The Potentiality

John Horn's Website for Community Builders

John Horn

Contagious Enthusiasm and my Signature Word: “Awesome”

My name is John and my signature word is “awesome”. People often ask why “awesome” passes through my lips so frequently and finds its way into my blog posts so easily. I thought I’d take a moment to explain why and…

11 Ways to Win Your First 90 Days at College or University

You’ve probably heard of how to thrive during your first 90 days at a new job. This article explores 11 ways to win your first 90 days at college or university – if it isn’t totally relevant for you I wager that it…

Building Community with #theGoodMoneytalks

Today is Vancity Member Day at The Fair at the PNE and I’m excited to focus this article on building community with #theGoodMoneytalks because you can experience them at the PNE today! Inspired by dinner table conversations, #theGoodMoneytalks are focused…

Three Strategies for Relaxing on Vacation

This article will explore three strategies for relaxing on vacation. Professional abilities like leadership, grit, collaboration, and communication are absolutely invaluable when it comes to building a successful career. But they’ll only get you so far if you aren’t willing…

How to be a Trustworthy, Messy and Diplomatic Collaborator

This is an article about how to be a trustworthy, messy and diplomatic collaborator. The Potentiality’s Cartoonist in Residence, Phil Skipper, has an interesting take on collaboration. Here is how Phil captured our team’s personal and collective definitions of collaboration: “Collaborating…

Five Ways to Thrive in the Networked Age

This article is part 3 in a four part series on collaboration. Part 1 focused on how to build a powerful professional network with entry-level talent. Part 2 focused on building a collaborative advantage. Here we present five ways to thrive…

Greendipiti Makes Re-Gifting Cool and Kind

THE OPENER | HOW RE-GIFTING IS AWESOME, NOT “CHEAP” OR “LAZY” The Potentiality inspires and educates people who are passionate about building community. One of the ways we do this is by featuring organizations (businesses, social enterprises, schools, and non-profits)…

Three Career Building Tips for Recent Graduates

Congratulations. You’ve graduated and want to start a successful career. As a recent graduate, you’re leaving the meritocracy of higher education and are about to enter a highly competitive workforce and try to build a successful career. Not only does…

Three Professional Lessons from Being a New Dad

Here are three professional lessons from being a new dad. I recently returned to work after nearly three weeks of amazing family time and bonding with my wife, Michelle, and first child, Miles. As the dads behind this blog, this…

Three Better Questions than “So what do you do?”

“So what do you do?” Recently, I read an article by 99u’s Sarah Kathleen Peck called, “Answering the Dreaded ‘So what do you do?’ Question.” Amazing. For nearly a decade, Kurt Heinrich and I have pioneered a micro-social-engineering initiative designed…