Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Next Generation Workforce and Workplace

We help individuals, organizations, and communities think innovatively about the next generation workforce and workplace. Read these forward-thinking stories and best practices from our work and lives.

  • What does Pixar’s Soul have to do with your Job Search?

    What does Pixar’s Soul have to do with your Job Search?

    Over the Christmas break, my family and I watched Soul, a Disney Pixar film. It was an interesting little movie. But what does Pixar’s Soul have to do with your job search? 

    “Pixar’s “Soul” is about a jazz pianist who has a near-death experience and gets stuck in the afterlife, contemplating his choices and regretting the existence that he mostly took for granted.”  – RobertEbert.com (Check out the full review here: Soul Movie Review)

    In the movie, the main character, Joe, helps Number 22 find her spark! Other career buzz words like passion and flow were found throughout the show. 

    As I watched the movie, I immediately correlated what was happening to real life, specifically a job search. Just like 22, there are so many people who can’t find their spark & drift through their adult lives unfulfilled, feeling as though something is missing in their “work” life.

    So, what does Pixar’s Soul have to do with your job search? Here are three key takeaways:

    1. Explore different paths – take assessments, job shadow, conduct informational interviews, utilize websites like O*Net to find out more about careers.
    2. Enjoy life as you search for your spark. Don’t be so laser-focused on a job search that you don’t enjoy the other parts of life that make you happy! Spend time with family and friends, enjoy hobbies like biking or scrapbooking, listen to inspiring podcasts, or read books on your favorite topics.
    3. Don’t give up! Eventually, you will find just the right career fit. In the meantime, volunteer, work part-time jobs to try different career fields, or take classes that interest you.

    We offer career coaching packages at Horizon Point Consulting, Inc. If you could benefit from an assessment & coaching session to help with finding your spark, contact us!

  • Turn Your Passion into Your Career

    Turn Your Passion into Your Career

    Forgive me if I get teary-eyed, but my oldest just started his junior year of high school. And while he still has two years left, the serious conversations have begun- careers, colleges, and scholarships, oh my!

    Since he was little, he’s always known that his biggest passion is music. And I’ve encouraged him to explore that over the years, he’s got such a knack for it. He’s self-taught on drums, guitar, bass guitar, and he has an amazing voice (my house is rarely quiet!). Last year his high school partnered with a local music conservatory to start a music production club and he was hooked. He would spend weekends at the conservatory learning how to use music production equipment and playing around with creating his own music. A year later he’s still hooked. After saving up his own money he bought a (ridiculously expensive) music production software program and spends hours creating music, learning how to use the software, and taking online courses to learn from the professionals. He’s also starting to slowly collect his own production equipment.

    I’ve always encouraged my children to find their passion and then figure out how to make it a career. I often get asked why I chose consulting instead of working as an HR Manager or Director for a company and my response is simple and honest- I tried it briefly and I just wasn’t happy. My passion is helping companies. I love to go into an organization and help them build up an HR function where there wasn’t one or help them fix an HR function that’s broken, then I want and need to get out and move on to the next. I thrive on that challenge, but once the challenge is completed, if I don’t move on I stop thriving.

    I want that for my children, I want them to find a career that they are passionate about, that they thrive in, that makes them want to get up every day and go to work. Not one that makes them dread the next day. And I want them to understand that money doesn’t equal happiness. I’d much rather my children have a career that they love that pays just enough to get by than to choose a career they hate just because it pays well. I want them to find a career that doesn’t feel like work. And I think my oldest is well on his way to doing just that.

    Is your career your passion or your prison?

  • 6 Ways to Help Create Caring Instead of Callous Leaders

    6 Ways to Help Create Caring Instead of Callous Leaders

    I have the opportunity to coach a lot of middle managers. Quite often they are middle-aged men, and I’m working with them because there is some issue with how they lead (or actually don’t lead) others.   

    Through some type of feedback mechanism, these men are described mildly as “aloof” or “disinterested” (always related to how they are with people, not necessarily the tasks or functions of their job) to more extreme words like “jerk” or “a**hole”. 

    I’m brought in most of the time to try to fix their “personality”. Making them more caring and a better leader of people is my assignment.  

    If the goal is to help them grow and care, I’m up for the task. But the reason they are described in these unappealing ways is often not what it seems. It’s not a personality issue or another fixed trait issue where someone is born less or more caring because of their disposition.  

    Sometimes it’s a skill issue, meaning they just don’t know what they don’t know.  They want to be a leader of people, but they’ve never been taught how to do this.  This means I often help by providing tools, questions, and activities for self-reflection and awareness to help them facilitate positive leadership practices with others. 

    It’s never personality. It’s sometimes skill.  

    But it is almost always an issue of time.  

    You see, middle managers are often pulled in a million different directions. They are hurrying to do something for their boss, to be at the next meeting of which two-thirds or more of their scheduled workday is packed with, to complete a project, to approve someone’s PTO in an inefficient system.   Or trying to make it home in time to help their spouse, care for a child, or make it to another meeting of an organization they are involved within the community. 

