The Potentiality

John Horn's Website for Community Builders

Collaboration

Build Strong Relationships Through Community Service

The world is weird and tense and unsettling these days. Building strong, diverse relationships help communities become connected and resilient for the long term. A few weeks ago, I joined dozens of neighbours for a beach cleanup with Surfrider. We…

How to Spread Kindness in Your Community

Many years ago I presented at the University of British Columbia’s Student Leadership Conference (it’s one of the largest conferences in North America). I focused on straightforward tips on how to spread kindness in your community at school, at work…

Tension: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How it can Realize a Community’s Potential

My Tension Tension happens in work and life all the time. Recently, I found myself in situations where tension was both palpable and enabling. The first instance occurred during the planning of an important event. Initially, there was considerable confusion…

How to Create a Sense of Belonging in Your Community

Today is Staff Day at BC Pension Corporation. The experience provides time and space for employees to connect and learn together. This year’s theme is we belong together and we chose it because of the force-multiplier that a sense of…

A Fusion Haiku

Bring it together. Nuclear cooking platform. Embracing fusion. – A haiku about a very awesome, caring, and collaborative team that just launched a really big finance and HR system!  

A Basketball Haiku

Fall is basketball. Balls bouncing, sneakers squeaking. Be a great teammate. – A haiku about the start of basketball season that, I hope, inspires parents, coaches, and teachers to write poems about piano lessons, art classes, and soccer practices that…

Three Ways to Enable Cross-Functional Teams

In the world of work, collaboration is key. I have been supporting a project that is expanding collaboration in our organization by enabling cross-functional teams. These teams are all about mixing different areas of expertise to get things done more…

How Agile Methodology and the Co-operative Model Complement Each Other

Earlier this year I took part in two different learning experiences. The first was some pretty standard classroom training that introduced Agile Methodology to employees at Vancity. The second was not standard because I traveled to Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna…

How Language Creates and Erodes Interdependence

I agree with Batman that our actions matter more than who we are underneath because actions reveal our true character. I also notice how much language influences who leaders are and what we stand for. I notice this the most…

A Carbonara Haiku

All the carbonara. Hosting, connecting, friendship. Fueling the cycling. – A haiku the underscores how sharing good food with good friends builds healthy and connected communities that are sustainable for the long term