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…).

  • Why you should schedule a “Think Week” to begin 2016

    Why you should schedule a “Think Week” to begin 2016

    I was away at a SHRM Leadership Conference in DC the week before the Thanksgiving week. Although I miss my husband and my kids fiercely when I’m away, man I can get stuff- tasks, thinking and planning- done when I am free of the distractions from home and the office through plane rides and quiet hotel rooms.

    All while there for two and a half days that included doing what I was here for- attending the conference- I’ve still managed to:

    • This may seem trivial, but what piles up in my inbox is stuff I want to read to help me think and write and plan for social media content.
    • The inbox zero along with one book read and some content I’ve been wanting to look out on leadership and social capital has lead to 15 blog posts outlined several of which are done, and a reach out to a few top-of-the line guest bloggers for content as well.
    • Task list cleared. I’m caught up going into Thanksgiving week. We will see how long it lasts….
    • Made some important business development contacts through emails and meetings set-up and more importantly through some in-person contacts and introductions the conference.
    • Charted out 2016 strategic planning and SHRM volunteer role planning for 2016
    • Did the things that I strive to do everyday during a regular at-home routine but don’t always get to like exercise and a devotional to start off each morning
    • Scheduled my son’s birthday party, which somehow keeps getting put aside with all the distractions of home and work
    • Oh and I got a massage- it was great.

    But none of your care about what I got done. Not one of you. Thank you for indulging me in my list.

    However, you might care for me to make a point about how all this might matter to you….

    In one of the sessions I attended at the conference, the speaker, Susan Ershler– who by the way, has climbed the seven summits of the world all while leading her work team to huge success- discussed through her Project- Prepare- Preserve process the need to schedule a “think week” as a critical component to preparation.  She discussed how Bill Gates makes this a practice, and she emphasized how implementing this “think week” leads to better execution. Amen sister.

    I didn’t have a week, but I had almost three days to do just this. I was able to spend time on some nagging tasks weighing on me, but more importantly, I had time to THINK. This thinking will lead to better execution when I get back.

    So, if you are looking for a 2016 resolution to set, schedule your think time now. And find some time within that time to:

    1. Get caught up so you aren’t so overwhelmed in taking the time or in returning feeling further behind. And you can’t think if you are worried about this stuff.
    2. Think. 
    3. Be creative with whatever creative outlets energize you (mine is reading and writing and making connections with others).
    4. Plan.
    5. Get those plans down on paper.
    6. And, for the love, do something for you. Just for you. My massage might have been the highlight of it all.

    Do you have a think week or retreat planned for 2016?

  • The Best Books of 2015

    The Best Books of 2015

    We, at Horizon Point, love a good book or two. Here are our recommendations for you to consider for your 2016 reading list and/or ideas as gifts to give this holiday season:

    Mary Ila’s recommendations:

    For help shaping your New Year’s resolution:

    Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith. Goldsmith, one of the best executive coaches in the world, helps you understand that most of self-improvement isn’t necessarily about starting something, it is about stopping something. He gives a simple method for analyzing and measuring our daily behavior in order to see positive habits form which lead to results.We use this process in our leadership coaching often now.

    The 2020 Workplace. This isn’t your run of the mill, what should I do with millennials in the workplace read. Instead, it focuses on creating competitive advantage through people practices based on the desires of all workers, regardless of generation, and the technology and practices that will allow an organization to meet these desires.

    The opening story in this book creates a visual image of the norms we can expect in just a few years in the workplace, in particular the ones that will make a company competitive through its talent. This quote in the book says it all,

    “The organizations that create a competitive advantage in the 2020 workplace will do so by instituting innovative human resource practices- by first defining an authentic core set of organizational values and then augmenting these by leveraging the latest tools to reimagine learning and development, talent management, and leadership practices.”

    All the Light We Cannot See. The best novel I’ve read this year. Set in World War II Europe, it captures how seemingly alike we all are even when the world portrays us as so different.

    As a close second in the novel category, check out The Girl on the Train. I didn’t see what happened in that one coming! If you love a good suspense, get it.

    Mere Christianity. I read this one again and found it to be much more valuable than the first time I read it in high school. Whether you’re looking for a good faith shaping read or not, I’d suggest you pull out something in 2016 that you’ve read before that was impactful the first time around and read it again. You’ll be surprised how much new insight you might glean from a re-read.

    Also, giving a book that has had an impact on you is a great gift idea.

    And a new favorite author- Jen Hatmaker. She is the author of several books that cater to the mom trying to live a life that is unconforming to the world and teach her kids to do the same. And she’s hilarious!I devoured Out of the Spin Cycle (a devotional) and Seven and look forward to reading her latest, For the Love, in 2016.

    If you like this post, you may also like:

    10 Books Leaders Need to be Reading

  • A personal account of performance management that works… and doesn’t

    A personal account of performance management that works… and doesn’t

    My take on performance management is quite different than it was 10 years ago. I once worked for a company that basically rewarded all employees for their continued employment, and performance was not really taken into consideration when we all received a 5% raise. Regardless of how fabulous of a job I was doing or how not-so-fabulous my co-worker in the cubicle over was doing, we both received the same reward. This was not motivating me to be a better employee nor was it motivating for my mediocre colleague.

    Fast forward well over a decade. Not only has the world of work changed in many ways, so has my career and thoughts on performance management. As I reflect on this past year with Horizon Point Consulting, I think about what has been motivating. What have I enjoyed? What have I really not enjoyed? As I’m asked to reflect on these things in preparation for plans for another year with HPC, I’m so very thankful for an employer who seeks my input and is genuinely concerned about how I see my career moving and my ideas for furthering our mission.

