Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Beyond Work

Beyond Work is our line of resources for people and community leaders looking for something new and innovative outside, be it a new job, career change, or personal development outside of work.

  • What is Diversity and Why Does it Matter?

    What is Diversity and Why Does it Matter?

    I distinctly remember the first time I knew I lived in a bubble.   I was 17- a junior in high school.  I had two elective slots open.  For one, I decided to be a science lab assistant that didn’t require much work.  This allowed me to walk across the street one day a week to spend time with an at-risk elementary student as her mentor.

    Up until that point in my life, I thought most people lived like me.  Some had more and some had less but I didn’t think there were drastic differences.  As I got to know this little girl and hear her story, I realized I was wrong.  Dead wrong.

    She and her brother had been shuffled from home to home, with no one really providing for them.   She didn’t know where her next meal would come from and who would (or wouldn’t) be picking her up from school and where she would sleep most nights.

    That same year, I also had a period of my schedule where I was an aide in the developmental wing of our high school.  I spent time with students around my age with varying degrees of cognitive and physical disabilities.

    This was the beginning of the realization that not everyone’s world, even if we were occupying the same physical space, was the same as the world I was in.

    With a large focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, my realization that I lived in a bubble helps to illustrate that diversity and inclusion aren’t just about your Title VII criteria and other subsequent legislative catagories- sex, race, color, national origin, religion,  age and sexual orientation.

    Diversity and inclusion aren’t about discrimination. It’s about creating an environment in work and in life that proves it is valuable to be around people who are different from us. This value is added through perspective and leads to business results.

    So when you think about your workplace (and life), do you have diversity and are you open to the perspectives around multiple criteria of diversity?

    Does it include diversity in:

    1. Demographics- Title IX criteria such as sex (and sexual orientation), race, color, national origin (I would also add geographic diversity- I’ve learned a lot from people who grew up in a different part of the United States than I have), and religion.
    2. Age
    3. Cognitive Diversity including things that many would label as “disabilities” like Autism, Asperger’s, etc.
    4. Physical Diversity including things that many would also label as “disabilities” tied to physical limitations- blind, deaf, paraplegic individuals, etc.
    5. Personality Diversity
    6. Socio-Economic Diversity
    7. Political Diversity
    8. Diversity of Experiences

    A lot of these areas of diversity can’t be seen.  They come with being heard.

    As a business leader, I’d encourage you to use the Privilege Walk  to begin the conversation of allowing a variety of areas of diversity to be seen (by the positions people end up in on the walk) and then be heard by facilitating a discussion around it.

    Because “companies with inclusive talent practices in hiring, promotion, development, leadership and team management generate up to 30% higher revenue per employee and greater profitability than their competitors.” Source here.

    I read To Kill A Mockingbird in High School too.  I was 15.  But it wasn’t until I was 17, walking into that little girl’s current front yard to take her to dinner that I realized I just learned what Atticus Finch meant, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

    Climb into someone else’s shoes today.  You’ll add more value if you do.

     

    Interested in learning more about diversity and inclusion? Join Mary Ila at SHRM’s Diversity and Inclusion conference as she tackles the topic of hiring for fit AND diversity.

    See session information here.

  • Do You Have a Plan of Action to Reach Your Goals?

    Do You Have a Plan of Action to Reach Your Goals?

    Action Planning and Goal Setting are key tools for career success. Stephen Covey’s “Circle of Concern vs Circle of Influence” principle is a great way to start the process. In short, we need to focus on our circle of influence (the things in life and career we can control).

    Source: INSITEMIND

     

    One way we can do this is by setting goals and creating an action plan. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound.

    Source: Minute Movement

    Check out the Point Blog for more Goal Setting ideas:

    Goal Setting Articles from the Point Blog

    Develop an Action Plan for yourself with Smartsheet – free download here.

  • Creating Community in Your Organization

    Creating Community in Your Organization

    Shortly after the Charlottesville riots, I read an article about how the University of Virginia was responding to ensure that they continue to strive to be a diverse community that welcomes all in a safe environment. And it made me think, how can employers do the same?

    Many employers have diversity and inclusion programs, but are those programs truly successful? The recently publicized anti-diversity manifesto by, a now terminated Google employee, is a severe example of a diversity and inclusion program that may need revamping. I’d be curious to know if that manifesto has prompted Google to review their program.

    Bersin by Deloitte conducted a two-year research study published by Forbes.com in 2015 that showed “Companies that embrace diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their business statistically outperform their peers.” Their research shows that a truly successful diversity and inclusion program has an impact far beyond the HR aspect, it impacts the business as a whole.

    According to the study, those companies that emphasized leadership and inclusion in their talent strategy, were rated as exceptional organizations. Those companies, compared to the others in the study showed:

    • 3 times higher cash flow per employee over a three-year period
    • 8 times more likely to be able to coach people for improved performance, 3.6 times more able to deal with personnel performance problems, and 2.9 times more likely to identify and build leaders

    The study further showed that the two areas that had the greatest impact on business performance were the areas that focused on diversity and inclusion. Organizations that had successful programs saw the highest impact on their business performance.

