Horizon Point Consulting

Category: General

Horizon Point writes about dozens of leadership, career, workplace, and workforce topics. Sometimes we write whatever we want. Read this category for general blogs from the HPC team.

  • SPECIAL FEATURE: Taste and See

    SPECIAL FEATURE: Taste and See

    Last week, Horizon Point founder and president, Mary Ila Ward, was recognized with an ATHENA Leadership Award by the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber during their annual Women in Business Celebration. Her speech deeply resonated with so many women (and men) in attendance, so today we are sharing her words with all of you.
    —
    Thank you for this honor. I am humbled. Many of the women who have won this award are women I look up to and who have been instrumental in shaping a community I love through their servant leadership. 

    Thank you to the Chamber and its staff.  It is a joy to work with each of you. 

    Thank you to my team at Horizon Point for nominating me.  I don’t take lightly what a rarity and privilege it is to get to work day in and day out with such wonderful people who are family.  Taylor, Lorrie, Jillian and Emily- you live out all of our organizational values day in and day out, but this year you have shown me what it truly means to put People First and Give Back.  Thank you for putting me first and giving back to me so fiercely this year when I have needed it the most. 

    There are so many friends in and out of this room to which I will always be grateful for- that have supported me both personally and professionally.  Thanks especially to Whitney and Cindy. 

    Thank you to our past, present, and future clients in and out of this room.  We love innovating the workplace with you. 

    Many of you know that I pretty much hit the jackpot with parents. My parents have been a constant source of support in all seasons of my life and shown what it means to be servant leaders in the community and at home. 

    My in-laws have always been there for me and our family and have always supported us in big and small ways.  Thank you for letting me marry your son. 

    Two of my children are here today.  We spared you all the joy of the five year old being here because he would probably be right up here with me wanting to entertain you all- we opted for him to stay at Pre-K for nap time instead. Paige and Andrew, along with your little brother, you are my reason for breathing most days and a constant source of joy.  Thank you for being you. 

    Drew- man- you are my rock and my better half, thank you. You have always supported my career and community endeavors and been my biggest cheerleader.  I don’t know what I would do without you. 

    The sentiment of Luke 12:48- to whom much is given much is required- has always been a guiding principle in my life.  As you can see by the cloud of witnesses I have mentioned and many more I have not, I have been given much. So much. 

    But I turned 40 this year, and yall, it has kicked my tail.  Forty don’t play or at least with me it hasn’t. Chasing down the “requirements” for 40 years has taken a toll.  I’ve had a year of personal and professional challenges I’d never imagined. Even volunteer leadership opportunities throughout the year have been especially heavy.  And the weight of all of this together has left me spinning. 

    When you feel helpless trying to help the people and the things that you care about the most, sometimes the serenity prayer isn’t all that can pull you through. And the weight of doing what is required of you can’t either. 

    I found out I was receiving this award on a Tuesday afternoon in November. The same day, I had been at the doctor all morning. The reality I am in has gotten to the point where I knew it was affecting my health. I left the doctor with a referral to a cardiologist because of a concerning EKG and a prescription for medicine which I thought I would never be one to need. 

    So the receiving of this award came at a time where I was just about ready to throw in the towel. All of us, every one of us, is carrying around something that is hard, and if you aren’t now, you have or you will.  Let’s all be there for one another.  

    I left the Chamber to pick up my prescription, and as I walked back to the pharmacy, the ice cream cooler caught my eye.  The year has left me not enjoying much, in particular food, so the ice cream cones speaking to me- buy me!- was different.  I hurriedly grabbed them and my prescription and headed home. 

    After dinner, my oldest son went to get the ice cream cones out of the freezer for us all to share.  As he opened the box, he pulled one out and said, “Mom, is this what you meant to get?!”  

    Yall, I’m all for portion control, but what on earth? As you can see, the cone was literally bite sized.  

