Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Mary Ila Ward

  • Now don’t go changing your compensation structure without….

    Now don’t go changing your compensation structure without….

    You’re worried you’re not attracting the right talent or that you aren’t able to keep good talent around for long and you think it might be because of your salary structure.   Before you launch into a compensation structure overhaul (we’ll tell you how to do this next week on the blog), you need to:

    Know for sure that the reason you are having the problems you are having is in fact compensation related.  It may be that all your supervisors are jerks and people may leave even if you paid them twice as much.  Surveying employees, especially through exit interviews is a good way to do this.  Also, getting a quick snapshot to see if you are externally competitive in compensation in your area is also advisable.  

    Some sites to spot check your wage rates with the market (Make sure you search based on your market.  If you are just competing for talent locally, then search by your metropolitan area, not the entire nation): 

    Career One Stop

    Salary.com

    Salary Expert

    BLS

    Do a job analysis and write job descriptions.  You can’t accurately design a compensation structure without defining what jobs require.  This helps you compare jobs both internally and externally.  

    A job analysis can be done in several ways: 

    Job observation

    Job questionnaire to the people in the roles and their managers

    Review of job logs or reports

    Structured panels

    A combination on any of these

    Reviewing occupational information can help you frame any of the above or help you check the data you’ve gathered against standard responsibilities based on job title

    A job analysis needs to gather what is required to perform the job. (This is a really short way of saying this; there are many purposes of job analysis because it is the basis of any talent management intervention.  Read more about the things needed in job analysis based on what you are trying to accomplish here.) 

    A job description needs to include: 

    Date description was written

    Job status (exempt, non-exempt; full or part time)

    Title

    Purpose of the role

    Reports to

    Job summary (outline of responsibilities of the role)

    Knowledge, skills and abilities required as well as education and experience required

    Essential Functions for ADA purposes

    Tasks and Responsibilities of the job

    Physical factors of the job (environment where the job is performed) and working conditions (overtime requirements, shift)

    The disclaimer that the description is not designed to cover a comprehensive listed of everything the job entails (the other duties as assigned statement) 

    Once you have gone through these two steps, you are ready to start with a compensation redesign if you have determined through Step 1 that is what you need.  Check back on the blog soon to see how to do this. 

    Do you need a compensation overall or something entirely different?

  • 3 Introverted leaders and the leadership lessons we can learn from them

    3 Introverted leaders and the leadership lessons we can learn from them

    We used to think leaders were born, not made. Now we know through training, coaching and mentoring the skills needed to be an effective leader can be learned.  However, there are certain leadership situations, company cultures and team dynamics lend well to certain types of personality traits (“born” characteristics) that individuals possess that make a person more effective in their leadership role. 

    One of the most common personality continuums discussed today is introversion/extraversion.

    A rundown of the dynamic can be seen here: 

    Orientation of energy

    E     EXTRAVERSION

    Energized when you are with people 

    Talk out your ideas

    First you live it – then you understand it

    Enjoy the interaction

    Breadth of inter

    INTROVERSION    I

    Energized when you are alone

    Reflect on your ideas before vocalizing

    First you understand – then you live it

    Enjoy the concentration

    Depth of interest

    Unfortunately, there is still an “extravert ideal” that surrounds leadership, especially in western culture.  Whereas some situations and roles demand someone who is energized by others, outgoing, gregarious and people oriented, some leadership roles and situations are served better by the leaders who are thinkers, driven by ideas and oftentimes driven by solitude or small, intimate relationships, otherwise known as the introverts among us. 

    Consider these three introverted leaders and how their disposition made them more effective: 

    Moses.  As the leader of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land, Moses (especially the movie portrayal of him) may imply that he was an outgoing orator with the skills to fire up his people and move them forward.  However, Moses spoke with a stutter and utilized his more extraverted wingman, Aaron, to speak to the people (Exodus 1-15).  His introversion is also seen in his humility. Numbers 12 accounts that he was a “quietly humble man, more so than anyone living on earth.”