    I once hired a speaker who specialized in diversity and inclusion training to speak at an organization where diversity and inclusion was a problem, and one simple thing he said has stuck with me. Diversity and inclusion is so much more than planning company potlucks and sticking everyone in the same room.

    Now is a great time to review your diversity and inclusion program. Does your organization strive to be a diverse community that welcomes all in a safe environment?

    To read the full Bersin by Deloitte study, click here.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2015/12/06/why-diversity-and-inclusion-will-be-a-top-priority-for-2016/#1fc15c572ed5

    Like this post? If you might also enjoy:

    Diversity and Inclusion in My Eyes and in the Eyes of My Children

    You can hire for fit AND diversity: How the most innovative companies hire

  • Harnessing the Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Millennial Generation

    Harnessing the Entrepreneurial Spirit of the Millennial Generation

    I’ve heard millennials called many things. Lazy. Entitled. Spoiled.

    Then I came across an article on Today.com that reminded me millennials aren’t the first generation to be labeled negatively. Writer Tom Wolfe dubbed the Baby Boomers as the “Me Decade” in his article The “Me” Decade and the Third Great Awakening. Paul Begala referred to Boomers in Esquire magazine as “the most self-centered, self-seeking, self-interested, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing generation in American history.”

    Gen Xers were also the targets of such negative monikers. I still have a letter to the editor that graced my local paper my senior year of high school from a “concerned citizen” that dubbed my generation as “functional illiterates”. And yet many of us Gen Xers are successful. We are well respected leaders. We are innovators in our fields.

    So, I asked myself if what is said about millennials is really true and I did a little research.

    A 2014 study by Forbes Magazine showed that of the 80% of millennials who owned a smartphone, 87% checked their work email after hours on a regular basis and 37% always did. That same study showed that while only 13% aspire to climb the corporate ladder, 67% hope to start their own company.

    That doesn’t sound lazy to me. It sounds like dedication, and it sounds like they have goals. Those goals are just different than those of the generations before them.

    Unlike the generations before them, they are not content to work the nine to five, put in a day’s work, and leave it at the door when the whistle blows. They don’t believe in a work-life balance, they believe in a work-life integration. And achieving that work-life integration means having to think outside of the box. Sometimes, way outside of the box!

    The Forbes article called millennials the True Entrepreneur generation. But while 67% aspire to start their own business, a 2014 report by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy shows that only two percent of millennials, compared to 7.6 percent of Gen Xers, and 8.3 percent of Boomers have actually started their own companies. Why? In part due to their lack of experience in the workforce and lack of business acumen. But also in part due to those pesky student loans that followed them out of college, and those loans often keep them from being able to gain the startup capital needed to get a business off the ground.

    The plight of the millennial generation is something companies should take advantage of and view as a potential asset. There is an entire group of young, eager to learn individuals out there just waiting to find the right opportunity. They are an often-untapped recruiting market for organizations. Yes, their ultimate goal now might be to own their own company down the road. But goals change. I know mine did. If you can get them in the door, give them a great opportunity, you might just show them the benefits your organization can offer them long-term.

    They want to be a part of an organization where they can truly make a difference, be a part of the bigger picture, and soak up as much knowledge as quickly as they can.

    If organizations can harness the energy that millennials have it can be a win-win. Remember that millennials are driven by purpose and want social connection. I found it interesting that according to an article on Time.com, 51% of millennials still want face-to-face interaction over other forms of communication. But they want that interaction to be meaningful, not just wasted time.

    Find a way for your organization to benefit from the entrepreneurial spirit of millennials and you may find them to be some of the greatest contributors to your organization.

    What is your organization doing to tap into the millennial market and harness their entrepreneurial spirit?

    Like this post? You may also like:

    Tiny Homes, RVS and Millennials- What this all means to your employee benefit and engagement strategy

    Is the role of the millennial male changing the way they lead at work?

    Millennials – Seekers of a Professional Development Fix

  • 5 LinkedIn Tips for Job Seekers

    5 LinkedIn Tips for Job Seekers

    Now more than ever, companies are utilizing LinkedIn to seek out job candidates. They aren’t looking at the ones who have “job seeker” in their profile. Organizations are seeking passive candidates that have desired skills, endorsements and connections to reputable individuals and organizations.

    Here are 5 tips for getting the best out of your LinkedIn profile:

    • Tell your story. Your summary should include a brief history of your career emphasizing your key skills and accomplishments. I often recommend using the “summary of qualifications” from your current resume.
    • Include all key skills that a potential employer might be looking for. Do your research here. For example, if your dream job is to be a CFO for a large company, search for job announcements and make sure you include the “required skills” (those that you have) in your list of skills.
    • Endorsements are important. Remember, you often “get what you give”. If you endorse others, they will often return the favor.
    • Get a new profile pic, already! A professional photo is must for your LinkedIn profile. If you are unable to use a professional photographer, no worries. A good camera will work as long as you have a solid background and are dressed in what you would wear to an interview.
    • Recommendations are a bonus. This is one area where I think it’s okay to ask previous employers or coworkers to provide a recommendation. And, you can offer to do the same for them.

    You can let recruiters know that you are in the market for a new career while keeping it confidential. Check out How to Find a Job Using LinkedIn for more details on this along with other tips.