

    My family and I had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica this summer to serve with Voz de Liberta (Voice of Liberty).  They are “a non-profit NGO that is dedicated to sharing the message of hope to prisoners, former prisoners, their families and victims throughout the country by providing comprehensive assistance.”  It was amazing to see the work they are doing, in particular in the APAC (faith-based) prison they run.  

    Through my time there, I found that the prisoners taught me a thing or two about how to do training well: 

    1. 2 by 2:  We sat in on a training class on the gospel of Mark. There were two instructors facilitating the class of about twelve people. When I asked the director about this, he told me that all their training classes are taught by two facilitators. When I asked why, he simply stated that it provides for diversity of thought and delivery that is beneficial for the participants and the facilitators. We may see this as inefficient in the United States, but it seemed to be a model that makes the training more effective.  

      At HPC, we frequently send two trainers, so that one person can learn from a more seasoned trainer or two styles or levels of expertise can be shared.  Each person brings different experiences, learning styles, and personalities to the group, and with two trainers it is more likely for a diverse audience to be reached effectively with a team approach. 

    2. Everyone can and should lead. I hope you noticed in the first lesson that the classes are not taught by outside facilitators. They are taught by the inmates themselves. The team at Voz de Liberta (three full time people and more than eighty volunteers) are constantly equipping the inmates to lead.  This makes their ministry not only scalable but also more effective. 

      The model of training in the prisons is also designed to multiply leaders/facilitators.  Each training class facilitated by two people is designed to identify two more people to be trained to be trainers. The mindset here is that everyone is valuable and capable of leading with the right training and tools.   

      In addition, in the faith based prison, everyone takes a turn leading what they call “motivation” that occurs before lunch everyday.  There are about 90 prisoners in the faith-based prison and they take turns leading the motivation that involves roll call, announcements, and prayer.  We were fortunate to be there on a day when a prisoner was slowly but faithfully calling roll. The director leaned over to me and explained that he was learning to read and was currently taking first grade classes in the prison.  I would guess he was about 45 years old.  With a smile, he worked through all the names and then started on the announcements.  It was a privilege to witness. 

      I think so often we separate the educated from the uneducated, the haves from the have nots, the young from the old, the prisoners from the non-prisoners, the experts from the non-experts.  When we create these binary categories, we leave no room for learning and growth on either end of the spectrum.  We can live on a continuum where we are constantly seeking to equip and learn from each other.  I know I learned more from the man slowly calling roll in Spanish that he will ever learn from me.  It’s amazing what can be done when we see people as capable first and then treat them as such.  

    3. Who, then what, then how.  The training class followed a model of who (in this case Jesus and the inmate participants) in order to build self awareness. Next, it focused on now that I know who (me) I should focus on what I need to do.  Then, once I understand what I need to do, I need to know how to do it and be able to practice that how over and over.   This was a simple model to follow, but one that was grounded in the belief that self awareness comes first before any planning or action takes place.  And that in order for the training to be effective, practice (how) has to take place in order for behaviors to change.  

    The experience in Costa Rica flipped the way I see many things.  It did so for my husband and my children as well.  I hope we will take these lessons to inform what we need to do next and then practice how over and over again. 

    What do you think makes training effective?  How have you learned from those you least expected to teach you? 

  • How to conduct an effective one-on-one meeting

    How to conduct an effective one-on-one meeting

    I’ve been experimenting with the Ink and Volt One On One Pad to help me organize my thoughts.  I organize around these 4 four pillars: 

    • Current work
    • Future work (business development and proposals out)
    • Short and long term development priorities for the person I’m meeting with
    • Personal needs/support

    I use our Insightly software to refresh my memory on what everyone has going on with the first two (the software calls these “Projects” and “Opportunities”) before the meeting. I record these things on the Ink and Volt pad.  I also take a look at each person’s task list in Insightly before the meeting.  Doing this always makes me keenly aware of how on top of it everyone on our team is.  They are always juggling multiple priorities to meet multiple current and future client needs by living two of our other values- Passion and Productivity. 

    Usually, the person I’m meeting with that is driving hits all of these pillars without me having to.  If they don’t, I circle back around to things I have on my list once they are finished with theirs.  Sometimes the meetings are more focused on one of these things more than the others, but I always try to hit all of them. Some people gravitate towards needing to talk about one pillar over another and it is my job as a leader to make sure I follow their lead on the needs they have.

    1. One-on-ones should lead to a greater team dynamic. We used to spend way too much time in our whole team quarterly planning meetings talking through current projects. Invariably, one or two team members were focused on the project but the others weren’t.  We were wasting other people’s time talking through every project and every proposal as a team. While it’s valuable for everyone to understand each other’s work load, spending thirty minutes of a half-day team meeting on one project in which only part of your team is involved is a waste of time and effort.  Therefore, we have made sure that when a quarterly meeting is coming up, we have one-on-ones the week before if possible.  Needs that involve the whole team come up during the one-on-ones and then can be discussed at the whole team meeting where collaboration needs to take place.
    1. Finally, one-on-ones should focus on open feedback and communication. If tough issues aren’t coming up from time to time (both personal and professional) in these meetings, then something isn’t being done right.  One-on-ones should be a place where psychological safety is being demonstrated- both ways.  If all conversations in one-on-ones are surface level and tactical, then no one is growing.  

