Horizon Point Consulting

Category: Talent Management

Read our blogs in this category for stories and best practices from real clients and real research on Talent Management.

  • From Manager to Coach: Coaching Leadership That Builds Teams

    From Manager to Coach: Coaching Leadership That Builds Teams

    Many people have stepped into management because they were great at doing the work.

    They were strong individual contributors. They solved problems quickly. They delivered results.

    So when they become managers, they often continue doing what worked before. They direct tasks, answer questions, and step in to solve problems.

    But this approach can create an unintended challenge.

    When managers remain the primary problem solver, team growth can stall. Over time, employees begin to rely on the manager for answers instead of developing their own solutions. The leader becomes a bottleneck rather than a multiplier.

    This is where the shift from manager to coach becomes powerful.

    Instead of focusing primarily on directing work, coaching leadership focuses on developing people.

    When leaders develop people, teams become stronger, more capable, and more engaged.

     

    The difference between managing and coaching

    Research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) highlights that coaching leadership strengthens employees’ problem-solving ability and builds long-term capability rather than reliance on direction from their manager.

    In other words, coaching leaders do not just solve today’s problem. They help employees learn how to solve the next one. Over time, this shift creates stronger and more capable teams.

     

    Why coaching leadership matters

    Research summarized by the National Institutes of Health indicates that supportive leadership and developmental feedback are linked to higher employee engagement and improved performance.

    Similarly, research shared through the American Psychological Association connects regular feedback and developmental leadership practices with improved workplace well-being and productivity.

     

    Four ways to start coaching your team

    1. Ask more questions than you answer. When employees bring a challenge, ask questions that help them think through the issue and build ownership of their work.

    2. Focus on development, not just performance. Make space for conversations about strengths, growth opportunities and future goals.

    For more ideas, see Horizon Point’s 4 Ways to Get Unstuck with Professional Development

    3. Provide feedback regularly. When feedback is clear and timely, employees learn faster and gain confidence in their progress.

    4. Create opportunities for reflection. Ask employees what worked, what could improve and what they learned from the experience.

     

    Building developmental teams

    The goal of coaching leadership is not just stronger performance today. It is building developmental teams where people continually grow their skills, confidence, and leadership capacity.

    Managers get work done through people. Coaches develop people who can get the work done.At Horizon Point, we help organizations strengthen leadership capability through leadership development programs, coaching engagements, and organizational consulting.

     

  • Understanding Behavior Styles Can Turn Conflict into Growth

    Understanding Behavior Styles Can Turn Conflict into Growth

    For the past two semesters, I’ve been part of the Highlands College Leadership Institute, and if I’m honest, I’ve often felt like an imposter. Leadership hasn’t always come naturally to me. Speaking of understanding behavior styles, I know I tend to thrive in supportive roles rather than taking center stage. According to the DiSC personality assessment, my style is SC-calm, conscientious, and supportive. That means I avoid the spotlight and steer clear of conflict when I can.

    But here’s the twist: this very discomfort has become a space for deep growth.

    Through both Highlands College and my professional work with Horizon Point, I’ve been diving into conflict resolution. It turns out, understanding personality styles-not just our own, but others too, can dramatically shift how we handle disagreements in the workplace.

    At Highlands, Chris and Sophie Corder from Designed for Unity have been helping us explore how our DiSC styles shape our approach to conflict. They draw from Robert A. Rohm’s powerful framework in The Ultimate Discovery System, which teaches how understanding behavior styles can unlock harmony at work.

    Here’s what I’ve learned-and why it matters.

    The Four DiSC Styles: How They Handle Conflict Differently

    (Note: There are many models for understanding behavior styles, and we recommend using more than one to better understand ourselves and others. This is simply one tool we like.)

    According to Rohm, people tend to operate within four key behavioral types:

    • Dominant (D): Assertive, results-focused, and direct. In conflict, they can seem intense or confrontational. To resolve issues, speak to their need for efficiency and solutions.
    • Influential (I): Outgoing, optimistic, and persuasive. These people might avoid tough conversations, so approach them with empathy and affirm their ideas.
    • Steady (S): Calm, patient, and loyal. They value peace and can shy away from conflict. Give them reassurance and plenty of time to process.
    • Conscientious (C): Precise, logical, and detail-oriented. They’ll want facts, not feelings. Offer clear data and structured solutions.

    Know Thyself: The Power of Self-Awareness in Conflict

    Understanding others is key-but knowing yourself might be even more important.

    • What triggers your frustration?
    • How do you respond under pressure?
    • Do you tend to avoid conflict or rush to solve it?

    By becoming aware of your own behavioral style, you can better regulate your reactions and navigate conflict more intentionally.

    Communication Tips for Resolving Conflict Effectively

    Conflict can either divide teams or deepen trust. The difference often comes down to how we communicate.

