Horizon Point Consulting

Category: General

Horizon Point writes about dozens of leadership, career, workplace, and workforce topics. Sometimes we write whatever we want. Read this category for general blogs from the HPC team.

  • Matthew McConaughey Inspired Me and 8,000 Other People

    Matthew McConaughey Inspired Me and 8,000 Other People

    I finally had the opportunity to attend an ATD International Conference & Exposition, known as ICE by true ATD-ers. This year’s event in New Orleans featured a stellar lineup of keynote speakers, a broad range of learning sessions, and countless opportunities for relationshipping and professional growth.

    Matthew McConaughey Was There

    Known for his captivating storytelling and unique perspective on life, Matthew McConaughey’s keynote, “Greenlights: Rethinking Success and Leadership,” drew from his personal experiences and professional journey. He shared insights from his #1 New York Times bestselling memoir, Greenlights, which chronicles his life’s pivotal moments and the lessons learned along the way. 

    His speech emphasized the importance of resilience, authenticity, and embracing life’s challenges as opportunities for growth. McConaughey’s engaging storytelling and down-to-earth wisdom resonated deeply with attendees, leaving them inspired to lead with courage and creativity in their own careers​.

    And So Was Artificial Intelligence

    That section about Matthew McConaughey was written with ChatGPT (except for the picture I took from wayyyy in the back). Since I got home from the conference, I’ve been challenging myself to use more AI tools. I’m a Millennial, I’m no Zoomer digital native. 

    I’m excited about the potential of AI in helping HR and TD professionals provide higher quality services, and I’m also bristling at the fact that I’m not very good at using it yet. I like being good at things (set up for the next section on Daniel Pink!), and I’m not good at AI. But I’m trying. That’s probably the biggest takeaway for me from ATD42; none of us in talent development are all that good at using AI just yet, but we’re trying! 

    I Filled Up My Notebook

    I took feverish notes during every session I attended. I’m usually the one just taking pictures of the slides (I still did) and maybe sending myself links to view later. ATD24 was so juicy for me that I had to scribble down everything everyone said for 4 days. 

    My favorite note that I immediately shared with the HPC team was from Daniel H. Pink, one of our all-time favorite authors. He’s cheeky. He grounds his writing in real, relevant research. The quote I wrote down, underlined, and sent to the team was, “Make a To Don’t List”. 

    This is a picture of a notebook held up in front of the stage at a conference. The notebook has the words, "Make a To Don't List" written on it.

    For context, Dan meant that sometimes we get so stuck on “getting sh*t done” that we get in our way. In his own life, his To Don’t List includes things like:

    • Don’t start the day answering emails 
    • If I’m not willing to do it next week, don’t say yes to it 

    Dan also says he keeps a notebook at his desk that is specifically for acknowledging and recording progress. At the end of every day, he writes down 3 ways he made progress. He admits that he never looks at it again, but the act of writing down his progress to close out the day helps him leave his desk feeling accomplished. I’m going to try it, and I hope you will, too. 

    There Was Something For Everyone

    This section was also written using ChatGPT, when I asked it to summarize the conference. It’s a pretty good summary! ATD has something for everyone. 

    Learning Tracks and Sessions

    The conference featured a diverse array of learning tracks designed to cater to various aspects of talent development and HR management. These included:

    1. Career Development: Focused on helping professionals advance their careers and develop others’ skills.
    2. Future Readiness: Addressed the skills and knowledge needed to prepare organizations for future challenges.
    3. Instructional Design: Covered the latest trends and best practices in designing effective learning experiences.
    4. Leadership & Management Development: Aimed at enhancing leadership skills and strategic management capabilities.
    5. Learning Sciences: Explored evidence-based methods for improving learning and performance.
    6. Learning Technologies: Examined the use of technology to facilitate learning in the modern workplace.
    7. Managing the Learning Function: Discussed strategic approaches to managing learning and development programs.
    8. Measurement & Evaluation: Focused on assessing the effectiveness of talent development initiatives.

    Networking and Expo

    The ATD Expo was a major highlight, featuring exhibitors showcasing the latest tools, technologies, and services in talent development. It provided attendees with hands-on experiences and the opportunity to explore innovative solutions that can enhance their organizations’ learning and development programs.

    Additional Highlights

    • Preconference Learning: Offered intensive workshops and certificate programs for deep dives into specific topics.
    • Career Center: Provided career coaching, resume reviews, and networking opportunities to help attendees advance their professional journeys.
    • Virtual Experience: Ensured that those unable to attend in person could still participate in key sessions and network with peers virtually..

    How is Your Soul? 

    The theme for ATD24 was Recharge Your Soul. I absolutely felt recharged when I left, so much that I couldn’t stop talking about it (still can’t). 

