Horizon Point Consulting

Search results for: “productivity”

  • Want to be a millionaire? A Good Leader? Manage Your Time First

    Want to be a millionaire? A Good Leader? Manage Your Time First

    Want to be a good leader? How about a millionaire? Manage yourself and your time first.

    What does it take to think like a millionaire? In reading The Millionaire Mind, I was struck by what seemed to first be a contradiction. Based on the study of almost 1000 millionaires, it was obvious these individuals as a group managed their expenses just as wisely, if not more, than their revenue generation. Most bought at discount retailers and had very small or non-existent mortgages by buying older homes that retained or appreciated in value.

    Keeping costs low is a priority in the millionaire household, except with what the book described as “do it yourself” projects. Most millionaires captured in the study did not cut their own grass and if something broke in their house, they didn’t fix it, they called an expert.

    At first glance, this doesn’t seem like a managing cost approach. However, upon further inspection, it is not a matter of keeping costs down, it is a matter how your time is best spent because time is money. If the cost equation involves devotion of ones time, especially for someone who has learned how to generate revenue (as most millionaires have) through their time, best to outsource those non-essential tasks to someone who can do them more effectively. Which actually saves money.

    What does this have to do with leadership? Maybe leaders could learn a thing or two from the millionaire mindset. One thing I find that is a frequent area for tactical leadership coaching of what is really personal leadership (instead of actually leading others) and that is the issue of time management.  It is difficult to lead and guide the work of others if, as a leader, we have difficulty managing our own work and time.

    We’ve devoted several blog posts over the years to this topic that you can view here:

    Personal Leadership on Purpose

    A New Take on Time Management

    5 Ways to Find Your Productivity Sweet Spot

    Saying ‘No” to Something is Saying ‘Yes” to Something Else

    Schedules Communicate Priorities

    But what can you take from all of these, and what do we work with clients on helping them manage their time better? What does the millionaire mindset teach us? It’s pretty simple:

    • Define Your Purpose see the mission statement and goal setting links in this post.
    • Vet how you spend your time by that purpose. A helpful way to do this is by looking at Covey’s approach- is it urgent/not urgent, important/not important. The goal is to be in the green on this grid- or in Quadrant II by spending your time on tasks that are important, but not yet urgent. It’s simply being proactive. Notice that many of these items in Quadrant II deal with developing others – values clarification, relationship building, empowerment.

    Image source: https://www.franklincovey.com/blog/manage-your-time-and-energy-effectively/

  • Moving BEYOND WORK- Our Company Values

    Moving BEYOND WORK- Our Company Values

    Our challenge this year as a company is creating a scalability framework that can help us drive growth. Beginning this process in 2014 has helped us realize the value of values and of getting them down on paper. We help our organizational and individual clients do this on a regular basis, but have been behind the curve on practicing what we preach!

    Our company values that will drive our growth and services are:

    People First. We believe people are a company and community’s greatest asset. This is why we work to foster passion and productivity in people. We realize that in all our decisions, relationships come first and we help our clients act as leaders by cultivating and building relationships that help drive passion and productivity.

     

    Passion. We believe passion should be a key driver in the workplace. Therefore, we demonstrate passion in the work we do, hire individuals who are passionate about the work our organization engages in, and strive to help our clients discover, develop and maximize their passion through career and talent development processes. In order to help drive passionate decisions, we foster a value for creating self-awareness, developing personal and professional mission statements as well as values that govern mission.

     

    Productivity. Along with passion, we believe productivity should be a key driver in the workplace. We believe passion and productivity go hand-in-hand and also drive quality and results. We demonstrate productivity by saying what we mean and following through on what we say we will do. We think strategically and act on that strategy through setting goals and helping our clients to do the same. We work to foster goal success through proven, behavioral based techniques and tools. We deliver work on time and in a quality manner and put processes in place when necessary to drive consistency in delivery of quality services and products.

    To help drive passion and productivity, we don’t care how or where work gets done, just that it gets done in a way that meets client needs. This coincides with our desire to people first by allowing them the autonomy to make decisions based on their personal preferences. We believe this stimulates passion and productivity.

     

    Continuous Learning. We believe continual learning is a key driver in creating passion and productivity in life and in work. To that end, we invest in the personal development of our people because we know that people are a company and community’s greatest asset (People First). We work with clients who believe in continuous learning and take steps towards continual self-improvement in order to maximize their passion and productivity.

     

    Give Back. We strive to create passion and productivity, not for selfish gain, but because when we are at our best, we help others be their best self as well. We firmly  believe that by letting our light shine, we give others permission to do the same. When people are engaged in meaningful and fulfilling work the community is impacted in a positive way. Because we believe in giving back and in being good stewards of the faith that our clients put in us, we support organizations and causes that work to create passion and productivity by putting people first. This includes educational, entrepreneurial and workforce development initiatives with proven results which improve the lives of individuals, therefore improving the results of companies and the prosperity of communities.

    What are your company’s values? What about your personal values? How do they drive how you think and how you act?

  • 2013 Year In Review

    2013 Year In Review

    This year, I made my professional and personal goals public in order to demonstrate one effective characteristic of goal setting- going public with them.

    So, did going public help? Here’s how this year shook out:

    Goal 1. Maximize productivity in the morning.

    Result: Accomplished, but room for improvement. I didn’t get up as early as I had planned, and I really owe more credit to this happening to my running accountability partner and my early-bird three year old than I do myself. But, mornings have gone a lot smoother this year.

