The Potentiality

John Horn's Website for Community Builders

Year: 2023

Five Ways to Build Psychological Safety on Your Team

I have an awesome colleague named Lindsay and we trust each other. Something that helped us get to where we are is psychological safety. One of the ways that I know such a thing exists is because Lindsay felt comfortable…

Bring Doughnut Economics to Your Community

In 2018, Oxford Economist Kate Raworth introduced the world to a different sort of doughnut. This doughnut is a visual representation of a sustainable economic system that balances the needs of people and the planet. The inner ring represents the…

Three Examples of Innovation Inspired by the Pandemic

The novel coronavirus pandemic is a global tragedy. At least one million people have died from the virus. The International Monetary Fund is predicting that the pandemic will cost over $28tn in lost output. How we live and work will…

Five Things That Being Allergic to the Sun Teaches me About Inclusiveness

Spring is arriving in the Northern Hemisphere. For many folks – especially those of us on the dreary West Coast – the long, sunny days generate plenty of positive vibes. For me, the sunnyness makes me feel quite the opposite…

The Value of Interdisciplinary and Cross-functional Thinking

Nearly a decade ago I wrote this book review for Active History (reposted below). The idea was for academic books to be reviewed by non academics. While my review holds up okay, I want to underscore the idea that interdisciplinary…

Five Ways to be a Better Career Influencer

Last week I joined my fellow CERIC board members in a planning session that focused on the future of our charity, which is purposed with advancing career development in Canada. We fund and publish research, share learning and build community…

Learning Styles Do Not Exist

Learning styles do not exist. Given that many educators and students have long believed in the concept of learning styles, this probably feels like a bold statement. The idea that individuals have fixed preferences for how they absorb information –…

Five Ways to Connect Your Workplace

The purpose of so many organizational teams, like innovation labs, and startup ecosystems, like Silicon Valley, is to disrupt the status quo. I’ve written about why we need to disrupt our workplaces and how to do it. The thing is…

Nervited

When humans feel the combination of nervousness and excitement we are nervited. Our team was feeling nervited last week because we delivered a conference for 600 employees that blended inspirational speakers, peer-learning, good food, and digital creativity. We felt nervous…

Three Professional Lessons from Barber Shops

I go to Uptown Barbers in Vancouver’s (Mt. Pleasant ‘hood to get my hair cut every six weeks or so. Marco and Ben – the two barbers who I most often visit – deliver haircuts as good as the banter…