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…).

Do Only the Really Smart (or Stupid) Fly Without PowerPoint?
When I get ready for a training or a speech, the first thing I do is outline content in PowerPoint slides. It helps me frame my thoughts and gauge for flow of material. Then I go back and provide content for a supporting document like a handout. And I’m lucky, I hand it off to someone else to make it all look pretty, cohesive, and professional before it ever goes live.

I’m working on a pitch now for some seed funding, and my first thought is how do I organize the pitch through PowerPoint slides. The information on guidelines for the pitch session even specifically references using “supporting slides.”

PowerPoint seems to be the default when we want to present ideas to a group. Whether there are words on a slide or just graphics, it seems to be the way everyone thinks when it comes to sharing ideas. Even the more innovative talk formats like Ted and Ignite talks almost always use slides. I’ve written some do’s and don’ts based on experience for creating a winning presentation, but what if we ditched the slides all together in favor of another way?

It’s well known that Jeff Bezos at Amazon called for just that in 2004. He deemed presentation slides out and narrative text in. Why? From his email announcing this:

“A little more to help with the questions ‘why.’

Well structured, narrative text is what we’re after rather than just text. If someone builds a list of bullet points in Word, that would be just as bad as PowerPoint.

The reason writing a good 4-page memo is harder than ‘writing’ a 20-page PowerPoint is because the narrative structure of a good memo forces better thought and better understanding of what’s most important than what, and how things are related.

PowerPoint-style presentations somehow give permission to gloss over ideas, flatten out any sense of relative importance, and ignore the interconnectedness of ideas.”

He went on to say at another time:

“Great memos are written and re-written, shared with colleagues who are asked to improve the work, set aside for a couple of days, and then edited again with a fresh mind. They simply can’t be done in a day or two.”

To summarize, Bezo (and I would agree) believes that this version of presentation style:
- Increases thinking and clarity of thought
- Increases collaboration
- Requires and builds patience
All this leads to better communication.

Great narrative written format, like someone who can fly without PowerPoint in a pitch or presentation and opts only for narrative verbal prose to make a lasting point(s), is hard. It’s really hard.

I think Bezos also would say, ditching the PowerPoint helps me see who is smart, really smart. And also, a really hard worker.

So, if you are going to fly without the slides, you need to be a very good storyteller in written and/or verbal prose and know if your audience is geared well towards the shell shock of another format. Amazon created an environment where no PowerPoint was the norm. Almost everywhere else this isn’t.

So, should I fly solo with no PowerPoint in my pitch in June? You tell me. Could it show that I am smart, hardworking and different or will I crash and burn given that the instructions for format already tell me my audience is expecting slides?

Am I smart or just plain stupid ditching PowerPoint?

Like this post, you may also like:

The Most Popular Slide in All My Leadership Trainings

7 Pieces of Advice for Becoming a Great Speaker

3 Ways to Create Insights for Learning

Why? Again.
May 26, 2020
The Most Popular Slide in All My Leadership Trainings

I often glance at what people take note of when they are a part of one of our training sessions. Not the notes or handout questions we make them fill in, but the notes where they turn over to a blank handout page or pull out their own notebook and jot things down. The notes people take because they want to make sure they remember something.
The times when people say, “Can you go back to that slide for a minute please?” And then they start furiously writing.

We also get feedback from all participants at the end of each session in order to see how the training will affect their behaviors at work going forward. What will they do differently we ask? What will they use?

After gathering this feedback and paying attention to what people take note of, I think this slide is the most meaningful slide in all of our trainings:

I think this slide is even more meaningful given our current situation with the COVID-19 crisis. I’ll be covering this slide as well as others and the tools that go along with it in a webinar: Leading in Crisis hosted by our friends at the Huntsville Madison County Chamber tomorrow, Wednesday, May 6^th from 9 am- 11 am.

Click here to register. Click here to download the handout for the webinar. It has tools that go along with this information.

I hope you can join us as we learn more about leading in crisis, especially through employing the bright spot philosophy and the accomplishment list.

What do you to help you lead in crisis? What has been the best training takeaway you’ve experienced?

May 5, 2020
DWYSYWD- Lessons from the Elementary School Guidance Counselor

One of the first things we teach in our personal leadership course is the concept of DWYSYWD- Do What You Say You Will Do. It involves committing to what you can do, or as Covey would put it, committing to your circle of influence and focusing on being accountable with what you can do instead of worrying about things that you cannot do something about. For example, I cannot do anything about whether or not a stay at home order is extended or relaxed this week in my state, but I can wash my hands, not touch my face, and wear a mask when appropriate to help stop the spread of the virus.
As Covey states, this then allows us to be better leaders by helping our circle of influence grow. If my kids watch me wash my hands regularly, then maybe they will too. If we can’t influence our own behavior, then how can we expect to influence the behavior of others?

