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…).

  • Measuring Leadership- How Many Hurdles Do You Have?

    Measuring Leadership- How Many Hurdles Do You Have?

    “If you can’t measure it, then you can’t manage it.” Peter Drucker

     

    When you talk to people about selecting anything, especially people or talent, they are usually going to advocate for a multiple hurdles approach. This means you don’t just look at the resume and hire based on it, you have several steps in your hiring process all of which come together to help you make the best hiring decision.

    In measuring training effectiveness, we have Kirkpatrick’s model (a multiple dimensional approach) by measuring 1. Reactions (did they like it?), 2. Learning (did they learn something?), 3. Transfer (did their behaviors change because of it?) and 4. Results (did outcomes change in a positive direction as a result of the training?)

    I think one of the reasons why we all seem to hate performance appraisals is that they seem to be a single hurdle approach.  One person’s opinion doesn’t get it.

    So we do something more and conduct a 360o  evaluation to measure multiple views.  Maybe we do an employee engagement survey that may lend some further insight for a more well-rounded view, especially when it comes to measuring leadership. This is better, but not perfect.

    Then we look at the results the person achieved.  Some of which they should be given credit for, some of which may be out of their hands because so many things factor into results.   It’s the one I lean towards- measuring results, especially for leadership- but I realize there are some limitations to this approach as well.

    So maybe we need a multiple hurdle approach to leadership (and overall employee evaluation) measurement.   We do it in most other talent management practices (selection, training), but we tend to rely on one method over another when measuring leadership.  We pick one- a boss’s appraisal, a 360 evaluation type measure, or results- and bank our leadership measurement on just one thing or tool.

    As my tried and true Leadership textbook from college (Leadership: Enhancing the Lesson of Experience insert link to it by Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy) states:

    “Practitioners need to understand the advantages and problems associated with the different measures, and that multiple measures often yield the best information about leadership success.”

    People are complex, and I think we would all agree that the reason to measure anything is to be able to then make better decisions off that information.  So, when it comes to leadership, let’s measure more instead of less, and then use that information to make better leaders.

    Then those leaders will do what has been done to them- examine their team members from a multiple hurdles approach and use that to guide them in developing each individual towards results (see my bias in measuring results?).

     

    What is your go-to method for measuring leadership?  How does your measurement help you and your organization make better decisions?

  • Where have all the good boys gone?

    Where have all the good boys gone?

    I’ve written a lot on girl power topics–

    But men are important.

    Very important. For me,

    • One has raised me to think I can be and do anything I want (thanks Dad).
    • One has become my better half (for more on better halves, see this post) and giver of the best two gifts we’ve ever gotten, our kids.
    • One has been my best boss.
    • One was my best mentor.
    • And one is the reason I write this post.  This “man” in my life, my now five year old son, causes me to reflect on and raise concern over what I’ve seen/heard lately in a variety of circles.

     

    Here are just a few:

    • In talking with a small business owner, she told me how she really wanted to diversify her workforce of mostly women, but after the 3rd position where she was looking to hire a male, they all fell short compared to the female candidates. And two of the three positions she was hiring for are in male dominated fields.
    • At a conference I attended, there was a panel of “legacy creators”.  All six were women.
    • Women outnumber men in graduating from college.
    • In a local high school leadership group, 2/3 of the “leaders” are female.
    • And quite simply, a comment I hear too much and fall victim to myself, “He is just a boy.”  As if gender is some excuse to behave in an unacceptable way.   I have never once heard someone comment that my little girl is “just a girl.”

     

    Of course my little girl may still have to deal with the glass ceiling, the fact that there has never been a female president, or just the simple perception of what roles are and aren’t appropriate for women.

    But my son will seem to have to deal with the challenge of complacency that is brought about by always seeming to have been on top.

    I could say he (and she) both have this challenge because they also happen to be white, or American.

    But the curse of complacency may be worst of all because it relates to pride (and excuses) coming before the fall.

    But I take heart.  My little boy has a role model in his daddy (and also his grandfathers) who all combat the ideas of complacency by demonstrating hard work and a dedication to family. We’ll have to fight the complacency curse for my son seeming to have had everything handed to him on a silver platter because of the hard work of these men who have come before him.

    But the role models are there for him.  However, in a country where the rate of single-parent families has nearly doubled in 50 years, maybe that’s the problem.  While some would argue this rate has changed because of increasing opportunities for women (and this is a good thing), I’ll argue single-parent homes are not, usually, a positive indicator.

    And maybe that’s why I’m hearing and seeing (and I’m sure you are too) the issue that should be an overall concern of our society.  And that is this: is my son in the minority by having males in his life that are role model worthy?  And what is this leading to? Where have all the good boys gone?

  • 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?