    You see they aren’t callous, cold, or a jerk because they are born that way or don’t know how to be caring, they are these things because they are ALWAYS in a hurry and their task list is NEVER done.  

    Quite simply, they don’t have time for their people or don’t feel like they do. So when someone that reports to them comes in and needs to talk to them about an issue with the project they are working on or an issue with a co-worker, or to check on their PTO request for next week that hasn’t been approved yet, they appear at the best aggravated with the person, and at the worst, they act like a downright jerk to him or her. 

    In a classic study aptly titled “The Good Samaritan Study” Princeton researchers examined what conditions impact a group of seminary students actually helping someone. Personality and religious evaluations of each individual in the study were included. Some participants were told they were late for the task they were assigned to do (which was either to talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan or to talk about seminary jobs).  Others were told they had a few minutes to arrive where they needed to across campus for their assignment. 

    In route to give the talk, participants encountered a man obviously in distress. Some helped him, some didn’t. 

    Which ones helped the least?  Personality didn’t impact helping behaviors and neither did “religiousness” like a Samaritan.  Those that helped the least were the ones in a hurry.  In low hurry situations, 63% helped compared to high hurry where only 10% helped. That’s a huge difference. 

    Found in a summary of the conclusions of the study are some key insights: 

    Ironically, a person in a hurry is less likely to help people, even if he is going to speak on the parable of the Good Samaritan…. Maybe that ‘ethics become a luxury as the speed of our daily lives increases’. Or maybe peoples’ cognition was narrowed by the hurriedness and they failed to make the immediate connection of an emergency. 

    Many subjects…. were in a conflict between helping the victim and meeting the needs of the experimenter. Conflict rather than callousness can explain the failure to stop.”

    So, if you are a leader of a middle manager, or honestly anyone this day in age where margins of time seem to be non-existent, work hard to: 

      1. Make sure they know that the most important function of their job is leading those they manage and that the majority of their time should be spent on activities that grow others.  Help those you lead prioritize people over projects.  Quite simply, the best way to do this is by your example. Do you see a man in distress and stop to help? If you don’t, the people who are watching you won’t either. 
      2. Set up conditions that allow people for margins in their day.  Cancel some meetings and give them permission to block time off for focused work where anyone- especially you (the experimenter)- doesn’t bother them or set-up expectations that create a constant state of hurry. 
      3. Give people permission to say no. 
      4. Help people learn and apply proven time management strategies and principles. I particularly like training around Covey’s principles in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and First Things First.
      5. Eliminate as much bureaucracy as you can.  Don’t make people have to get permission from you to do everything. Put systems in place that increase the autonomy and flexibility people have and allow for fluid communication channels where people don’t waste time having to track people down or wait on decisions from above. 
      6. Most of all, model these principles for the people you lead.  If you are always in a hurry you are setting the expectation that they should be too. 

     

    What is the number one reason you become less caring than you should be as a leader? 

  • The Confusion Over Cannabis

    The Confusion Over Cannabis

    Written by: Lorrie Coffey, Horizon Point Consulting

    Ten states plus DC have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Thirty-four states have legalized it for medical use. And CBD oil is readily available in most states. 

    But marijuana is still classified by the Drug Enforcement Agency as a Schedule 1 drug, which means it is still illegal to grow, buy or sell, possess, or use under federal law. 

    Oh, and while CBD shops popped up on every street corner as soon as the Farm Bill was signed back in late 2018, the Farm Bill did not legalize the general production, sale, or use of CBD oil. It only legalized it under certain circumstances outlined in detail in the Farm Bill. It is still classified as a Schedule 1 substance and thus is in general illegal under federal law. (The possession or use of CBD oil is reportable against federal security clearances.) 

    According to a 2017 study conducted by Statistical Brain, 56% of U.S. employers surveyed conducted pre-employment drug screens. 

    What does all of this mean for those employers that drug test? How can marijuana be both legal and illegal at the same time? Should employers continue to maintain a drug-free workplace policy? And what’s the legal liability if they do? 

    Unfortunately, the answer isn’t necessarily clear cut. While many states have legalized marijuana use in some form or another, very few states have offered any guidance to employers on how those laws impact drug-free workplace policies. So how do employers navigate through what I’ve come to refer to as the cannabis conundrum? 

