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…).

Bridging the Divide… Education for the Future

A country divided is what we are all hearing. I’m tired of hearing it, are you?

But as I examine the problem, realizing I am, like we all are, a part of it, I think Steve Boese in his HR Technology Blog described the problem best as he summarized the meaning of a chart illustrating the growing income divide in our country:

Their jobs, if they are employed, are worse than the ones they used to have. They have less job security than ever before. They are increasingly unprepared to do many of the ‘new’ kinds of jobs that might improve their situation. And every day some 23 year-old Stanford grad invents some new technology that has the potential to automate, disaggregate, and ‘productize’ with an app or a algorithm the kinds of work they used to rely upon to take care of themselves and their families. Self driving cars are going to be awesome, right? Unless you are a bus, taxi, or commercial truck driver. If you have one of those jobs, well, good luck.

I am stupid and I do think it’s the economy. And I think until we all figure out ways to have this incredible, amazing, technologically wonderful future more evenly distributed we will remain a country very divided.

And I believe, like Horace Mann said, “Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance, wheel of the social machinery.”

Here in lies our solution, education, but it must be education preparing the current and future generations to be prepped for the jobs of the future, not the jobs of the past, as Boese points to.

There are many organizations focused on education of and for the future. One such organization is HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Life science, shaped by our growing understanding of the human genome, is one such industry of the future.

HudsonAlpha’s Educational Outreach team is “helping create a workforce for life science companies of the future. The education programs train future scientists through hands-on classroom modules, digital learning, materials and in-depth school and summer camp experiences for educators and students.”

Many of their resources, like the resources that other people and organizations are creating as we seek to move our educational system to a place of relevance, are free to anyone and everyone. For example, Touching Triton is a free online educational activity that builds an understanding of common complex disease risk influenced by factors from family history, environment, and genomic data. HudsonAlpha also has an app that explains cells at their basic level on various reading/grade levels. Download iCell here.

All major issues, especially education and income equality are complex issues. They aren’t fixed by one golden sword.

But getting technology that can deliver free education into the hands of all allows for learning about and from technology that can equip us all for the future. It can be the mode for delivering free, cutting-edge educational resources, while at the same time providing a mechanism for learning and comfort with technology that is more than required for today’s workforce. And maybe, just maybe, it can help heal divides that result from income inequality in my community and yours.

So, today a challenge: Please share 1) any free digital or online educational resource that you know of that equips students, young and old, for jobs of the future and/or 2) any resource that gets technology in the hands of all so these educational resources can be accessed.

As is so commonly the case, it isn’t that the resources aren’t available, it’s that exposure and awareness of the resources is not. Let’s fix this by making a listing such resources, like HudsonAlpha’s, go viral.

December 6, 2016
8 Steps to Run and Lead Well

On November 20^th, in wind gusts up to 45 mph, we finished the Philadelphia Marathon. All five of us. Our times ranged from 4 hours 21 minutes to 4 hours 55 minutes, but we all crossed the finish line with a smile.

In taking the journey this fall through the parallels drawn from running and leading well, it really all boils down to these few things:

1. Have a meaningful goal and motivation towards that goal.

2. Have a plan to meet that goal; chunk your tasks into manageable pieces to achieve the goal.

3. There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs. Do the hard stuff.

4. Run your own race, not someone else’s.

5. Be aware of your environment, but don’t let it control you.

6. It’s about the journey not the destination.

7. The journey is really all about the relationships. Don’t go it alone.

BEFORE

AFTER

8. And above all, have some fun. If you focus on number six, this one should take care of itself.

CREW RAN THE “ROCKY STEPS” TOGETHER ON OUR VISIT.

What is the best advice you have for accomplishing any meaningful goal in leadership and/or running?

December 2, 2016
Navigating the New Overtime Regulations: Can you classify people in same position differently?
If you are in HR, about all you’ve dealt with in the last few weeks, maybe even in the last few months, has been how to handle the new FLSA overtime regulations. As one of our excellent advisors with Horizon Point, Nancy Washington Vaughn, wrote in a previous blog post about how to navigate the new regulations, “On December 1, 2016, the federal annual salary threshold for white-collar employees exempt from overtime pay will increase to $47,476 from $23,660.”

In dealing with this from a consultative perspective, an interesting question came up with a client recently. Can you classify employees under the same job title and job description differently?

My gut response, was no. You classify positions, not people. In fact, our best practice job description template has at the top of it a field for classification in which the position is indicated as being exempt or non-exempt.

But upon further investigation, you in fact, can classify people under the same job description, differently, in relation to considering whether or not they meet the threshold for exempt status (in addition to considering the duties test related to the roles). Here are some reasons that may effect their pay and therefore warrant different classification:
1. Part-time versus full-time
2. Experience
3. Performance
But employers should proceed with caution. As Paul DeCamp, an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Reston, Virginia said in this SHRM article,“Because any differential in compensation details can seem unfair to employees and thus invite scrutiny and potentially a claim, such as for an equal employment violation, it is important that employers be consistent in how they draw any such lines and that there be a clear and well-thought-out business reason for any pay differences.”

