Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Beyond Leadership

Beyond Leadership is Horizon Point’s line of resources for managers of people. Managing ourselves is a distinct set of behaviors from managers the work of others, and we are here to help. Read stories in this category if you are ready to take the next step into people leadership (or if you’re looking for articles to send someone else…).

3 Things Business Leaders Can (and Should) Do to Help Marginalized People
This year, I have the opportunity to take part in Leadership Greater Hunstville. This program focuses on educating and equipping business leaders to also be community leaders through intense exposure to all facets of the community.

“Human Services Day” took place this week. It focuses on understanding the needs of the community and the not-for-profits that help meet these needs, many of which focus on helping marginalized people. The day began with a poverty simulation (CAPS), and we spent most of the afternoon hearing from a variety of not-for-profit entities in the community. One of the not-for-profit leaders participating said that there are estimated to be between 1600-2000 not-for-profit organizations serving the community in just Madison County which currently has a population of around 375,000 people.

I was shocked by this number. I was also shocked at how little was said about business leaders/employers doing what employers should do best- employing people- to combat the systematic issues in the community that many of the not-for-profits we heard from sought to address. It seemed like that focus was on the business community giving the nonprofits money and possibly volunteer hours. What about providing meaningful employment and living wages?

I think business leaders can make one of the biggest impacts on marginalized individuals by focusing on employment and employability. This should create a sustainable and far-reaching impact.

Here are three things to consider in doing so as seen through quotes of leaders that have spoken to us throughout the Leadership Huntsville experience:
1. “Get in the arena.” First, hire people on the margins. Whether it be someone with a physical or mental disability, someone with a criminal record, the single mom that has been living in generational poverty, or the veteran, etc. make an active effort to connect with these individuals and meet them where they are to offer employment.
2. “Breaking down barriers is the role of a leader”. There are multiple barriers that prohibit marginalized people from getting employment and sustaining it. The poverty simulation we participated in placed a large emphasis on the barriers of transportation and childcare. My role in the poverty simulation was that of a 20-year-old mother of a one-year-old trying to go to college and work part-time. Due to the fact that childcare for a week cost more than I could make part-time in a week, I was “forced” to leave my one-year-old with my nine-year-old brother in order to go to work and not have to pay for childcare. In a world where I actually have a one-year-old son and nine-year-old son, I would never leave my nine-year-old to have to keep my one-year-old while I worked, but I don’t have to worry about earning enough money to feed them both. What would you do? As business leaders, we need to think long and hard about how we can address these barriers and examine what role providing living wages plays in this.
3. “Think to ask. You need to know the story to lead.” Breaking down these barriers requires a knowledge of the barriers and understanding that, yes, sometimes poor choices have created those barriers, but also many barriers go well beyond issues of choice and behavior. Provide compassion and empathy to those you employ and seek to employ by asking what challenges they face and why. Then help connect and provide resources to address the issues. Sometimes the help to address the issues is simply an understanding of the issue. I’d encourage all business leaders to find a way to connect with someone who is a part of the marginalized population and spend regular (weekly) time with them one-on-one. You’ll learn a lot and grow a lot as a leader.
As the founder of Manna House told us to kick off the day, “God didn’t ask me to quit this to do that,” speaking of her experience to continue to work full-time as a government contractor and open Manna House to help address food vulnerability in the community. Her story was impactful. My hope is business leaders realize they don’t have to quit their day job to impact the most pressing issues in our community. In fact, their day job is probably the best way to address them through an effort to hire and retain people on the margins, providing meaningful work and living wages. I would dare to say we’d need a lot fewer non-profits and a lot less government programs if we all did this.

How are you making an impact through your business leadership?
November 5, 2020
Are Your Employees SAD? How to Help Employees Who Struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder
It’s that time of year. The weather is changing, the leaves are falling, and you’re SAD. But you’re not alone. Nearly 10 million Americans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. While SAD is most prevalent in those ages 18 to 30, it can affect anyone, and the effects are different for everyone.

