Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Beyond Work

Beyond Work is our line of resources for people and community leaders looking for something new and innovative outside, be it a new job, career change, or personal development outside of work.

  • Your Title Should Not Define You

    Your Title Should Not Define You

    Guest blog written by: Steve Graham

    Job titles serve a purpose. Titles identify roles and responsibilities within an organization.  They should not define who you are. Many of my coaching clients have enjoyed successful careers, but they desire to make a change.  Too often, my clients are defined by their title and this makes it harder for them to make the desired change.   For example, a top performing sales professional may identify as, “only a sales person”, without understanding who they truly are.  What makes them a top sales performer is more about who they are than a title.

    What defines you has been part of your story since birth.  These include your values, experiences, beliefs, motivators, and other influences.  When we allow our titles to define who we are it limits our potential.  It creates barriers that do not allow for us to see the “who” we are.  What defines you is bigger than any title.  Titles come and go. What defines you is constant.

    According to Gallup research, 55 percent of people in the United States define themselves by their job.  This data is not new and it has been consistent throughout multiple Gallup polls since 1989.  This Gallup study also found that people who love what they do are less concerned about their titles.  Your personal brand has nothing to do with your title.  When I work with clients on personal branding, we start with finding out what defines them.  Your career journey should be guided by what interests you and what you are naturally good at doing.

    In the exploration phase of defining “who” you are, various self-reflection activities and assessments can be used as resources.  I recommend using more than one resource to help in this process.  Two favorite assessments for helping clients define their brand are Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0  and The VIA Survey of Character Strengths.   In my experience, no one assessment can provide all the information you need to define the “who” you are, and that is foundational to developing your personal brand. Consider these steps to help you:

    • Listen to what others say about you. What consistent feedback do you hear?
    • Take some assessments that measure personality and behavioral traits. Look for patterns or consistency in the data.
    • Self-reflection. What do you think about most? What inspires and motivates you?
    • What do you do best? Think about this deeply, what comes naturally to you?

    Another exercise is asking clients to introduce themselves by their name only.  Do not automatically give your title or where you work.  Many people are used to including their title and where they work in social settings.  Break the habit of connecting what you do with who you are.  Of course, in some situations, it is required that you mention your title and where you work during introductions.  If your self-worth is fueled by your title, you will not be well prepared for life issues—like job loss or demotion.  As a kid I enjoyed reading Curious George.  He was always exploring and getting into trouble, but I liked how he was courageous and most of all curious.  You are never too old to explore new things. Take time to explore the “who” you are.

    For decades career coaches have talked about transferrable skills.  These skills are more about what defines you.  A good sales person shares attributes with those who work in fields like fund-raising (development) and recruiting.  The titles are different but what drives the top performers in those fields is what defines them.  It sounds simple, however, some people have a hard time defining the “who they are” apart from their title.  There is more to you than a title.  Remember that titles identify and the “who” defines.

     

    About the Author: 

    Steve Graham serves as vice president for marketing, HR business partner and college instructor. He holds graduate degrees in management and higher education. As a life-long learner, he has additional graduate and professional education in executive and professional coaching, health care administration and strategic human resource management. Steve is also the Founder and President of Valiant Coaching & Talent Development, LLC.

    He is a certified HR professional with The Society for Human Resource Management, certified coach with the International Coach Federation and a Global Career Development Facilitator. His professional memberships include: The Society for Human Resource Management, the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, Association for Talent Development and International Coach Federation.

  • The 2018 Edition of HR’s Biggest Pain Points

    The 2018 Edition of HR’s Biggest Pain Points

    Each year at the Alabama SHRM State Conference, we survey participants to gain insights into what their biggest pain points are. Before I even looked at the data this year, my guess was that recruiting was at the top of the list or has at least risen to the top of the list. With the unemployment rate now lower than 4% national wide, the pain of finding talent is real.

    But what we saw in the results left talent sourcing/acquisition in the middle of the pack:

    Tied for the highest pain points were leadership training and employee development.  If we look at the data over the three years that we have done the survey, these are both still the top two, with employee development being the highest and leadership training coming in a close second.

    Maybe these are the focus because of the need to retain top talent so that recruiting doesn’t have to become a pain point.

    Of course this is in no way a scientific study and the sample size was small, but it is interesting to consider if these are the biggest pain points, what can be done about them?

