The John Poelstra Show

Here’s what I’ve been up to from August to November 2019 and what I’m learning. Highlights & References Capital One Cafe in Portland, Oregon What I’ve been up to the past few months My 6,800 mile road trip The power of de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff Telling more of my story in two interviews Own Your Clarity with John Poelstra (video) by Anthony Ongaro at Break the Twitch How I Came to Coa...

Vinod Jain leads this conversation where I share the path that led me to coaching, what I believe about certain things, and how coaching works. Conversation Highlights More about Vinod Jain (Episode #68) A typical day for John Money Coaching at Capital One Early influences and career path Getting clear on personal beliefs and ultimately personal ownership Early career dissatisfaction and overseas...

I don’t have a typical work week. However, here’s one I chronicled and reflected on with Mike Vardy as an experiment for his podcast. This is a rebroadcast of 5 Days with John Poelstra which originally aired as Episode #250 on Mike Vardy’s podcast (which I produce): The Productivityist Podcast Detailed episode notes Theme Your Way to Greater Productivity with Mike Vardy (46) — an earlier explorati...

Yann Toutant believes companies can be more innovative by creating and working as remote teams. Our conversation explores Yann’s journey and what he’s learning. Highlights Yann Youtant is the CEO of Econocom The main drive for a remote team is innovation Working remote helps you turn the cruise control of your life off Four steps of the remote ladder Be remote in your own office–don’t work from th...

Here are some different ways to prepare and think about your next job interview–as the interviewer or the interviewee. Highlights Block out time to do deep preparation Get clear about the unique strengths and combinations you bring Have a few prepared stories and examples that demonstrate your accomplishments and skills Get clear on your core values Determine how your values would be honored in th...

Alexis Monville , Michael Doyle and I talk about working effectively with remote teams when meeting in person isn’t possible. This topic came up as we collaborated on version two of Alexis’ book Changing Your Team From the Inside . Highlights Taking individual initiative How to build remote teams when you cannot meet in person As individuals we can do something Choosing (or not) to work together L...

This episode explores the book A Second Chance by Catherine Hoke, my interest in law enforcement and the complexities of incarceration. Highlights & References Marketing Over Coffee podcast My WSCO Citizen’s Academy experience 13th (documentary on Netflix about over incarceration and it’s roots) The difference between jail and prison Ear Hustle podcast (what it’s like to be incarcerated at San Que...

This riff explores the power of thoughts on feelings and how asking better questions yields better thoughts. Highlights Considering the idea that our thoughts create our feelings The Life Coach School Podcast John Prendergast on the Coaches Rising Podcast (highly recommended)– Opening to Inner Knowing In Touch: How to Tune In to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself by John Prendergas...

Michael Doyle is back ( Ego is the Enemy episode) to interview John on the importance of values. John also leads Michael through a process of deeper values exploration and clarification in a live coaching session. Values Discussion Highlights Our values Clarify decision making Aid life satisfaction Act as an internal GPS Each person has different values They are not “right” or “wrong” People shari...

Kate Dixon has an extensive human resources background in employee relations and compensation. Her true passion is coaching and leadership development. This conversation explores her discovery of gratitude journaling, all the benefits it has provided and the impact it’s had on John. Conversation Highlights The origins of Kate’s gratitude journaling challenge The mindshift that comes from being tha...

This conversation with Michael Doyle (former colleague at Red Hat) explores what we found in Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday and reflect it back on ourselves. Conversation Highlights & References Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday Extended bibliography Primary sections: Aspire, Success, and Failure Relationship between our values and our ego Is ego ever a positive thing? Marie Forleo’s interview wi...

Carolyn Campbell explains the fascinating journey she’s on to understand rural America by listening to the people she’s sent to by others. I met Carolyn as my first coach several years ago. Highlights Carolyn has been on a mission to deeply listen to people in rural America for the past two years Hearing their stories and learning from them instead of trying to immediately help Her project as a re...

Here are a few things I’ve learned in the past few months. Mentioned Restarting is the key to success Showing up as best you can even when you don’t feel at your best Mindset as a recurring theme in a lot of books I read (and mostly did not finish) Shift Your Mind Shift Your World by Steve Chandler Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt The Serving Mindset by Farnoosh Brock ( Interview on Productivi...