Symptoms of SAD include:
- Fatigue
- Loss of concentration
- Insomnia/Inability to wake up
- Mild to severe depression
- Weight loss/gain
Employers may see these symptoms in the form of attendance issues, decreased productivity, mistakes in work completed, or a lack of concentration in meetings. Your initial reaction may be to consider disciplinary action, but before you do, consider the behaviors you’re seeing. Are these recent changes to an otherwise well-performing employee? If so, did these changes occur around the change of the season? While SAD affects most people in the cold weather seasons, some individuals do suffer SAD in the warmer season as well.

So how can you help an employee who may be suffering from SAD?
- Utilize your EAP. If your organization provides employees with an Employee Assistance Plan, now might be a good time to remind employees of this benefit. Send out a communication to all staff reminding them of the EAP benefit and the services it can provide to them.
- Up the lighting. Take a look around your facility at the lighting. Are all areas well lit or does your office exude that dim ambiance? While dim lights might be preferred in the summer months, you might want to turn up the lights in the cooler months.
- Encourage employees to get outside. If your office is in a great location for walks, encourage your employees to take advantage of that and get moving outdoors. Consider forming a walking team that meets daily to get outside and walk for 15-20 minutes. Think about setting up a basketball hoop, volleyball net, cornhole, or other outdoor activity to encourage employees to get outside during their breaks or lunch.
- Talk more. Check-in with your employees more often, just stop by to say hi and see how they’re doing. And be an active listener. If you listen, you may read between the lines that they aren’t as okay as they say they are.
- Offer flexibility. If possible, consider a more flexible work schedule. That may include shifting your hours and letting employees arrive a little later or it may mean allowing affected employees to work from home on their bad days.
- Offer up FMLA and/or ADA. Understand that while most people who suffer from SAD are able to struggle through, some aren’t. In some cases, SAD can be debilitating and lead to severe depression. In these cases, employees may need and qualify for FMLA and/or ADA accommodations.
October 20, 2020
A Book Review of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking is a must-read for introverts and extraverts alike. It explores the misconceptions of introverts and their many positive attributes.

I have two children who are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to introversion and extraversion. This book resonated with me on so many levels. I also love that it has a Tips for Educators section at the end.

The back cover notes Quiet as The Book That Started The Quiet Revolution. It explains:

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.

In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Quiet:

“We don’t ask why God chose as his prophet a stutterer with a public speaking phobia. But we should. The book of Exodus is short on explication, but its stories suggest that introversion plays yin to the yang of extroversion; that the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not because he spoke them well.”

“Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions.”

“So stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way, don’t let others make you feel as if you have to race. If you enjoy depth, don’t force yourself to seek breadth. If you prefer single-tasking to multi-tasking, stick to your guns. Being relatively unmoved by rewards gives you the incalculable power to go your own way.”

Regardless of your MBTI results, you will find value in this book. Unsure if you are naturally an introvert or extrovert? You can check out 16 Personalities to find out for free!

September 22, 2020
Values Amidst the Storm
“Culture guides the team in their everyday work. It’s the foundation on which people make decisions and take actions.”

The Start-Up Playbook by Rajat Bhargava and Will Herman

I took my first flight in over six months recently. Headed to Orlando to speak at a conference, I booked a Delta flight connecting through Atlanta.

Before I left, my husband said, “Make sure you have your mask on the whole time during the flight. Delta has been blacklisting people for life if they refuse the keep their mask on.”

As their CEO Ed Bastian said, “If you insist on not wearing a mask, then we insist you not fly Delta.” Delta don’t play.

And neither was I going to risk not being able to fly on my favorite airline over keeping a mask on while in the air.

It was evident throughout the experience that Delta wasn’t playing in every aspect of their flight experience safety. Sanitizing wipes were handed out as you boarded. No more food and beverage service as usual- you get a plastic bag complete with a water bottle, napkin (a recycled one at that), cheese-its, and biscoff. There’s another hand sanitizing wipe in that packet too. The way they filter air through the cabins has changed as well as the way they clean and sanitize their planes. It’s called the Delta CareStandard.