    1. Do your research. Understand the laws in your state regarding marijuana use. Don’t believe everything you hear. For example, medicinal marijuana is NOT generally legal in Alabama. Yet. A bill was signed in June by Gov. Ivey to create a commission to study legalizing medical marijuana. Their findings are due in December. Look up case law to see if your state has set any precedents through court decisions regarding employers and employees. Find out if there is a state-supported drug-free workplace program (available here). 
    2. Get in line with your state. If your state does have a drug-free workplace program, make sure that your program is in line with state guidelines. Most states that have a program provide very detailed information on how to get your organization’s program approved or certified. Most states that do have a program offer a discount (usually 5%) on your Worker’s Compensation insurance if you are a certified drug-free workplace employer. And once you get certified, make sure you stick to the program. If you do, you’ll ensure that you are within the state law with regards to drug testing and how you handle positive tests. 
    3. Multi-state employers beware. If you have locations in multiple states, be sure to research each state. What’s acceptable in one may not be in another. You’ll also need to take into consideration if the employee works and lives in two separate states, if they travel extensively for work, or if they telecommute. 
    4. Evaluate why your organization drug tests. Here’s my unpopular opinion. If an employee enjoys marijuana on their own time in most cases it isn’t impacting the organization. Now, if an employee enjoys marijuana on their own time on their way to work and shows up to work under the influence, that can impact the organization. It may impact productivity, brand image, and most importantly could pose a safety risk to the employee or others. Understand why your organization drug tests when they test and ask yourself if the reasons are bona fide. If the answer is no, it may be time to rethink your policy. 

    While many states have legalized marijuana, they have not restricted the rights of employers to maintain drug-free work environments. However, that doesn’t mean that you as an employer don’t still need to be cautious before acting. And don’t be afraid to seek outside assistance if you’re still not sure how to maintain your drug-free policy or how to handle an employee situation. That’s what the experts are there for. 

     

  • Killing the College Misconception

    Killing the College Misconception

    Did you know that Alabama has a “College Application Campaign”? A statewide initiative with the goal of having EVERY high school senior in the state apply to at least one college. I found this out last week thanks to the high school guidance counselor’s weekly email blast. I’ll be honest, as an HR professional, I had to hold myself back from sending her an email outlining the negative impact of such a campaign. I’m still tempted to. 

    I graduated high school many moons ago, in an era when high schools still had classes like shop, mechanics, and electrical design. I still have a lamp I made in Mr. Roberts’ shop class when I was in sixth grade (and it still works!). My high school had a separate vocational building that housed these classes and the students put their talents together each year to build a prefabricated home on the school grounds that they auctioned off; the proceeds going to charity and to the next year’s project. If students had issues with their cars, all they had to do was drop it by the garage at the school and the mechanics students would take a look at it. 

    I also graduated high school at a time when the push to attend college was ramping up. Students were told that college was a necessity if they wanted to get a good job. Vocational schools were starting to be looked down upon and going straight into the workforce after high school was deemed disgraceful. 

    And 20+ years later, we are seeing the impact of that push. 

    • According to data from the Huffington Post in the 20+ years since I graduated high school, student debt has almost doubled, going from approximately $18,000 up to almost $32,000. All while the median wage has barely budged, going from $39,000 to $43,000. We constantly hear about the rising cost of college and the increasing impact on those graduating these days. 
    • Based on a 2012 study conducted by EMSI, 53% of skilled workers were 45 or over, with 18.6% being between the ages of 55 and 64. Our skilled workforce is aging out and we’ve known it for years. But we aren’t doing enough to replenish that workforce. 
    • According to a 2016-17 US Talent Shortage Survey conducted by Manpower Group, the hardest jobs to fill in the US are those in the trade industries. 

    Our skilled trades are dying out as a result of our education system thumbing its nose at manual labor. Yet we continue to push high school students towards college and away from trade careers. We still trick them into believing that a college education is the only way to be successful, to earn your top salary potential, and to be happy in the career you choose. 

    My father has owned his own construction company in Virginia for almost 50 years. He is 68 years old and still works five to six days a week, still flips homes on the side, and still enjoys his passion for woodworking on the weekends. He never went to college. Yet he has made a great career out of something he has always been passionate about and he is well known, respected, and sought after for the work he does. Growing up I spent a lot of time helping him and in the process learned to love it too. 

    Local school systems are starting to see the need to revive vocational courses in education and are focusing on establishing Career Technical schools. But these efforts are not enough if we are continuing to push students to go to college and continuing to turn our noses up at trade careers. Instead, we need to encourage students to take their own path, whether that’s college, a technical school, or going straight into the workforce. 

    Some schools across the country are starting to do it right, like Connally ISD in Waco, TX or Powhatan High School in Richmond, VA, who both participated in the first National Signing Day sponsored by SkillsUSA and Klein Tools. It was designed to recognize students who are signing letters of intent for job offers, accepting apprenticeships, or attending technical schools after graduation. 

    And employers aren’t exactly helping either. The majority of jobs posted today require a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree to even be considered. Yet when I speak with clients, many of them say they don’t care what major that degree is in, just that the candidate has one. What does that say about the requirement? The response I often get is “it shows the candidate has initiative.” But does it really? Or does working hard and advancing in a career show initiative? Does being self-taught, seeking out education through training courses, certifications, or apprenticeships not show initiative? We as employers need to rethink our requirements as well. Does a position truly require a degree? Or do we need to give more consideration to experience over education? 

    What will happen in the next twenty years if we don’t shift our way of thinking if we don’t encourage students to explore alternatives to college and continue pushing them into thinking that a Bachelor’s Degree is the only way to be successful?