    Here are some key strategies from The Ultimate Discovery System:

    • Listen actively. Before offering solutions, seek to truly understand the other person’s point of view.
    • Tailor your communication. Match your tone and approach to the other person’s DiSC style for better connection.
    • Focus on solutions. Keep the conversation future-focused instead of rehashing problems.

    Collaboration > Competition: Shift the Workplace Mindset

    One of Rohm’s most valuable insights? Conflict resolution isn’t about winning. It’s about understanding and collaborating. Teams function best when they embrace diverse styles and strengths, working together instead of pulling in different directions.

    When we honor different perspectives and communicate with intention, conflict becomes a tool for progress, not a threat to it.

    Ready to Rethink Conflict?

    Conflict is inevitable. But with the right tools, self-awareness, communication, and behavioral insight, it doesn’t have to feel like chaos. It can be the start of something better.

    Want to dive deeper? Check out more from The Point Blog:

  • Investing in People Makes Cents

    Investing in People Makes Cents

    Last week, Emily kicked off our new series on professional development. What it is and why we should care about it. I’m pulling that thread to talk about the dollars and cents of why you should invest in people and why you should do it NOW.

    I just read a powerful article from McKinsey titled Increasing your return on talent: The moves and metrics that matter that hit me square in the face with this quote: “McKinsey research indicates that companies that put talent at the center of their business strategy realize higher total shareholder returns than their competitors.”

    One more time for the people in the back: spending money on your people makes you more money. McKinsey’s research let them to the startling stat that some companies could be missing out on $480 million a year just by not investing in employee engagement and skill development.

    screen capture of a graphic from the McKinsey article linked in this blog

    McKinsey goes on to lay out a 5 step plan for companies to “maximize their return on talent”, and it’s a an excellent plan that relies on an already existing, already strong HR team. If that doesn’t describe the situation at your company, you might not be ready for McKinsey’s 5 step plan. Instead, maybe you need the Dollar Tree plan.

    Last week, I had lunch with a great friend who also works in the HR space. She recently stepped in for me to facilitate some pro-bono training when I couldn’t make the date work. Her tactic? Conversation cards from Dollar Tree.

    image of a box set of conversation cards used in training facilitation

    She spent $3.75 plus tax on conversation cards that turned into meaningful relationshipping for the group and several people left interested in adopting conversation cards with their own teams. Weeks later, my friend is still riding the high of a $3.75 investment. When we invest in people, it’s about the intent and the follow through more than the amount of money spent.

    Horizon Point’s operating values include Continuous Learning & Improvement, and it’s truly part of everything we do. Our operating values make up the structure of our planning meeting agendas. Seriously, the line items are grouped by value:

    1. People First
      • Catch up
      • Review accomplishments
      • Schedule one-on-ones
    2. Productivity
      • Company performance
      • Open projects
      • Business development
    3. Continuous Learning & Improvement
      • Review program & project feedback
      • Identify continuing ed / professional dev opportunities
    4. Give Back
      • Volunteer leadership
      • Financial support

    Just the act of talking about our learning with intention generates engagement and a future-focused mindset. But the impact is compounded when we put our money where are mouths are. I asked Mary Ila today about Horizon Point’s investment in continuous learning for team members, and the total so far this year is over $10,000, just for the 5 of us. She doesn’t hesitate to invest in people, as long as the purpose is aligned with the mission of our work at HPC and, of course, as long as the investment is reasonable and works in the current budget. Our work is about talent development and better workplaces, and it only counts if we practice our own preaching.

    To close the loop on the McKinsey research, they reported that:

    the most effective organizations encourage personalized, adaptive learning. Employees are motivated to own their journeys by deciding which skills and areas of expertise they want to focus on. They are given feedback, along with coaching and peer-learning opportunities, and they are supported by a digital ecosystem that can help them track their progress over time.

    We strongly agree with this approach, and we spend a lot of time and resources talking about it and being about it. We learn together, we learn individually, and it’s all based on the skills or areas we want to develop. As McKinsey puts it, we own our journeys. We also train and coach our clients on this adaptive learning model using our Leaders as Career Agents process. We help them customize learning opportunities that drive their organizations forward and create more value.

    To invest in people is to invest in a thriving future. Talk about it and be about it. Investing in people makes cents!

  • AI for Talent Development: Good, Scary, or Both? 

    AI for Talent Development: Good, Scary, or Both? 

    AI is everywhere. Have you recently googled something and used the AI generated answer without ever clicking a link from the list? It’s one of my new favorite efficiencies…and it freaks me out a little. In the “if something scares you, it probably means you should do it” kind of way. We’ve been talking about AI for HR over the last few weeks in the context of our work and industries we support, and today I’m wrapping it up with my take on AI for talent development as a whole. It freaks me out a little, so it’s probably a good thing. Right? 