Much of what I have read from various sources suggests distinguishing those who fall into different classifications based on pay in the form of levels as to minimize questions and scrutiny.

What is giving you the most heartburn over the new regulations?

You may also find beneficial: 5 Steps to Efficiently Navigate the New Department of Labor Overtime Regulations
November 22, 2016
Leaders and Runners, Focus on What you Can Control

Week 15

Weekly Mileage: 36.2

Long Run: 26.2- The Marathon is here!

So, it hasn’t rained at all this fall. Having one of the driest and warmest falls on record, we have had no weather related blips in our marathon training.

And as I write this on the Tuesday before we are scheduled to leave, here’s what the forecast looks like for Philly on race day:

Umm yeah, rain, cold rain, with 20-30 mph winds. Looks like the first winter storm of the season has plans to blow through right as we run. Great.

I can’t seem to quit checking the weather every half-hour, thinking that I can will the storm to come through on Monday instead of Sunday.

But then of course, my husband, who by the way is usually the pessimist, or as he calls it the “realist” of our pair, sends our group a text saying we need to “eliminate the clutter and external factors”. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s right.

I preach the circle of concern versus the circle of influence, a Stephen Covey concept, in just about every training I do. Focus on what you can control is what it prophesizes. Basically, the concept is the central point of Covey’s first habit, be proactive, and is best summarized from his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can’t keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are “response-able.” They don’t blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn’t, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. All of these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power–you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things you choose is what you say. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. A proactive person uses proactive language–I can, I will, I prefer, etc. A reactive person uses reactive language–I can’t, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and do–they have no choice.

Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control. The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas–Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence.

Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about: health, children, problems at work. Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern–things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism, the weather. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies is a giant step in becoming proactive.

So I’m working to curb my impulse to check the weather every few minutes. Just like I work with clients to try to help them focus on how they can lead better by focusing not on the market, or the behaviors of their problem employee, or the fact that their candidate did or did not when the presidency, I’m trying to focus on what I can control that could lead to better marathon performance – making sure I eat, hydrate and sleep right. That’s what I can control now.

And if it rains it rains. And sometimes it pours, but focusing on our own behaviors leads to better results and more influence as a leader.

What things are outside of your control that you need to eliminate from you focus? What can you influence today to make tomorrow better?

Like this post? Read other posts from this series:

Leaders, Set Manageable Goals to Lead and Run Well

Leaders and Runners, Don’t Run the Race Alone

Leader, Do You Need to Hold Back?

November 18, 2016
HR Santa Clauses focus on the Employee Experience

Whether you like it or not, the Christmas season really starts the second Halloween is over. I walked into Target a few minutes after it opened on November 1^st(like at 8:01 a.m. because we were out of dog food and the dog was hungry) and it had been transformed into a Christmas shopping wonderland. Where has Thanksgiving gone?

With Christmas marketing screaming at all of us to buy a lot of stuff most of which we don’t need, I’m beginning to think about how to make Christmas meaningful for my almost six and two and a half year old without turning them into materialistic hoarders.

In thinking about this, I’m drawn to a concept that I’ve been hearing a lot about in HR circles and that is the importance of the employee experience. Many people in human resources and talent management are seeking to shift the conversation about employee engagement to one that is centered on employee experience.

At work, this means focusing on meaningful, positive and memorable experiences for employees. Whether it is the company picnicor how the employee logs on to his or her 401K portal to view their assets, it should be an experience. It can be seen from the experience generated when someone requests time off to how that person’s immediate supervisor interacts with them. As these examples illustrate, the focus on experience encompasses the mundane HR relevant tasks (and let’s face it, sometimes those “experiences” are the most frustrating, which can decrease satisfaction in a hurry) to the key leadership decisions and behaviors that drive an organization to be considered a best place to work.

Whereas I’m somewhat thinking the whole focus experience instead of engagement is really just a different word to describe the same thing, I’m beginning to see through the value in a focusing on experience in order to make Christmas meaningful for my children. Maybe experience is what drives the engagement. And focusing on those interactions or experiences is the means, which leads to the end- aka- engagement.

So, this year, as my husband and I prep to make Christmas magical without turning our kids into entitled brats, we plan to have a gift for each of them under the tree that then ties to a more important experience for them. And a personalized experience at that. For example, my son loves Legos, so his gift and experience is shaping up to look like a new Lego set with a “gift certificate” to Lego world in Atlanta for us to experience as a family. My guess is he will remember the trip to Lego world far longer than he will remember the set of blocks given to him under the tree. Just like his time at Lego camp, which uses Legos to focus kids in STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math- learning at school once a week will shape him more than the actual physical toy and will help him to more fully enjoy and engage in school and learning.

And maybe focusing on experiences will help us all put some thanksgiving back in the holiday season by avoiding the time spent shopping for stuff. And just maybe, some thanksgiving can be restored in your organization by a higher level of employee engagement through focusing on the employee experience.

What one HR process do you need to view from the lens of the experience it creates for employees? Does the way you do it now lead to a more or less engaged staff?

Like this post? You may also like: The HR Metric You’re Not Measuring (But Should Be)

November 15, 2016