But why does Delta do all this when it costs more money to do it this way in an airline industry that is fraught with more woes than almost all other industries because of the pandemic? On my flights of less than 1 hour each, couldn’t they just skip the food and beverage service and sighting safety reasons and over multiple flights save themselves a ton of money? They were close to losing $100 million A DAY in March and $27 million A DAY in June.

Well first of all, they are mandated to do some things, but in general, I think it is because Delta is governed by its Corporate Values.

These values are:
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Respect
- Perseverance
- Servant Leadership
They intertwine with the mission of “The work of an airline is, at its core, about connecting people with communities, with experience, and with each other. Making connections is Delta’s mission…”

Some things you see Delta doing show their commitment to their values because of the pandemic or what they’ve done pre-pandemic include:
- Blocking middle seats through January (booking only 60% full), not to mention all the other Delta CareStandard actions.
- Referring to their employees as, “Our family”
- Using the word “We” in much of their statements for example, “We- Delta’s employees, customers, and community partners…”
Delta isn’t perfect, but what they continually do pre and post-pandemic is seeking to live their corporate values through their behaviors, decisions, and actions. And sometimes our true values are best seen when things are at their very worst. It’s why they consistently earn top awards and have recently taken the number one spot on the list of the best airlines in 2020.

It’s why I’ll continue to fly Delta even if it costs a little bit more and even if I have to connect instead of flying direct. And it is why Delta, even though it is in the midst of a massive storm, will come out better than before. They are experiencing the opportunity of living out the value of perseverance here and now.

How is your company living out its values amidst the storm?
September 9, 2020
Relationships in Business

Written by: Lucy Orr, Horizon Point Consulting Summer Intern

My name is Lucy Orr, and I interned with Horizon Point Consulting this summer. In my first blog post, I discussed what I hoped to learn from this experience. Not having a “dream job,” I was able to use this experience to get a taste of several different careers by observing Horizon Point as well as their clients.

While I certainly got a taste of different jobs throughout the summer, the part that struck me the most was the importance of relationships in every aspect of the business.

The most obvious relationships that they spent significant time fostering were with their clients. By taking people out to lunch, forming friendships, and following through with timely expertise, each member of the Horizon Point team valued their relationships with everyone they contacted. This impacted me, not because of the novelty of the concept, but because of the sincerity with which they cared about each person and each business. From my perspective, the intentionality reinforced the quality of business that Horizon Point provides, both being equally important.

The bond between the women that make it all happen was the most unexpected. I had never considered the importance of encouraging business partners, but it makes sense. They support each other, exalt each other’s accomplishments, and are attentive to each other’s needs. Though I was there temporarily, they welcomed me, were generous with me, and spent time to show they cared about me beyond the things I was doing to help the business. They are honest with each other about their strengths as well as their weaknesses which allows the group to come together and grow more efficiently. This is a great example of the community that is possible in a work environment- camaraderie that I can only hope to find or promote in my future workplace.

The last relationship that I noticed this summer impacted me the most deeply was the significance of family in work. I babysat for Mary Ila’s two older children regularly throughout the summer to give her a few hours at a time to focus on work, so I was able to learn from the intentionality with which she balanced these two things: work and family. This experience has shown me the blessing of valuing family. By constantly thinking of fun things we could do that her kids would enjoy or clearing entire days to spend time with them, she showed me that it is possible to work hard while prioritizing family. This balance definitely looks different for everyone, but it was so helpful for me to see such a wonderful example of this aspect of pursuing a career.

Horizon Point was a great example of strong relationships in each of these areas. When narrowing down my interests for a future career, I will look at how they play out in the workplace of each field. My time this summer gave me unexpected insight through simply observing Horizon Point’s focus on each type of relationship and realizing the difference it made in the all-around effectiveness of their work.

August 11, 2020