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.

  • 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.

     

  • 2026 Book of the Year

    2026 Book of the Year

    As we reflect on this past year and our 2025 theme of NOURISH, we are thrilled to share the book that has captured our hearts and minds as our Book of the Year: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy.

    Throughout the year, we wrestled with choosing a book—considering titles on leadership, career development, workplace culture, and change management. Yet, nothing seemed to align with what we truly wanted to communicate. We were forcing a choice.

    Then, serendipitously, we rediscovered The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. And, much like our first-ever selection, When Breath Becomes Air, we were reminded that sometimes the most impactful books are those that appear to have nothing—and yet everything—to do with our work at Horizon Point Consulting.

    This beautifully illustrated treasure offers nourishment in just a few minutes of quiet reading and reflection. It’s a profound reminder of the quiet strength found in kindness, connection, and vulnerability—values that are foundational to the work we do and to the relationships we are privileged to build with you.

    As we turn the page to the new year, we hope this book nourishes your spirit, just as it has nourished ours. We are deeply grateful for your trust and partnership.

    Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited to announce our new theme: SIMPLICITY. In a world that often feels complex, we’re reminded that the simplest things—like a ten-minute read—can yield the most profound insights into courage, kindness, leadership, and connection.

    Wishing you and your team many blessings in this season of joy and reflection!

  • What Cultivates Gratitude? Or Better Yet, What Does Gratitude Cultivate?

    What Cultivates Gratitude? Or Better Yet, What Does Gratitude Cultivate?

    This week we are featuring a reblog from Mary Ila, originally published November 23, 2021.

    –

    I was tasked with writing a blog post on gratitude for this week- Thanksgiving week. I love it when my team gets together without me while I’m on sabbatical and sends me an email telling me what to write 🙂  It’s a given- a post with a theme of thankfulness- even though as a culture we’ve seemed to skip right to Christmas once Halloween ends. 

    I’ve written about counting your blessings and even counting your first-world problems and being thankful when tasked with the same thing before. 

    But what keeps jumping back into my mind this year as I think about how to articulate some inspiration for gratitude is to cite Bryan Stephenson. I had the opportunity to hear Stephenson at a conference I attended this fall.  Bryan Stephenson is the author of Just Mercy and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative.  

    He is obviously an in-demand speaker.  He apparently charged the group nothing for an almost hour-long talk.  He started the session by thanking the people in the audience for the work they do.  Mostly public servants in the audience who spend their days helping people on the margins, he made reference to how some of the services the group was involved in impacted him as a child. 

    He thanked and he thanked and he thanked before he moved into any form of argument or points. 

    But his points were powerful, and also speak to a heart of gratitude I believe that then leads to a heart of grace and mercy, and then one of action. 

    In speaking about the marginalized, or “least of these” Stephenson made four points: 

    1. Commit to getting proximate.  We can’t help if we aren’t close because then we don’t know what we don’t know.  We need to affirm people’s humanity to help them get to higher ground and realize that all our journeys are tied to one another.  
    2. We have to change our narratives.  This means we have to talk about things we haven’t talked about before.  He says we have to, “acknowledge, confess, and repent.”  My favorite quote of the night was, “Beautiful things happen when we tell the truth.  We close ourselves off to beauty when we don’t tell the truth.” 
    3. We have to believe in hope.  This means believing in things we haven’t yet seen and being confident that in getting proximate and changing narratives, they will become seen. 
    4. We have to do things that are uncomfortable and inconvenient.  Really, the first three things echo this point.  Getting proximate is uncomfortable and inconvenient.  Changing our narratives and telling the truth is uncomfortable. Staying hopeful is not only uncomfortable, it is also inconvenient to train our brains to be so.  But in the end, and in the journey itself, that is where the beauty lies. 

    I hope you’ll take this week to be thankful and it will lead you to grace and mercy, which will then inspire you to action.  

    During this holiday season, where do you need to get proximate, change a narrative, have hope, and/or be uncomfortable or inconvenienced? 

  • Meet the Team: Mary Ila Ward

    Meet the Team: Mary Ila Ward

    At Horizon Point, our work begins and ends with people. That’s why our Meet the Team series is all about sharing the stories behind the faces who bring our mission to life. This week, we’re proud to spotlight our founder and CEO, Mary Ila Ward. [Full video at the end of this blog and on our YouTube Channel.]