    Speaking of Google’s AI Overview, here’s what came up when I googled “is AI for talent development?”: 

    Yes, AI (artificial intelligence) is being used in talent management to improve efficiency and outcomes at every stage of the talent lifecycle. AI technologies like machine learning algorithms and natural language processing can help with:

    Recruitment 
    AI can help match candidates with roles based on their skills, experience, and cultural fit. AI-powered semantic search can also help recruiters find qualified candidates by running Google-like searches that go beyond keyword matching.     

    Employee development 
    AI can help create personalized training plans, learning suggestions, and development goals for each employee. AI can also provide real-time feedback based on performance data, which can help employees make immediate improvements. 

    Performance management 
    AI can help set dynamic goals and provide actionable insights to drive employee performance and development. AI can also help with succession planning by analyzing employee data to identify high performers and predict future leadership needs. 

    Skills intelligence 
    AI-powered tools can help HR leaders gain an in-depth view of their workforce’s skills and potential knowledge gaps. This information can help leaders evolve job architectures as skill needs and business priorities shift.

    For each topic featured in the AI Overview, Google provided links to the source material used to inform the AI response. I wanted to know more about AI in Recruitment, so I clicked the link icon and found more detailed articles: 

    (Shoutout to Avature and HireRoad)

    If you’ve kept up with the latest news at Horizon Point, you likely know that I (Jillian) just returned from a 6-week paid sabbatical. During that time, I slept a lot, I made time for hobbies, and I let my brain slow way, way down. Now coming back to work, it’s nice to ease into slow productivity and learn to incorporate the good of AI into our talent development work. 

    I don’t think anyone can say for sure what the future of AI for HR holds, but for now, let’s be curious and explore AI for talent development with open minds. After all, the simple definition of development is the act of improving by expanding, enlarging, or refining, and AI can certainly help. 

  • Effective Delegation: Closed Doors Lead to Open Ones

    Effective Delegation: Closed Doors Lead to Open Ones

    As we begin our series on the theme for the year, “Open the Door”, we realized it was important to also consider that in order to open doors, you also need to know how to close them.  The first step in effective delegation is to identify where closing a door for one person or organization is opening one for another. 

    As we sat around a table brainstorming our 2024 theme at our annual company retreat, we realized we were all in somewhat of a state of transition and so were many of our clients.  

    We often work with people, organizations, and communities that are in a place of “what gotcha there, won’t getcha here,” and we help them make the necessary steps to move to the next level of success.  Whether it is coaching a middle manager to make the transition to an executive, working on organizational processes and culture to transition a company from a small one to a larger one, or helping a community understand things like wage rates and labor participation and how that is impacting their workforce landscape, we are often walking alongside people in the middle of a paradigm shift.  And oftentimes we have to remind them, you are going to have to say no to something to say yes to something else.  This is where growth lives.

    And so are we as a business and as individual team members- working to embrace growth by opening some doors and closing others.  Each of us are masters and some things, novices at others, energized by some tasks and drained by others.  Seasons come and seasons go, and as a team we sat at the retreat and realized some specific plans needed to be put in place in order to do so. 

    Delegation has to be intentional for everyone involved in order for it to work successfully, so we embarked on an exercise where we worked to get intentional with our transitions and delegation plans. If you or your organization is in a season of transition, here are steps to think through closing doors and opening others: 

    1. List all of your service offerings up on the wall (literally).  
    2. Have everyone identify the areas they feel fully skilled at doing, the areas where they want to grow, and the areas of work they would like to divest in doing. 
    3. Discuss things you aren’t offering that need to be offered and how you will go defining and executing them. For example, we’ve realized that we have been called upon to do one thing for clients that then turns fully into another.  We are calling this something along the lines of “Talent Development/Workforce Strategy” and we are taking the first half of this year to be able to fully articulate what this means and market it. 
    4. Identify a team leader for each line of business.  This is ideally someone who is both fully skilled at the area and also energized by doing it and teaching it to others or is drained by doing it and wants to offload it but is interested in teaching it to others. 
    5. Give the team leader the full reign to execute the line of business and equip others to get it done.  Identify a timeline for doing so.  Is it going to take three months, a year, etc. to allow enough time for the person(s) to open the door to the task so another person(s) can close the door to it?
    6. Capture the plan in a document or spreadsheet where you will remember who is doing what and can track progress.
    7. Use the document you created to check back in regularly on the transition of the skills from one door open to one door closed. 

    When we did this a​ctivity on our retreat, we identified a lot of opportunities for us all to learn from one another.  We identified ways to energize ourselves around work and transition things where people were fatigued or bored by certain types of work.  This doesn’t mean that we all don’t have to continue to do “laundry” as we call it- stuff no one really wants to do- to keep the business running and our clients happy, but it does mean that we are being intentional about opening doors and closing them, all for the sake of both individual and organizational growth. 

    How do you know when to delegate?  Do you have a process for doing so with intention? What are you looking forward to closing the door on in order to grow?