This deep conversation with Michael Marvosh explores meaning and life lessons with prompts from nature and our own life experiences. Mentioned in This Episode ConvertKit Conference (where John & Michael met) Stephen Warley of Life Skills That Matter Mike Vardy of Productivityist Michael’s podcast called Deadman’s Forest The exploration of existence and meaning Being intentional about sharing what...

Here’s a short riff on a section from Time Warrior by Steve Chandler about alleged “time management” problems.   Highlights Time Warrior: How to defeat procrastination, people-pleasing, self-doubt, over-commitment, broken promises and chaos by Steve Chandler “Time management” is a misnomer When people say they have difficulty managing their time there’s usually something deeper going on Most...

Vinod Jain works as a technology and management consultant in Northern Virginia. In this conversation we explore how get got to where he is today and the personal journey he is on. Conversation Highlights Bigger Game Live put on by Rick Tamlyn Being a “creator” instead of a “consumer” “Express and receive” The pros/cons of enthusiastic optimism We all have the potential for a great future in our l...

Here’s what happened and what I learned in October 2018, a couple of which were the culmination of how the year started. Highlights & References A big month of changes: beginnings and endings Post-it tracking and prioritization system was in full force I officially left Red Hat IBM made a $34 billion offer for Red Hat Offense vs. Defense / Creating vs. controlling by Tim Hildred Ending my co-worki...

It’s easy to get off track and lose focus. Here are some of the ways I have been attempting to sharpen my focus and execution. Highlights Time Warrior : How to defeat procrastination, people-pleasing, self-doubt, over-commitment, broken promises and chaos by Steve Chandler Creating vs. Managing Advanced Client Systems (ACS) program hosted by Steve Chandler The Prosperous Coach : Increase Income an...

Stephani Roy McCallum is a leader who helps people have difficult conversations. In this conversation she navigates a deeper of understanding of what leadership really is and how to be an effective leader. Conversation Highlights Bigger Game Live put on by Rick Tamlyn Leadership is needed to move forward after a conflict has been resolved Taking complete ownership is necessary, however to be fully...

Here’s a recap of the things that happened in September 2018 and what I learned from them. Highlights & References Public accountability and my system for doing the monthly recap worked Great books by Steve Chandler The Story of You (And How to Create a New One) Time Warrior : How to defeat procrastination, people-pleasing, self-doubt, over-commitment, broken promises and chaos Blue Collar product...

Alexis Monville from the Red Hat Engineering Leadership team joins me to talk about his experiences leading, developing and changing teams. He’s also the author of a new book: Changing Your Team From The Inside . Conversation Highlights Alexis helps engineering teams at Red Hat be more efficient in systematic ways Alexis’ passion for open source software development and how it ties into his work T...

Summer 2018 was a busy time with lots of trips, continuous learning and new ways to grow. Highlights & Links The importance of systems to maintain consistency No Excuses My process for creating solo episodes Always keep the recording running and fix it later “John, how are you going to fix this process in the future so that these monthly recaps really happen?” Repeating cards in Trello What’s my “...

Enjoy this wide ranging conversation with author, singer, business owner and entrepreneur, Kathy Jorsch.     Conversation Highlights John and Kathy met via Rick Tamlyn’s VIP Mastermind in January 2018 What it’s like to write a novel Different businesses Kathy has started and run Love of tennis The power of talking to yourself in the first person High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary...

It’s easy to get stuck in the past, and yet there’s not much it gives us. Here’s an encouragement to live in the present and look to the future.     Credits Hallon  by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk  by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under  Creative Commons The post 60: Setting a Present and Future Focus appeared first on John Poelstra .

In this conversation with Dave Stuart Jr we explore teaching, experiential learning, leadership and so much more.  Dave is a 9th grade teacher who writes a popular blog and authors books about being an effective teacher.  His latest book is called These 6 Things: How to Focus Your Teaching on What Matters Most (and you should buy it today).   Conversation Highlights There’s more to life than...