    We laughed as Andrew tossed one back in a bite and asked if he could have another.  We all had more than one that night. And they were good. 

    Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” 

    As most of us are professional women sitting here in this room, I imagine you chase a lot of “requirements” as well. The list can be endless. But I hope you will join me as we move into a new year with permission to taste and see what is good. To be the good as conduits of grace and light from our always loving God.  Maybe, just maybe, tasting and seeing the good is the only real requirement of us all. 

    My team will have a bite sized ice cream cone for you to savor if you’d like as you leave here today.  “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” The ice cream is good, even if it is just one bite.  And this award is something I am so thankful to savor as well amidst a year of hardships. Thank you for this honor. 

     

  • Open the Door to Gratitude

    Open the Door to Gratitude

    Early in my recovery, there was a lady who spoke these beautiful words of truth into my life, “A grateful heart never relapses.” I’ve found over the last 9 years since then that in any area of life where I am disturbed or there is disorder, I can ask myself, am I showing gratitude? At Horizon Point, we practice gratitude by making accomplishment lists. The act of simply acknowledging areas of growth brings a sense of gratitude. Have you cultivated the habit of gratitude in your personal life or workplace? If not, here is our list of top posts related to gratitude to get started:

    As you move into this season of gratitude, what changes can you make at work or in your personal life that will bring you closer to opening the door of gratitude?

  • Sabbatical Season & Seasons of Life

    Sabbatical Season & Seasons of Life

    I wrapped up my sabbatical last week. It was a nice change of pace for the busy season of life I’m in. I recall my sabbatical 3 years ago & realized it was a busy season too. Life is busy and messy and hard. So many people around me are struggling with something – health, grief, raising kids, aging parents. Taking a break from one of the most important parts of life (work) to focus on intentional rest was just what I needed.

    So, here is a recap of my sabbatical and this season of life, told through pictures:

    Celebrated wedding anniversary # 23 with my husband in Mentone 

    Celebrated 10 years with HPC! 

    Glamping trip with my mom & aunt and their church ladies’ group 

    Visit to see my daughter (and celebrated her admission to nursing school) 

    Senior night for my son 

    Over the past 6 weeks, I obviously spent lots of my time with the people I love. I also enjoyed plenty of walks, good food, reading & a nap or two. 

    During my last week of downtime, I attended two funerals, and both were individuals who are not that much older than me. That puts things in perspective quickly.

    Work – doing good work – is important, but it should never be our top priority. And I am so grateful to work for an organization that focuses on people and allows me and others to thrive, and rest. 

  • Trash and Treasures on Election Day

    Trash and Treasures on Election Day

    Over fall break, I had the chance to walk to the park with my five year old. On the first day, he decided he was going to search for “treasures” on our walk.  He found flowers and rocks and leaves and sticks that he thought were “beautiful”.  I couldn’t help but notice things I wasn’t noticing but he did. With every stop and examination he made, he did in fact find lots of beautiful things.  

    On our walk the next day, he decided it was time to pick up the trash. He noticed some along the roadway when he was scouting out his treasures. He then decided we would use the Target bags we carried to collect trash instead of treasures. We filled up all three of the bags we had before we made it to the park.  

    We couldn’t pick up all the treasures along the way, nor could we pick up all the trash. But we did notice both. We attended to both, sometimes at the same time, realizing what we could relish in as well as what was less than ideal. We could use our awareness of them and our hands to make a small difference.

    As we walked back from the park with the trash we had collected in the dumpster and our hands now empty, he grabbed for mine. Our shadows cast out in front of us.  

    “Look mommy!” he said, “Our hands make a heart.” 

    Not realizing what he was referring to, I looked at him kind of puzzled. 

    “Our shadow,” he said, “Look! A heart.” 

    And he was right. There was a heart. 