    Robert “X” Fogarty asked us in the opening session how our souls were doing, and I can’t speak for anyone else, but I needed to hear that. So much of what we do in HR and Talent Development comes from the soul. If the soul’s not doing so hot, the impact isn’t there either. 

    X started Dear World, and I totally recommend checking it out. At Horizon Point, we are People First and we put People First, and we believe that people’s stories are important. Dear World is all about using stories to inspire and connect people. Take a look at their work, and also ask yourself, “How is your soul?”.

  • Legal Update

    Legal Update

    We are only in May and already we have seen a number of employment law updates this year that have a huge impact on employers. Johnson, Paseur, & Medley, LLC shared the info in the images below with us:

     

    Fair Labor Standards Act

    The #1 change everyone is talking about and preparing for is the recent update to FLSA. Effective July 1, 2024, the salary threshold for a position to be eligible for exempt status will increase to $43,888 ($844 per week) and will increase again effective January 1, 2025 to $58,656 ($1,128 per week). This is almost a 65% increase in the threshold and will have a significant impact on many employers and employees. In addition, the highly comped threshold will increase from $132,964 to $151,164 effective January 1, 2025. 

    As the first deadline is quickly approaching, employers should be reviewing the current salaries of all exempt staff to determine how many employees this will impact and how to proceed with each position. Below are a few things to consider:

    • If an employee’s current salary is close to the new January 2025 threshold, would it be more beneficial to increase their salary to meet the new requirement. 
    • If an employee’s current salary is between the July 2024 and January 2025 thresholds, when should you move them to a non-exempt status and how far in advance should you communicate that change to the affected employees? 
    • For those employees that you will need to convert to non-exempt, is moving them to a salary non-exempt position the right option for your organization? This means that you guarantee an employee their full salary for hours worked up to 40, but would still be required to pay them overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 per work week. 
    • When do you need to have these converted employees set up in your timekeeping system so that they can begin to track their hours, and do you need to schedule training for these employees on how to use the timekeeping system? 
    • Does your organization have highly comped employees who will be impacted by the threshold increase and if so, what is the best way to navigate that impact? 
    • And the biggest question employers must ask is what financial impact will this change have on your organization and how can you mitigate that impact? 

    Also, employers need to be prepared for the long-term effects of the most recent FLSA changes, as it also includes an increase every three years, with the next increase going into effect July 1, 2027. The rate of change has not been determined and will be calculated every three years based on current calculation methods, so the full impact of future increases is still unknown. 

    To assist employers with understanding the new FLSA rules, the Department of Labor has scheduled two webinars that employers can sign up to attend for free. 

    Non-Compete Agreements

    In April, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a ruling banning most non-competes effective September 4, 2024. This ban includes non-competes for all employees, including senior executives. Current non-competes become null and void for most employees, with the exception of senior executives. If senior executives have a current non-compete, they can remain in force if those individuals earn at least $151,164 and are policy makers. However, effective September 4th, no new non-competes can be entered into with senior executives. 

    As part of this ruling, companies who have current non-competes in place will be required to notify all employees, excluding those current senior executives, that the non-competes will be null and void effective September 4, 2024. To aid in this effort, the FTC has provided sample language employers can use. 

    While employers can no longer utilize non-compete agreements, there are alternatives to help protect proprietary information, such as a non-disclosure agreement or confidentiality agreement. In addition, Federal Trade Laws provide a great deal of protection to employers. 

    EEOC Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace

    A few weeks ago, the EEOC released final guidance for employers on the legal standards and employer liability that apply to harassment claims. This new issuance was designed to update and consolidate the previous five guidance documents issued between 1987 and 1999. Since the last guidance was issued, there have been significant changes to discrimination laws, including the landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) in which the Supreme Court ruled that sexual orientation and gender identity were protected under Title VII. 

    The newly issued guidance includes a significant number of examples to illustrate various forms of harassment and discrimination, not only from coworkers, but also from vendors, customers, and other third parties. It also addresses the changes in the workforce, such as remote work, increased use and modernization of technology, and social media harassment. 

    In addition to these changes, there have been some significant guidance documents released recently, as well as a significant decision by the Supreme Court that impacts discrimination claims. 

    What to Watch For

    In addition to the updates above, there are a number of items that HR professionals and business leaders should keep on their radar this year. 