    Goal 2. Grow company revenue by 30% or more in 2013.

    Result: Accomplished. Revenue growth was 58% (gross profit), Net Income growth was 38%. We have been so humbled this year by the trust our clients have put in us, and the exciting and fun work we are getting to do!

    Goal 3: Cook dinner and sit down as a family to eat at least four times a week. 

    Result: A complete flop. One, I didn’t track it, so I couldn’t tell you how many times we did or didn’t do it specifically, and two, I know we didn’t come close to doing this. We sat in front of the TV with crap food more than I would like to admit.

    Goal 4: Be committed (as I have been the last two years) to one day a week at home with my little boy.

    Result: Almost, but not perfect. Stuck to this for the month of September where so many things hit at once work wise. He went to school three of the four Thursdays in September.

    Goal 5: Express gratitude to those closest to me.  

    Result: Accomplished in the sense that I tracked it this year and was more conscious of how I express appreciation to others, particularly those that interact with daily. On average, I sent one handwritten note to a person each week.

    Goal 6: No debt except our house by the end of the year.

    Result: Accomplished! Accomplishing goal #2 made this happen.

    Goal 7: Read 30 books.

    Result: Accomplished (just barely). Read 30. See Year End Book Review.

    Other year-end review notes:

    Our top blog post of 2013: With almost 25,000 hits: 2 Questions for Striving Servant Leaders

  • Horizon Point Holiday!

    Horizon Point Holiday!

    At Horizon Point, we work to instill hope by creating passion and productivity in the workplace. This holiday season, we wish you all the joy and hope that this time of year can bring.
    Card design by Kayla Riggs. To view her work or order products, email her at  KRiggs06207@gmail.com or visit:

     https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dibble-Dabble-Designs/247841588572483?ref=hl

    Ward_2f5a0d855ca8b4f6e4b1abbba6975559

    Thanks!

  • Want to be the next COO of Facebook? Surround Yourself with Great People

    I will never forget the conversation in the car on the way back from a meeting in Montgomery with my then boss.  I had been accepted into the graduate school program of my choice and was working full-time in economic development.  The graduate program was full-time and a two-hour drive away, but I didn’t want to give up the job.

    I waited until about half-way into in to the two and a half hour car ride home, to say. “I want to go back to graduate school.”

    “Okay,” my boss said.

    “I got accepted.”

    “Where?”  He said.

    “Middle Tennessee State” I said.

    “Okay.” he said.  “Isn’t that two hours away? Is it an online program?”

    “Yes. No.” I said.

    “So are you quitting?” He said.

    “No, I don’t want to quit. I want to work part-time and go to graduate school.”

    “Oh…” He said.  “Why do you want to do this?”

    “Long term, I’d like to own my own business.”  I said.

    “Oh….” he said.

    I explained to him, that although I loved the work I was doing in economic and workforce development, I didn’t see an opportunity to advance, and even if he left, and even if I had a chance to be considered for his job, I didn’t even know if I would be interested in it.  What he did most of the time in his role I wasn’t passionate about doing.

    I wanted a way to combine my passions- helping other people find their passion in work coupled with maximizing productivity in the workplace- in a realistic way. And I needed his help.

    Our conversation turned into more than one to two word exchanges.  It led to me going back to graduate school, working part-time, and starting my own business.  This conversation took place almost 5 years ago, and I’m still doing consulting work for him.

    I may not have ever taken the risk to pursue my passion had it not been for this boss that was willing to think outside the box with me.   He allowed me the opportunity to safely jump off into the unknown by taking an full-time employee-employer relationship, convert it into a part-time one, and then change it yet again to an employer-contractor relationship.  Throughout each arrangement, the same work gets done and results (or at least I hope he thinks so) get achieved.  I get to spend the majority of my time pursuing my passions through the work with other clients while continuing to pursue passionate areas in the work I do for him.

    I wouldn’t have jumped if he hadn’t been willing to jump with me.

    Just like I didn’t want to give up my job, I didn’t want to give up my marriage either! My husband was unbelievably supportive (despite his risk aversion) of us in taking the leap.  My parents who always taught me I could do anything I wanted if I just put my mind to it encouraged me, and my mentor gave sound and splendid advice about jumping.   The board of the organization I worked for has been supportive through these transitions, my brother has been a key critic and bottom-line minded brain behind my plans and my in-laws and parents are always available to keep our child during demanding work times.  My friends and colleagues talk ideas with me and motivate my thinking, not to mention help me have a good time while doing it!

    What does this have to do with being the COO of Facebook?

    Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg who is the COO of Facebook, is about “Women, Work, and the will to Lead.” Like most books it begins with a dedication.  Sandberg writes,

    “TO MY PARENTS

    For raising me to believe that anything is possible.

    AND TO MY HUSBAND

    For making everything possible.”

    I think she sets the tone of the book as well as who she is with her dedication. I learned more from it than the other pages that followed.

    The Bottom-Line

    We are who we are and we have the chances that we have, not entirely because of ourselves, but because of others who have supported us along the way.  Want to be the next COO of Facebook, or even just a wife and a mom with dream to pursue her passions in and through work?   Look around, build your team of cheerleaders, and thank them.  They will be the ones that will help you pursue your passions and maintain them.

    Who has helped you take the leap into your passion?

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