    If you caught her keynote last week at the Southern Automotive Conference, you already know that Mary Ila’s energy is contagious. Her message about driving the workforce forward challenged leaders to think differently about how we grow people, organizations, and communities. It was a perfect preview of what drives her every day at Horizon Point: helping others discover purpose, align passion with productivity, and build workplaces where innovation thrives.

    Nourishing Entrepreneurship and Innovation

    Our 2025 theme, Nourish, is about more than professional development. It’s about tending to the roots that make growth possible. Mary Ila has been doing just that since she founded Horizon Point more than a decade ago. What started as a vision to reshape how companies think about people strategy has grown into a thriving consulting firm that blends HR, leadership, and workforce development with a deep commitment to community impact.

    Mary Ila believes that nourishing entrepreneurship starts with curiosity and courage and the willingness to try new ideas, take smart risks, and trust that growth often comes from discomfort. Her own journey embodies that mindset: moving from corporate HR roles to launching a business built on her belief that work should be both productive and purposeful.

    Leading with Heart and Purpose

    In her Meet the Team interview, Mary Ila shares how she balances bold innovation with grounded leadership. She talks about the importance of creating space for creativity while maintaining a clear sense of mission. Whether she’s designing leadership programs, coaching executives, or mentoring emerging professionals, her approach always centers on one thing: helping people flourish.

    She also reminds us that nourishing others starts with nourishing ourselves, investing in reflection, learning, and rest so we can show up ready to serve. It’s a principle that guides her leadership and the culture she’s built within Horizon Point.

    Looking Ahead

    As we continue our Meet the Team series, we invite you to get to know the people who make our work possible, each bringing their own story of growth, grit, and generosity. Mary Ila’s story reminds us that innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It’s cultivated, cared for, and shared, one idea, one conversation, one relationship at a time.

  • The Success Sequence: Workforce Development Meets Poverty Prevention

    The Success Sequence: Workforce Development Meets Poverty Prevention

    The Alabama Legislature recently passed SB289, a bill supporting the teaching of the Success Sequence in all public schools. This three-step model offers a data-driven approach to breaking the cycle of poverty:

    1. Graduate from high school

    2. Obtain full-time employment

    3. Marry before having children

    The sequence is simple, but the order is essential. Research from Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang found that 97% of millennials who followed this sequence were not poor in adulthood, further citing that is also the case for 94% of Millennials who grew up in lower-income families and 95% of those who grew up in non-intact families.

    Source: The Power of the Success Sequence for Disadvantaged Young Adults

    Education, Employment, and… Marriage?

    The relationship between education, employment, and poverty is widely studied (also, remember the Benefits Cliff?). However, marital and parental status is often overlooked, unless the discussion centers around childcare or workforce participation. But the data suggests we need to talk more openly about the order of life events.

    Raising children is hard and expensive, regardless of your educational level, job status, or marital situation. But raising children without a high school diploma, without full-time employment, and without a supportive partner makes the challenge exponentially harder. The hurdles compound and make it more difficult to escape poverty.

    How the Sequence Supports Workforce Participation

    Let’s zoom in on the middle step: employment.

    If you lack a high school diploma and have children without support from a spouse or caregiver, holding a job becomes significantly more difficult. You’re more likely to experience job instability, absenteeism, and burnout. For employers, this translates into higher turnover and less workforce reliability.

    While the model doesn’t say you must get married or have children, it suggests a strategic order if you do. Marriage before children, backed by education and employment, sets individuals – and their families – up for long-term stability.

    Why the Success Sequence Matters for Employers and Communities

    Promoting the Success Sequence isn’t just about preventing poverty. It’s also about ensuring a strong, stable workforce. When individuals follow this path, they’re more likely to stay employed, reducing turnover and increasing productivity.

    Supporting the sequence, whether through school programs, community education, or policy, could be a smart, proactive investment in both economic mobility and workforce development. The Brookings Institution in D.C. has been talking about the Success Sequence for over a decade. Maybe it’s time we pay attention.

    What Are Your Thoughts?

    Do you think the Success Sequence is a valuable tool in reducing poverty and improving employment outcomes? Should schools and communities promote it more directly? We honestly want to know. Drop us a line at info@horizonpointconsulting.com or fill out the quick poll below.

    Create your own user feedback survey