    First, I will say, my personality is that of a planner and one that needs plenty of notice concerning a change. When I think about what has been most stressful this year, I would have to say it was my very first week on the job. I was given a project that involved computer codes and website administration. I thought, what have I gotten myself into? I was stressed to the max to say the least, but I completed the project and am thankful for the learning opportunity it provided. I’m also thankful for an employer who asked me how I liked working on this and other work concerning marketing and website management. When I shared how stressful it was for me and that it just wasn’t what I felt was the best use of my time where my strengths are concerned, my employer listened and began thinking of better ways to get those projects done.

    I’ve learned so much this past year. The ability to select what professional development I wanted to do was wonderful. I’ve received three credentials and am working on completing a course to be an instructor for one of the courses we offer. All of this was so rewarding.

    I’ve also been motivated by the type of work I get to do. I especially love the program development and one-on-one coaching I do. And, of course the commissions that come along with some of the projects are always motivating.

    In the end, what matters most is that I have career that I love and have the flexibility to get the work done when it best fits my schedule. That’s huge for a mom of two and allows me to do my best to live out my mission statement:

    I will strive daily to present the best version of myself to clients, family, friends and others. I will work to empower others and help them in their journey to lead better lives.

     

    What are your thoughts on performance management? Are they in line with how your current employer sees performance management?

  • Basic Feedback/Feedforward Stuff

    Basic Feedback/Feedforward Stuff

    One of the best ways to improve and sustain great performance at work is to ask for feedback and to give it, freely, continuously and in the spirit of driving better performance. Here are some posts to help you out with this quest:

    6 Steps for Maximizing Feedback Through Feedforward

    Drop Lots of FYIs to Communicate Effectively

    Goal Setting – Feedback

    3 Steps for Driving Employee Engagement through Personalization

  • How to Handle Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

    How to Handle Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

    I had a reader send me a suggestion for a blog post a little over a month ago. It said:

    “With the terrible shooting in VA yesterday, maybe an article on how HR can better handle identifying, coaching, counseling & later termination of disgruntled employees if coaching is not effective. I am sure HR departments are concerned about their own employees. Just thoughts.”

    With all our content written for the month, I told him I’d add it to the roster even though this shooting would be old news. The sad thing, though, is that I silently thought there will be something else like this happen again before I get ready to post something. And course, the news has covered other shootings since then.

    In thinking about how to address this topic, I kept trying to avoid talking about a very personal encounter I’ve experienced with this issue. However, I just kept coming back to it. Our marketing guru told me I needed to write about it in order to more effectively and personally address this topic, so here it goes.

    To make a long story short, a former pastor at our church upon leaving our congregation for another church (in the Methodist church pastors are moved by the conference, they aren’t hired by the congregation), shot and killed his wife, attempted to kill his daughter, and tried to kill himself. If you live close to where I live, you are familiar with this story, even though it has been a while since it happened. He was found not guilty by reason of mental defect and is in a psychiatric hospital.

    I could have told you ten years before this happened that he had mental health issues.  Serious ones. Through some personal dealings with my family and then similar stories that came to light through others, it is obvious he needed help.

    His actions led to much anxiety, bitterness, anger and resentment for me and my family. Our first reaction was not to help the man who had hurt us so much.  We talked to some people about the issues, but he had another side that many people saw and loved.  Through this, I believe he was able to mask some of the issues. It also led people to dismiss others who saw the issues and tried to bring them to light. So, we stopped trying to bring them to light and just retreated.

    Ultimately I believe the lack of confrontation with these difficult issues on the part of all of us including our church congregation and our United Methodist Conference led to the loss of life.

    From this personal example, here is a list of advice in dealing with mental health issues in the workplace:

    1. Don’t avoid

    Listen to people when they bring issues to light.  Don’t dismiss them.  Often there are many yellow flags before the red flag appears.

    Talk first hand and immediately with the employee who is disgruntled, having anger management issues, or acting suspicious on the job.  Give them specific, behavioral based feedback and specifically state the consequences of what will happen if the behavior continues.

    Make sure you have a process in place to hear both sides of the story.

    Do an investigation if needed.

    Terminate employment if issues don’t stop and/or one issue is large enough to put others at risk.   Have a specific process for doing so (some of the other tips below may help you think through this process).

    2. Put systems and structures in place to bring issues to light

    This is only possible when employees are comfortable coming to their boss and/or HR with issues; creating an open door environment is critical.  Knowing your employees and caring about them is the best way to keep a pulse on difficult issues and to mitigate them before they become a problem.

    Have a confidential reporting mechanism in place for people.

    3. Protect yourself

    Document everything.

    Always have someone else present when speaking with a disgruntled employee. If the person is a member of the opposite sex, have someone of the same sex as the employee present with you.

    4. Get people the help they need

    Although the person may not see it like this at the time, unacceptable behavior on the job may be a cry for help, make sure you have referral sources (EAP, mental health agencies, your occupational health provider, etc.) to provide more in-depth help and support when it is needed.

    Don’t let HR take on the role of clinical counseling.

    5. Fund and get involved with agencies and causes that combat mental health issues on a broader scale.   

     

    Ultimately, we never know when a genetic predisposition and/or life experiences could put any one of us down a road of mental instability. It is time we all move away from the stigma of mental health, especially HR professionals, by getting to know and care for others. The first step to truly caring for others is realizing that we’ve got to confront the issue head on. It’s a matter of life and death, literally.

    In my personal example, the situation, at times, made me and my family want to loose our religion. Dealing with this inside the church was difficult. However, I firmly believe, at the risk of some people discounting the post, that we can find more answers and solutions to mental health issues inside the walls of the church than out.  For an honest and very personal view on what I think the world needs to combat mental health tragedies in our workplace and in our world download this podcast. Come, Holy Spirit, come.