Horizon Point Consulting

Author: Taylor Simmons

  • What I learned from Student Leaders this Month

    What I learned from Student Leaders this Month

    I’ve had the opportunity to facilitate workshops with three student leadership groups over the past month. Check out Student Leadership – How are You Leading Today? to read more about the programs we facilitate and recommendations for student leaders. 

    Today, I’m reflecting on three things I’ve learned working with these amazing students.

    1. They are grateful for the opportunity to learn from others. One leadership class took time to write personalized thank you notes after I met with them. They were all grateful for different things, but the common theme was gratitude in general. Here is one of my favorite notes:
    2. Students “don’t know what they don’t know”. I love that they felt comfortable asking questions about careers, college, and anything else they thought I might could help them with. With a total of 75 or so students in three groups, diversity in background and experience was evident. Not all students had a clear path planned for high school and beyond. Some had mentors and direction while others didn’t necessarily have that. At HPC, we do our best to help them along, with next steps in college, career, and community connection. I hope our time together helped them with their unknowns.
    3. They remember what we talked about. I did trivia with one leadership group. We spent a morning packed full of information about employment. Then, I divided them into groups and challenged them by asking questions about what they’ve learned. I’m always amazed at how much they retain. I’m excited to see these kiddos join our future workforce!

    Do you know any student leaders? If so, take time to talk to them. You will be surprised at what you might learn!

  • Another Year Around the Sun; Focus for 2023

    Another Year Around the Sun; Focus for 2023

    I celebrated my birthday last week. The older I get, the more I realize there are only a handful of things
    in life that are truly important. Since my birthday falls in early January, it is a great time to reflect on what
    went well and what didn’t the previous year, and to set intentions for focus for the upcoming year.

    Prior to writing this post, my daughter, a high school senior, asked me to proofread a college scholarship
    essay. I may be biased, but it was wonderful. She gets it. It helped me realize that maybe I am doing
    something right, and also confirmed my thoughts on what goals and intentions are truly worth my effort.
    Here is just a small blurb from the essay:

    …as I try to listen to my teacher explain the economical state of our country. After I finish my homework
    during class, I watch the tiny seconds hand of the clock tick by as I wait for the class to end. When the
    day is done, I let out a sigh of relief as I know I am about to go home to the most important thing in my
    life: my family, the people I know without a doubt believe I can achieve whatever I set my mind to, no
    matter the circumstances…

    At Horizon Point, we determine an annual theme every January. As a team, we talk through business
    development, focus, and direction for the year. I have decided to do the same in my personal life. A few
    areas I hope to focus on this year are health, financial wellness, career goals all while keeping my faith
    and family at the center of it all.

    Do you set goals or action plans for the new year or on your birthday? Here are a couple of previous
    blog posts to inspire you to take action.

    4 Things my Goals Taught me in 2022 about how to be Brave in 2023

    Do You Have a Plan of Action to Reach Your Goals?

  • Ending the Year with New Habits

    Ending the Year with New Habits

    How is it already December! It was 4th of July just yesterday. As I sit here by the lights of my Christmas
    tree, I reflect on what I’ve accomplished this year, what I haven’t and what I should do heading into the
    new year.

    I’m reminded of an article I read a few weeks ago on social media by House of Investors that identified 7
    Habits That Can Fix 80% of Your Problems. Here is the list:

    1) Create a morning ritual
    2) Do a social media detox
    3) Have non-negotiable (20-minute walk, no food 2 hours before bed, etc.)
    4) If something takes 5 minutes or less, do it
    5) Get enough rest
    6) Follow the 80/20 rule (20% of tasks yield 80% of results)
    7) Plan your day the night before

    I love this list &  have especially worked to incorporate number 4 into my daily habits. For 2023, I want to
    focus on number 3. We should all have non-negotiables.

    There is one thing I would add to the list, and instead of adding it to the bottom, I would add it to the
    top. The number one habit I hope to continue to focus on this December and for the new year is
    gratitude. That will be the first thing on my to-do list daily. What are you grateful for? Who are you
    grateful for? What can you do today to show your gratitude?

  • Student Leadership – How are You Leading Today?

    Student Leadership – How are You Leading Today?

    Student Leadership – How are You Leading Today?

    Around fall, each year, I typically spend some time with student leadership groups and facilitate activities to help them with their next right thing. (For reference, The Next Right Thing, is a book we love at HPC!) These students are involved in so many areas and often hold leadership roles that help them prepare for future leadership opportunities. 

    Last month, I also had the opportunity to judge student scholarship applications for a non-profit. I’m amazed at what all the students in our community are involved in. Student leadership is not just for the students at the top of the class academically, and it shouldn’t be. There are opportunities for students to lead and serve in so many areas in our schools and community. FFA, First Priority, Sports Captains, and the list goes on.   

    Here are a few just a ways students can develop leadership skills:

    • Participate in a Chamber sponsored Student Leadership Program (check your Chamber’s website for more information) 
    • Join clubs of interest & look for opportunities to lead and serve  (ask your favorite teacher or counselor for ideas)
    • Attend a leadership conference (Leadercast is an annual nationwide conference that can be attended in person at a host site or virtually)
    • Volunteer in class or in your community (serving is a great way to lead!)
    • Get a job & learn everything you can! You may have the opportunity to be in a leadership role too.

    Check out Top 10 Quotes on Servant Leadership. My favorite one is:  “The best way to find yourself is in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi. What’s yours? How will you lead today?

  • Board Service; What is my role?

    Board Service; What is my role?

    Over the past few months, we’ve had several requests to facilitate training for boards of directors. Just last week, I met with a relatively newly formed board. They were receptive, attentive, and appreciative of the nuggets of information I shared.

    Source: National Council of Nonprofits

     

    Board governance is the primary purpose of a board. They aren’t tasked with handling the day-to-day activities, such as staffing. Every training I’ve done has been organized by a competent, engaged director hired by the board. Boards should focus on the mission of the organization, be transparent and make financial decisions that are in the best interest of the organization.

    Being a board member holds many benefits. A few of those are:

    • Giving back to the community
    • Opportunities to network
    • Help drive the mission of the organization
    • A chance to have your opinions heard and used

    Check out Board Roles and Responsibilities from the National Council of Nonprofits for more insight into board operations. Also, a book we typically recommend for board members is Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.

    Are you a member of a board? Is your organization governed by a board? Reach out to us at HPC today if we can help with training.