During times of uncertainty like we are in now, it is easy to de-commit to anything and to not hold ourselves and others accountable.

I’m thankful for the staff at my son’s school for creating routines in their work and for guidance counselors like Jan Mendenhall who send out notes of encouragement, linking the current situation to leadership lessons for my children. This helps them (and me) stay committed during uncertain times.

Here’s her note to the students from last week. I hope it brings you the perspective and motivation to DWYSYWD this week to better lead yourself and others. And to hit the reset button if you need to.

Wednesday, April 22, 20/20

Week 3 of Virtual Leon

Do you all remember way, way, way back in August when we were actually all in the school building together and were able to have conversations in person? We talked about goals and accountability, which means we should do what we say we’re going to do. I’ll be honest with you all: Last week I did better with my attitude, and it helped to daily write down three positive things. I tried to complete my daily to-do list, but I was beyond pathetic with my physical fitness goals. I didn’t do what I said I was going to do. Guess what? I hit the reset button Monday and have been much better about walking, exercising, and riding my bike – even when I’d rather lounge around, play Spider Solitaire, and eat donuts! What do you need to do better on? Be accountable to yourself, and ask someone at your house to hold you to it. One of my favorite authors is coming out with a new book next week, and that – not a donut! – is going to be my reward IF I DO WHAT I SAID I WAS GOING TO DO! Stay tuned for next week’s email because there may be a really cool prize involved! Until then, take care. Wash your hands. Be safe. Be well. Choose kind. Love you!

What is one thing this week you can do to follow through on DWYSYWD?

April 28, 2020
Defeating the Kobayashi Maru, the No-Win Situation
My 13-year-old came to me last week and said “Mom, we are living through history. In five to ten years, kids will learn about this pandemic in history class and I’ll be able to say ‘yeah, I was there’!” And he’s right.

Students will hear about how our world came together to fight COVID-19. They will be amazed by the fact that we quarantined, that so many businesses had to close their doors, but hopefully, they’ll be inspired by the way we innovated to overcome this pandemic and support those in the front lines.

I don’t know that we ever could have been fully prepared for what this virus has presented us with, but I do think we could have been more prepared than what we were. In my fifteen years in HR, I’ve only had one client that had the forethought to create a Pandemic Response plan. Even during my time in healthcare, the facility I worked at had a plan for outbreaks, we managed the H1N1 flu with ease, but wouldn’t have been prepared for something of this magnitude.

While we as a nation weren’t prepared for the worst-case scenario, and we’ve quickly exhausted our usual resources, we’ve stepped up to the challenge and begun to think outside of the box. So many people and companies have come forward to help, from people around the country sitting at sewing machines making masks for healthcare providers, using 3-D printers to make masks, veterinarians donating their equipment, reconfiguring CPAP machines to function as ventilators, automakers shifting to make ventilator parts, breweries making hand sanitizer, and the list goes on.

There’s a saying out there “expect the unexpected, then it becomes the expected.” Imagine how much quicker we could have responded if we had thought outside of the box before a pandemic hit if we had imagined the absolute worst-case scenario instead of just what we were used to. That company I mentioned above that had a Pandemic Response plan in place, together we took that plan and turned it into a full-scale Business Continuity plan. They were prepared for the worst-case scenario, they knew what to do if they had to shut down their facility if their employees all had to work remotely. They went into this pandemic prepared, simply implementing the plan they already had in place. And in speaking with them recently, that implementation went very smoothly. And not only were they prepared for a pandemic, but they’re also prepared to handle other worst-case scenarios such as a natural disaster.