    Introverted leadership trait seen in Moses that is needed for today’s leader:  Humble and reflective

    More on leadership lessons from Moses

    Stephen Wozniak. When you hear Apple, most immediately think of Steve Jobs as the leader. However, Apple most likely would have never existed without Stephen Wozniak, the brainy electronics geek and consummate nice guy that designed the circuit boards that created Apple’s first computer. He co-founded the company with Jobs.   In the early years of Apple, Wozniak was the worker bee and genius that drove the creation of the personal computer. 

    Introverted leadership trait seen in Wonziak that is needed for today’s leader:  Innovation through concentrated hard work and depth of knowledge

    Rosa Parks:  As one of the icons of the Civil Rights movement, Rosa Parks was a small, unassuming woman. Her refusal to give up her seat on the bus to a white person may portray her as confrontational person, but that she was not. And because she wasn’t, her impact was far-reaching. Just think, would a gregarious, outspoken extravert have made the same impact on the bus that night by refusing to give up their seat? 

    Introverted leadership trait seen in Rosa Parks that is needed for today’s leader:  Determination and quiet resolve. 

    Know an introverted leader?

    How does their introversion make them a better leader?

    Other introverted leaders you should learn more about: Eleanor Roosevelt, Warren Buffett, Al Gore, Gandhi, Einstein, Stephen Spielberg, Larry Page

  • Career Spotlight: Dental Assisting

    Career Spotlight: Dental Assisting

    Have you always known that you wanted to work in Healthcare, change peoples’ lives, and get to know your community better? Do you want to be a wife and mother who has Fridays off and gets to spend her nights at the ball field watching her children play? Do you want to serve others by providing them with a way to look and feel much better about themselves? Do you want the opportunity to [move up] in your professional career?

    If any of the above describe or are desirable to you, then Dental Assisting may be the career path for you!

    Education Required:  High School Diploma or GED

    If you are in high school, always strive to have strong grades and a solid foundation in Science, Math, English (Grammar) and Reading. All subjects will not only prepare you for college, but any kind of post-high school program. As a potential dental assistant, dentists look for someone who can learn quickly and can educate their patients about not just their teeth, but their overall health. The way you articulate and the grammar that you choose speaks volumes of your educational background and will therefore provide you with a greater chance of landing a job.

    Skills and Personal Qualities:  

    Focus on personal service

    Hard worker

    Punctual and dependable

    Strong ethical background

    Critical and quick thinking

    Ability to learn and move quickly

    Good personal hygiene 

    Ability to get along with others, especially other women

    Is the field growing?

    The dental field is always growing. At a growth rate of 22%, the field is growing much faster than average. As our society has become more educated on their oral healthcare, we have increasingly sought out professional dental care. Therefore, there is always a dental office looking for a trained dental assistant. 

    What is the pay like?

    image2

    In our area, the pay is typically $9-14 starting out. There is always an opportunity to advance in the dental field and to receive a much higher pay. Many assistants go on to become dental hygienists, office managers, or in some cases, dentists. 

    If you are interested in learning more about dental assisting, please visit:

    www.ada.org

    Today’s guest post is from Dr. Maggie McKelvey, DMD. Maggie owns North Alabama Dental Assisting. She graduated summa cum laude from The University of Alabama with a degree in Biochemistry and Math.  She cheered for the Crimson Tide during her time there and was a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.  She received her dental education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she graduated within the top of her class. Following graduation, she enhanced her dental experience working in private practice and pediatric clinics in Decatur and surrounding areas.  Dr. McKelvey is a proud member of the American Dental Association, the Alabama Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. She is passionate about her profession and is so excited to help teach others about a career in the field of Dentistry!

  • Mollie’s List of Must Haves For Dorm Living

    Mollie’s List of Must Haves For Dorm Living

    My roommate and I do not live in the same town so we decided to meet up and shop together. As soon as we started in Bed, Bath, and Beyond we became overwhelmed. We finally decided on the colors we both liked and then everything fell into place. I have always been excited about decorating my dorm room! I knew how I wanted to decorate it but I didn’t realize that I had to plan to get everything I would need for the next year! The bedding and decretive things were fun to find, but then I had to start thinking about how many lightbulbs I needed and how big does our trash can need to be. To make this whole process easier, I have come up with a list of must haves for your dorm room.