    We also spend one or two one-on-one meetings a year facilitating our Leaders as Career Agents process which dives deeper into development priorities, and at times, we schedule a longer meeting if we need to take a deep dive into a specific project, proposal, or issue. 

    How do you make your one-on-one meetings the best they can be? 

  • Mom, I’m Bored

    Mom, I’m Bored

    “Mom, I’m bored,”  said one kid from the backseat after we told them NO MORE DEVICES on a road trip to kick off the summer. 

    You see, devices for them create the stimulation that makes them, well, crazy. 

    So after allowing them on the first leg of the trip without any constraints, we put a cease and desist order out on all devices and prayed we wouldn’t all kill each other over the course of the next hundreds of miles. 

    Our trip began with a desire for our kids to see all 50 states before our oldest leaves for college in six years. With this in mind, I had the grand idea to create books where they could write and draw about what they wanted to see, what they did see, and what they liked and didn’t like about each place we visited throughout the years. 

    With devices in hand, these books sat empty.  

    After the electronics were taken away and after a few “I’m bored” whines came from the backseat, the books came out. 

    And what was inside them was nothing short of creativity on full display. 

    Our oldest is into shoes now and he started drawing them. 

    Our middle created fun facts and drawings about each state we visited, and then created drawings where she narrated the story line she had also created about the images.  Apparently, limes can be our friends. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our youngest drew what only he knew them to be, but then told us, “This one is a flower, this one is a roller coaster. Mommy, can you draw me an alligator?” 

    And so I got in on the creative process and drew just that.

    As we’ve focused on creating space all year at Horizon Point, the point that space is absolutely needed to innovate and create has been a key theme.  

    But first, before we can have the space to create and innovate, we probably need to create some space to be bored. 

    In fact, research supports just this. Boredom is the spark that creates the flame. 

    To facilitate some boredom that leads to your mind seeking something that leads it to create and innovate perhaps we all should: 

    1. Don’t Look Down. Put a cease and desist order on your devices.  All of them. 
    2. Get away. Get somewhere you aren’t normally. See the novel. Take a road trip. 
    3. Look Up. Pay attention to your surroundings.  
    4. Capture. Have something that can capture your creativity once you get bored, like our kids “diaries” as the little one calls his. 
    5. Collaborate. Maybe you might be drawn to draw a little something out of the norm like my alligator. 

    Turns out boredom also may help get the crazies out.  It’s good for our mental health too.  Our kids were much less on edge once we swapped the devices for the space to create. 

    How comfortable are you with being bored? 

    More on this topic: 

    The Creative Benefits of Boredom from HBR

  • 6 Tips to Help You Unplug for Your Vacation

    6 Tips to Help You Unplug for Your Vacation

    With 4th of July being the unspoken week of summer vacations, it’s time to consider- does anyone every really truly go on vacation now days? By a true vacation I mean no work is done. None. No emails, no voicemails, no finishing up a project, starting a project or even thinking (and therefore procrastinating) on a project.

    In a world of constant connectedness, I’d venture to guess most people don’t actually unplug completely from their work. According this article, more than half of Americans plan to work while on vacation.

    But if you are headed on vacation or on vacation now (wait, does reading this count post as “working”?) here are some tips for unplugging while on there:

    1. Get your stuff done before you leave. Practice productivity before going which will eliminate the need to work while away.
    2. Schedule time when you get back to catch-up. Block your calendar for a day or two after you return with no meetings or scheduled activities to eliminate the pressure of having to get through 987 emails when you return with no time to do it. Post-vacation laundry can be a beast. Don’t forget to schedule time to catch up on the household items that need to be attended to as well after returning from vacation.
    3. Eliminate the temptation to check in with work. Don’t take your computer with you, go where there is no internet connection (is there such a place now?) and if you have a phone dedicated just to work, leave it at home.
    4. Set clear expectations with colleagues/clients before departing.  Tell them how long you’ll be away and establish that you will not be checking in via email, phone or text.  Ask that they respect your vacation time and reciprocate by respecting theirs. Set up automated out of the office responses with a date of when you will be able to get back in touch. Date it at least one day after you return.
    5. Take for pleasure reading with you and schedule for pleasure activities.   Take that novel you’ve been dying to read (or movie you’ve been waiting to watch) or that cooking magazine you’ve been trying to look at for the past three months and haven’t ever gotten to. Book the massage you’ve been wanting.  By taking time for pleasure reading and scheduling for pleasure activities, you’ll eliminate the desire to turn to business reading and/or checking emails.  You simply won’t have the time or desire to do it when you are enjoying something else.
    6. Realize that vacations are more often than not a time connect and build relationships with those closest to you. Most of us don’t take our vacations solo. If you are venturing out on a vacation this week, more than likely family member(s) or close friend(s) will be with you. Vacations are a time to rejuvenate as individuals, but also a time to rejuvenate the relationships that mean the most to us but may have been neglected somewhat by competing work demands.  You’re on vacation, so don’t let work get in the way of relationships (you shouldn’t ever let this happen, but that that’s a topic for another day). Don’t let your spouse or your kids define the time away by the number of hours mom or dad spent checking email.

     

    How are you unplugging on your vacation? Tell us how you do it and we’ll reward you with a $50 Starbucks gift card to help you unplug (or replug) more!  We’ll pick a winner on Tuesday, July 8th. 

    Some of the ways I’ll be unplugging while taking a little 4th of July sabbatical:

    unplug picture