How could having a Business Continuity Plan have impacted your organization’s response to this pandemic?
1. Assess. Business Continuity plans help organizations consider the Kobayashi Maru, the no-win scenario. What major events could impact your organization’s ability to function? Plans help organizations assess the risk of a pandemic, a natural disaster, a blizzard, a major power outage, data loss, and other “it would never happen here” situations.
2. Prepare. Business Continuity plans allow organizations to do just what Kirk did in Star Trek; redefine the problem to create a winning solution. Once you’ve assessed those worst-case scenarios, you can start to determine how your organization would need to react in each case. Who is considered a key employee to help get your organization through the situation, who is responsible for communication, how will you keep your employees working and continue to be able to pay them? What resources might be at risk and how do you acquire alternative resources? How do you implement remote work, do you need to stand up an alternative work site or data center? Is there something your organization can offer others in each scenario to help minimize the impact or provide necessary resources to your community? Once your plan is complete, practice it. Make sure everyone knows their role and responsibilities. And review the plan annually to make sure it is up-to-date.
3. Respond. So many companies are struggling right now because they didn’t have a plan in place. Some struggled to figure out alternative work solutions, set up remote access for employees, determine how to manage a remote workforce, who is considered key employees, how to keep from having to furlough or layoff their workforces. By having a plan in place before disaster strikes, when it does strike, your organization is prepared to respond. You’ve already figured out the critical tasks that need to be completed to stay afloat, it’s just a matter of notifying your Disaster Response team that it’s time to act. And your response will be much faster and must smoother than organizations that didn’t plan ahead.
4. Recover. While the response is critical, planning for recovery is just as important. A major part of any good Business Continuity Plan is the recovery phase, which must begin almost immediately. Most Business Continuity Plans address the short-term needs of recovery, looking at recovery in three phases- the first 24-hours, the first week, and the second week. During these phases, organizations should be assessing their long-term needs and planning to meet those needs. As the recovery phase continues, some of those needs may change, so you must constantly be assessing and reassessing long-term needs.
How could your organization have been more prepared for this Kobayashi Maru?

For more information on Business Continuity Planning, check out Preparing for the Worst: Business Continuity Planning.
April 14, 2020
3 Things Leaders Don’t Do in Times of Crisis
We are still in the midst of an unprecedented time in our country and world, with so many unknowns related to COVID-19 and its impact on quite literally everything. Last week, I wrote about 4 things leaders do in times of crisis based on my observations of leaders in action.

Well, we’ve been on this train of crisis for over a week now locally, and just like there are observations about how to behave as a leader, I’ve been exposed to how not to behave as a leader during times of distress.

Through further observations, here are three things leaders don’t do in times like these:

1. They don’t make the crisis about themselves. It has almost become laughable as one person has described to me how an appointed task force leader has responded to his newly appointed role as leader given the crisis. Every day, there is a new story about this leader being anything but a leader through his actions, all of which are tied to him making everything about himself.

From the pronouns he uses (I, me, my) when he addresses a group or individual about the situation, to the fact that not even a week into the situation he said he had to “take some time off” because of the impact the situation was having on him (while everyone else on the task force and those he is leading remain at work 14-16 hours a day). I am constantly amazed at how some people have no perspective on the bigger picture of a crisis of this or any proportion. They instead choose for it to be an opportunity to draw attention to themselves and their position instead of modeling what it means to be a leader through their own behavior.

In addition, organizations that are not on the forefront of fighting this epidemic don’t come out and act like the largest martyrs of this situation. Yes, this is going to hurt all businesses and peoples’ livelihoods and this is tragic. But when I get an email from a vineyard I’ve visited while traveling where I bought one bottle of wine and their email basically implies that the tragedy is theirs and theirs alone to bear, it makes me want to vomit (and never buy wine from them again). Kris Dunn has some similar thoughts in one of his recent posts. Check it out.

To be a leader in a crisis, realize it’s all about everyone else, not you.

2. They don’t neglect their own health. Having said that leaders realize it isn’t all about them may make this second point seem counterintuitive, however, you can’t lead if you are so sick or burnt out. Being sick or so exhausted you can’t function takes away from your ability to help others. When you can, sleep. When you can, exercise. When you can, eat right. And realize that doing all of this really happens before a crisis even hits. Instilling healthy habits when there isn’t a crisis helps to ensure they will continue even in times of crisis. This gives you the reserves to manage the crisis when you don’t have time for the things that you normally do to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In this situation given a pandemic, this also involves following the proper protocols to not contract and spread the illness.

To be a leader in a crisis, you have to take care of yourself in good times and bad.

3. They don’t check their humanity and the humanity of others at the door. Leading during a serious time calls for serious thoughts and actions. However, the things that make us uniquely human and make living worth living through difficult times are our ability to laugh and love. True leaders during these times don’t neglect the small points of holiness that are demonstrated through laughter and love.

I’ve enjoyed more funny videos this week as people have sent them trying to lift others out of the anxiety this situation is creating, even if it is only for a few moments.

Some of my favorites:
I’ve taken more time to enjoy the sheer joy in our seven-month old’s giggles this week. There really is nothing better than a baby laughing and smiling. So I’ll leave you with a glimpse of that here:

To be a leader in a crisis, you have to still live, laugh, and love.
March 24, 2020