    I would suggest the following:

    Radical Candor

    Work Rules

     

    • Create a structured Leadership Training/Development Program.  You can customize this for your company with a reputable vendor or you can select an off-the-shelf program that is right for you.  The key is to make sure the program:
    1. Builds self-awareness in participants (a good program incorporates some type of validated assessment)
    2. Builds understanding of others and helps participants connect their self-awareness to influencing others through self-monitoring
    3. Helps people to think differently and ultimately behave differently
    4. In order to drive home positive behavioral outcomes, incorporating some type of action plan/homework should be required post-training
    5. Should gather individual and organizational metrics to monitor the success of the program

     

    Some resources to consider through Horizon Point to help you with designing or purchasing a leadership training program can be found here:  Key Training Topics. This also includes information about a few of our leadership training partners and their programs:

    I also like these providers/programs:

     

    Sometimes we neglect employee development and leadership training because we just don’t know where to start.  Hopefully these resources will help to get you started if these two things are your biggest pain points.

    What are you biggest pain points?

     

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    What are your biggest HR Pain Points?

  • Authenticity During Employee Hardships

    Authenticity During Employee Hardships

    I recently read an article written by Amy Morin, a psychotherapist who lost her husband suddenly at age 26. She talked about how her company provided her with the bereavement leave she needed to grieve, but more so about how they handled her return. She spoke of how her manager let her ease back into work by starting on a Friday and not having too much on her plate her first few days in the office. And she talked about how that manager asked her prior to her return how she wanted the topic of her husband’s death to be handled around the office. Did she want employees asking her about how she was doing, or expressing their condolences? While it didn’t ease her pain, it made her return to work so much easier.

    As leaders, we often have a difficult time knowing how to handle employee hardships. Leaders have to look at what impact there will be to the company if the employee needs to take leave, while also considering how to be supportive to the employee during a difficult personal experience. And as is human nature, when someone is suffering, we often have a difficult time knowing how to react or what to say.

    Here are a few ways leaders can be authentic when handling employee hardships.

    • If an employee needs to go out on leave, take the time to provide them with their options and put it in writing so that they can review it later. Chances are they’re not fully able to focus on the information you have provided them verbally. Follow up with them after a few days to see if they have any questions.
    • Reach out to them shortly before their return and discuss when and how they will return to work. Will they start back at the end of the week or part-time for a couple weeks to slowly ease back into the swing of things? Do they want to just jump right back in? Do they want co-workers approaching them about the situation or would they rather it not be addressed?
    • Be empathetic and be patient. Let the employee know through your actions that while you may not understand what they are going through, you understand it is a difficult time for them. Don’t expect them to be back to full capacity on day one of their return, whether their leave was due to a death, a health issue, or another type of hardship, they may take some time to get back up to speed.

    Too often leaders view an employee’s need for leave as an inconvenience, failing to be empathetic to what the employee is going through. This lack of empathy and accommodation will eventually have a negative impact on how employees view the culture of the organization.

    Is your organization’s culture supportive and empathetic to employees during personal hardships?

    To read Amy’s article, click here.

  • Revisiting 4 Tips to an Awesome Job Shadow or Informational Interview

    Revisiting 4 Tips to an Awesome Job Shadow or Informational Interview

    A couple of years ago, I worked with a student who participated in a job shadow offered through a program at her school. She was interested in the medical field. However, during the job shadow, she realized it was not for her. The eye-opening experience helped guide her to another path.

    Summer is almost here, and now is a great time for recent grads and college students to consider a job shadow or internship! If opportunities for those are not available, an informational interview is another option. All of these are valuable components of career exploration. I would argue they are just as important as interest assessments.

    Where do you begin? Talk to your high school counselor or a career advisor to brainstorm ideas. Then, revisit our blog “4 Tips to an Awesome Job Shadow or Informational Interview.”

  • What do you value most?

    What do you value most?

    Values – integrity, authenticity, honesty, loyalty, service – and the list goes on. Values are what make each person unique. Individuals want to work in organizations that prioritizes values, and companies seek out individuals who add value to their organization.

    A Career Decision Making Tree is one tool we use at Horizon Point in guiding individuals in career planning. We share this in our career development course with other professionals; it’s available in our workbooks also. The idea is to determine what you value most in a career, which are the roots of the tree (i.e. career must haves). Then, you can narrow down your list of careers. We often facilitate this after a formal interest inventory assessment.

    Satisfaction in your career is closely connected to values. Doing work that you are passionate about and that you find value in often predicts job satisfaction.

    Unsure of what you value in work? Use this free assessment at Career One Stop to find out: https://www.vawizard.org/wizard/assessment-combined.