    I’m fortunate to live in a country and raise my children in one where we have the freedom to walk to the park. I know in America we may not all live in an area where we feel safe enough to walk to the park or have one within walking distance, but we all have the freedom to impact these less than ideal circumstances. When we see both trash and treasure along the way, connections and hearts form in the freedom to just be. 

    It isn’t like that in all countries, and if there’s anything I think is worth fighting for in this one, freedom is it.  

    If I’m honest, I’ve been disillusioned by all the “trash” out there that seems to revolve around the Presidential and other elections. Maybe you have been too. We all seem to have strong opinions about who should be our next president regardless of which side we lean towards. 

    Maybe, like me, you’ve thought about simply not voting this year. 

    But like the walk to the park with my son, we’ve got to take the treasure with the trash. They are both everywhere along the way. Ignoring one really makes you ignore them both. 

    So on this election day in 2024, I would encourage you to take the trash with the treasure of your freedom to vote and exercise that freedom. 

    My vote will be focused on the candidate I think will be the most focused on maintaining freedom (and you could spin this statement to either side you want to) so that my husband and I – and everyone else in the land of the free and the home of the brave – can continue to raise up the next generation in a place where they can see both trash and treasures along the way. Where they can use the freedom the generations before them fought for to shine a light through both the trash and the treasures. 

  • AI Isn’t Replacing Jobs, Rather, It’s Writing Them

    AI Isn’t Replacing Jobs, Rather, It’s Writing Them

    This week we continue our exploration of AI. I must admit, I’ve been hesitant to give AI a chance. Given the ethical and legal concerns with its use and my own personal worries about whether it can perform for my needs, I saw no reason to engage with it. These past few weeks however, I’ve been testing its applications within the work place for HR-related tasks.

    Recently, I’ve been working on a compensation project that involved pulling market data, and reviewing job descriptions. I felt it would be a good opportunity to test AI and its research and writing capabilities. In recent months, ChatGPT, a Large Language Model AI developed by OpenAI, has undergone several updates providing it with new capabilities outside of just writing. One such new feature includes doing internet research, but how accurate is it?

    To test this, I enlisted my tech-savvy kids to ask ChatGPT for market data at the 25th Percentile in Huntsville, AL for a Market Assistant. Below I’ve attached screenshots of their results.

    When asking the same question, they both get slightly different answers. And when double checking their results, it seems that ChatGPT provided inaccurate information. Visiting the link it provided, it tells us that the range for the position as a whole is actually $46,530 to $58,286. See here for yourself: https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/administrative-assistant-salary/huntsville-al

    Comparing the ChatGPT results to CompAnalyst (Salary.com’s paid wage database) I found that the average salary for an Administrative Assistant for the 25th percentile in Huntsville is about $35,000, which aligns with the result one of my kids got, however, it doesn’t align with the source provided, so we’re unsure where this information is coming from. The results my other son got, $39,502 aligns with the median rate provided on CompAnalyst, which was $39,900. 

    Next, I decided to see how well ChatGPT wrote job descriptions. So, I asked ChatGPT to write a job description for an entry level GIS Analyst. The results were actually pretty decent. The job description had a well written summary of the role, accurately outlined key responsibilities, and specific qualifications including the requirement to know specific GIS software including ArcGIS and QGIS. ChatGPT also included the benefits offered by the employer and outlined the application process. My favorite part though is that ChatGPT even included an EEO statement. What it lacked was information on the physical requirements of the job and the work environment, so I decided to test it out on a job that requires more physical ability – a police officer. But once again, ChatGPT didn’t include any information on the physical requirements or work environment of the role. 

    These were just two simple tests of ChatGPT and how it could benefit HR professionals. Having given it a try, I do believe that AI can be beneficial to HR and help create a starting point for many HR tasks. However, the key takeaway for me is that AI is a starting point, it’s a tool to help aide you but you still have to do work – research the data you obtain through AI, review that document you have AI create for you for accuracy, compliance, and best practices, and remember that you are still responsible for the liability that using AI can create.