    If you like to learn about Employment Law, you might enjoy these blogs too:

  • Cicadas, Vision Boards & The Northern Lights

    Cicadas, Vision Boards & The Northern Lights

    On Saturdays, my husband and I often go hiking. On those walks, we talk about the future, both the distant and not so distant. We are quickly approaching being empty nesters which brings on a whole new meaning to what’s next? We talk about our almost grown kids, aging parents, careers, and what 10-years down the road looks like. It seems the years go much quicker with every passing trip around the sun. This past Saturday, as the cicadas sang all around us, I thought about where I was 17 years ago (the last time they visited, when I was a mom of toddlers) and where we’ll be the next time they arrive. One recent work meeting helped me visualize what might be up next!

    The HPC team enjoyed a fun afternoon of creating vision boards during our most recent quarterly planning meeting. We were led by Lana, creator of Money & Merlot. She walked us through creating a vision board & encouraged us to dream big while also making sure our dreams were attainable. We thought through what we’d like to accomplish this year, the next few years & 10 years and beyond. We included fun pictures of successful work, time with family and friends, future homes, pets, travel, and more.

    In all honesty, I do not see myself as super creative, but the process was simple & it was so fun to dream about the future! When you are in the thick of life (raising kids and paying bills), you sometimes forget about why you do all you do & the fact that you are slowly creating the life you’ve always dreamed of. My daughter is home from college for the summer, and we all spent some time searching for the Northern Lights this past weekend. I love having all my ducks home, even if I only have a few more years of having the whole family under my roof.  With all the hustle and bustle of life, I was reminded this Mother’s Day weekend that taking time to create a vision while enjoying the present is so important.

    What are your plans for the future? Check out How to Use a Vision Board to Achieve Your Goals from verywellmind.com to learn more about vision boarding and stay tuned for the HPC team’s vision board reveal, coming June 2024!

  • Open the Door to New Experiences

    Open the Door to New Experiences

    3,098.0 miles away

    Traveling 3,098.0 miles away from my home to live with the Ward family and shadow Mary Ila and HPC surely is a completely new experience for me. Since February and until May, I have been in the United States. This is the longest time I have ever been away from home and family.

    In one of the training sessions I got to shadow Horizon Point, we did an exercise where we selected two things that motivated us at work, and two others that did the complete opposite. The two that least motivated me from the list were “being in charge” and “being in a constantly changing environment.” 

    When I showed Mary Ila my choices she looked at me and laughed, “Well, you sure kinda threw yourself into a constantly changing environment when you came here!” I answered laughing as well, “I kinda had to do it”.

    Hello I Am Leaving My Comfort Zone name tag sticker to illustrate bravery and courage in going beyond the familiar to new experiences and growth

    It’s necessary

    I am a big routine/agenda kind of girl. I like having a constant routine because that way I feel productive, but I have learned over my 17 years of life that many times we have to step out of our comfort zone to learn and remember some lessons, adapt, and also open paths for opportunities. An important and true thing to bear in mind is that most of the time those lessons and opportunities will only come to us once we are willing to take the step and experience new unknown things. 

    I am so glad that I said yes to Mary Ila’s offer to live here and shadow her and her team because I have surely learned a lot. This experience I would have never been able to have if I stayed in Costa Rica waiting for college to start. Was I scared? Yeah. When I woke up after leaving my parents and brother at the airport, did I feel weird? Sure. Did I know what was going to happen next? Oh, a hundred percent no! However, has it been worth the new experience so far? Oh a hundred percent yes!

    Before I came to the United States, Mary Ila gave me the book Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. There is a quote that I think is all about new experiences. It speaks to the importance of opening the door to new things. “The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.” You just kinda have to do it!

  • Open the Door to Communication, Encouragement & Relationships

    Open the Door to Communication, Encouragement & Relationships

    We have an active group text at HPC. It is rare for a day to go by that I’m not receiving (or sending) a text from (or to) our team. The content varies – a funny meme, a word of encouragement, a link to an innovative podcast or book, or a picture of a new pet. The subject of the messages change daily, but the intent does not. The constant stream of communication conveys how we encourage one another, share ideas and help us become a stronger team.

    As with most success stories, our team dynamic starts from the top. Our President/CEO is a servant leader who actively listens, communicates and builds relationships. I’ve often said “she makes me want to be a better person.” She truly has a heart for others and opens her home, her door, her table to everyone. The best example I can think of when reflecting on opening the door to communication, encouragement & relationships is our monthly one-on-one meetings. Those conversations are full of encouragement and enlightenment, and they always leave me feeling ready to conquer the next month along with all the projects & challenges that go along with it.

    How do you improve your communication skills? Check out Lorrie’s tips here:

    Make it Effective … Improve Communication Within Your Organization

    To learn more about building relationships, read insights from Jillian’s blog:

    What’s Relationshipping, & How Do I Do It?

    How do you open the door to communication, encouragement and build relationships? Check out What We Do at HPC, and let us know how we can help!