Author: Taylor Simmons

  • Servant Leadership

    Servant Leadership

    I recently helped a top security government employee with developing a resume. His leadership philosophy centered around supporting his employees (as opposed to the other way around); he believes in empowering subordinates with authority, as opposed to responsibility. His view of leadership embodies serving which is what great leaders do.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Servant leaders are a revolutionary bunch—they take the traditional power leadership model and turn it completely upside down. This new hierarchy puts the people—or employees, in a business context—at the very top and the leader at the bottom, charged with serving the employees above them. And that’s just the way servant leaders like it. – The Art of Servant Leadership, SHRM.org

    At HPC, we have a textbook servant leader. Our CEO lives this out daily and truly makes our staff want to be better every day, for our company and our clients.

    Here are a few things servant leaders do differently:

    • Servant Leaders share power.
    • They consistently put the needs of others first.
    • They help people develop and perform at their highest level of potential.

    Check out 10 Principles of Servant Leadership from Indeed.Com for more insight.

    Are you a servant leader? Do you have servant leaders in your life?

    If you’d like to learn more about this type of leadership, hit us up at HPC. We love to train & empower servant leaders!

  • Growth Mindset in Career Development

    Growth Mindset in Career Development

    We’ve been talking about having a Growth Mindset for the past few weeks. If you missed it, check out the series kickoff blog here: What is Growth Mindset? 

    This time of year, we often get the opportunity to work with high school students looking for guidance related to the next steps after graduation. Career development for students looks like career exploration and exposure. That should start way before the final two years of high school, but it is definitely a priority for most students (and their parents) as secondary education draws to a close. The number one recommendation I have for high school students is to job shadow and/or conduct informational interviews to gain as much exposure as possible before selecting a career path. Check out 4 Tips for an Awesome Job Shadow or Informational Interview.

    Growth mindset looks different for individuals who are in the early stages of their careers. It looks like learning and growing. Check out The Essentials of Professional Development for ideas at this stage.

    For mid-career, growth mindset looks like continued development and sometimes a revisit to exploration and exposure. It is not uncommon for individuals to seek a career change in the middle of their careers. If someone is looking to make a change, an interest assessment is often a great place to start. A free assessment recommendation and more can be found in Career Change – Is it for you?

    As our Growth Mindset series comes to a close, we encourage you to adopt a growth mindset and reach out to us at HPC if we can help!

  • What is Growth Mindset?

    What is Growth Mindset?

    We are kicking off a new series on growth mindset this week! Do you believe intelligence and talents are fixed? If so, hopefully, we can change your mind with insights from our series on growth mindset. 

    Seeing opportunities instead of obstacles, in a nutshell, that’s what having a growth mindset means. Those with a growth mindset focus on development; they are always learning and growing. 

    Resource: http://strategicdiscipline.positioningsystems.com/blog-0/mindset-fixed-or-growth

     

    Inc.com shared these 8 strategies to shift to a growth mindset:

    1. Create A New Compelling Belief
    2. View Failure in A Different Light
    3. Skyrocket Your Self-Awareness
    4. Become A Curious Learner
    5. Challenges Are Your New Best Friend
    6. Love Takes You to The Top
    7. Tenacity That Ignites
    8. Massively Inspired by Others

    #8 is my favorite! What’s yours? Check out the full article here: Shift to a Growth Mindset with These 8 Powerful Strategies.

    Be on the lookout for more blog posts coming soon related to growth mindset & how it relates to recruiting, training, compliance & career development!

  • How do you Navigate the Advancement Process?

    How do you Navigate the Advancement Process?

    I recently facilitated a workshop with a group of educators, some of whom are considering advancement in their field. We talked through several tips to help with navigating the process. Although I shared some information that was specific to their field, many of the tips are actually universal.

    Here are a few of my favorites:

    1.Give your resume a glow up! Check out more ideas here:

    How do you make your resume stand out among thousands received by employers?

    2. Consider these steps as you seek advancement:

      • Seek out leadership roles prior to advancement
      • Volunteer for presentations
      • Attend any professional development that’s offered 
      • Network/Make Connections 

    Up your networking game with more ideas from this blog post: Networking Authentically

    3. Be prepared for your interview: Read Interview Prep for Today’s Job Market, which talks about the benefits of using the S.T.A.R prep tool.

    Are you ready for the next step in your career? I recommend checking out Ken Coleman’s book, The Proximity Principle to lead you in the right direction. You can also check out my book review here: The Proximity Principle – A Book Review.

  • Book Review of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

    Book Review of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

     

    A book about perfect timing – Where have you been all my life? During my month-long sabbatical, I read several books. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink was my favorite. 

    Could the time of day that we make decisions be significant? Could the time of day affect how well we learn or work? According to Dan Pink, it actually does. Pink takes a look at how our body functions naturally. Actionable items & tips are offered throughout the book.

    To get started, you need to map your biological clock. Pink shares 3 categories based on natural daily patterns: peaks, troughs, and peaks. Once you determine your chronotype, your personal pattern of circadian rhythms, you can determine the best time to do certain tasks. 

    Pink categorizes individuals into two areas – owl (late night/evening people) and larks (my morning peeps).  Once you know when your peak performance times are, you can focus on doing your most difficult tasks then. Plan to do your creative tasks during your troughs when you have less energy. These ebb and flow based on age also. (Note: I highly recommend this for educators!)

    A new year has arrived, learn to master perfect timing by checking out this great read!

    We will explore When & other personal development books in a new training opportunity in the works for 2022. If you are interested in learning more about how to create organizations where people thrive, please visit our Illuminate website at: https://horizonpointconsulting.com/illuminate/