    Dorm Must Haves: The Basics

    Bedding 

      -Comforter 

      -2 Sets of XL twin sheets

      -Mattress Topper (It is very important to get one that is thick and comfortable, this is what will make your dorm bed comfortable)

      -Pillows

    Bathroom

      -Bathroom rug

      -Trashcan

      -Shower shelf

      -Towels ( if you have not already recieved plenty from graduation gifts)

    Other Dorm Items

      -Area Rug

      -Futon

      -Stool (I plan on raising my bed to have more storage room)

      -Storage Bins ( great for packing everything and storage!)

      -Trashcan

      -Laundry bag

    Cleaning Supplies

      -Detergent

      -Clorox wipes

      -Dryer sheets

      -Hand soap

      -Room spray

    Dorm Must Haves: For Decorating

      -String Lights!!

      -String and paper clips to hang up pictures! 

      -Headboard

         – This is the one my dad made for me!

    131121_0001

    I have less than a week until I leave for school and I almost everything planned out and packed. Earlier this week I even made a life size layout of where I wanted everything to go in the dorm room.

    140724_0006

    For more dorm decorating ideas, check out the Horizon Point Pinterest board!

  • 3 Tips for Growing Your Career

    3 Tips for Growing Your Career

    Career growth and transition is an area that I’m not only interested in discussing, it’s something I’m personally invested in as well. I have had some great experiences, and many of the career growth opportunities at first seemed to be due to chance. As time goes on, I have become more strategic about seeking and selecting opportunities for growth and transition. Today we’ll look at both sides of the coin and some strategies you can implement to improve your own results.

    Growing Your Career

    My career started at the ripe old age of 12. I was working for my parents’ machine shop sweeping and doing other various cleanup duties. From there I progressively moved toward the kind of things I wanted to be doing. Here are three quick lessons I learned over time that you need to know:

    1. You need to take charge of your own growth and development. It’s a part of being passionate about what you do. Don’t expect someone else to walk up to you and hand you something to learn right at the exact moment that you need it. Start building your knowledge early and anticipate future stresses on your limits (and plan accordingly). My advice? Push your own boundaries before someone else does it for you.

    2. Find a pain point for others that you’re passionate about solving. It’s funny, because I have always felt like the best opportunities have come to me in areas that others didn’t particularly care for. Then I realized, that’s one of the keys to having work that you love: doing what you love, even when nobody else does. Find a need that you are passionate about filling, and you’ll never have a lack of work.

    3. In the early years, don’t expect to love everything you’re doing. You are picking up valuable skills and experience, but one of the most important things you learn early in your career is what you do not want to do. You learn the kind of culture that fits you. You learn the kind of manager you work best with. And you learn what sort of things you really don’t care much for. There’s a bigger list of things you don’t want to do, so start crossing those off instead of purely seeking out what you want. Over time as you move between positions and companies, you will refine that list until it leads to the type of situation I describe in the section below.

    Transitioning Careers

    A few months back, I transitioned from working as an HR Manager for a defense contractor to a role as an HR Analyst with a consulting and research firm. For those not in HR, that’s a pretty wild shift. I went from “doing” HR every day (recruiting, employee relations, benefits, etc.) to writing, researching, and speaking about best practices in the industry.

    Why the shift?

    For a long time I have had a passion for writing and speaking; however, those activities always had to fit around my day job as a practitioner. When the opportunity came up to become an analyst at Brandon Hall Group, I knew this was the chance I had been looking for to see if those activities were what I wanted to do for the next phase of my career.

    I’m sitting here thinking about what sort of tips and strategies I can share for the transition, but I keep coming back to the three key points above.

    • I took charge of my own career without waiting for someone else to do it for me. You need to do the same.

    • I’m doing what I love. This job offered more opportunities to do what I love, so I jumped at it.

    • I am still doing things that I don’t enjoy as much, but the number of those is less than in my previous roles.

    The whole discussion around career development is bigger than a single blog post, but I’m hoping these thoughts will help you as you move through your career. For most of us it’s not a career ladder–it’s more like a career web. You may move side to side, back, and forward, but when you take the time to look at it holistically, it’s an overall forward progression to doing what you love.

     

    Ben Eubanks is an author, speaker, and HR pro from Huntsville, AL. During the day he works as an HR Analyst with Brandon Hall Group. During the evenings he writes at upstartHR, a blog about talent management, leadership, and business.

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