The Potentiality

John Horn's Website for Community Builders

Futureproof Kids

Three Ways to Instill Work Ethic in Kids

“Grandpa, what chores are we doing today?” is how my two kids started the second day of our vacation to my family home this summer. Sure, my oldest son works the land like most city kids do (with a lot…

Three Ways the 5AM Club is Making Me a Better Parent

Waking up early has long been a tenet of leadership guru Robin Sharma. In his recent book, The 5AM Club, he outlines tactics for making mornings active, focused and super productive – “own your morning, elevate your life” is a…

Three Coping Skills I Learned from a Five-Year-Old

A few weeks ago, my oldest kid started soccer. He’s five, like most of his teammates, and the experience is as adorable and hilarious as you’d expect. Despite all this delight, my wife and I screwed up is very first…

What Daycare Transitions have taught me about Adaptability

September is a month of transition for many families. For the Horns, going back to school has seen our youngest member move from the Infant Room to the Toddler Room at his daycare. This is huge news with big changes….

Three Ways to Futureproof Our Kids

The future is exciting and also makes me nervous. I guess you could say that I’m nervited about the years ahead and how to prepare my kids for what’s coming. Figuring out how to get them ready for a Terminator-Matrix-Looper-Hunger-Games…

Six Parenting Lessons from Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day was one of the first movies that moved me to tears. When John Connor slowly lowers his T800 Terminator into the cauldron of molten, flaming steel I experienced one of the film’s most emotional lines: “I…

65 Ways that my Mom Positively Impacts my Work and Life

My mom, Janet, turns 65 on Friday. She’s awesome. My relationship with my mom not only defines my relationship with women, it’s also taught me how to live with a disability and to joyfully and fiercely include folks in a…

10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Taking Paternity Leave

This is my second week back at work after about three months of parental – or paternity – leave. I’ll use the term “paternity leave” going forward because this is a story for dads, or soon-to-be-dads, who are thinking about…

Six Collaboration Tips from PAW Patrol

As a father of a toddler with a reasonable social network, I am becoming immersed in the world of the hit (I think) children’s animated series and consumer products juggernaut, PAW Patrol. The show’s premise is simple enough. Ryder, a…

Life Lessons I Learned from Flying with a Baby

I recently returned from a vacation in Europe. All told, my wife and 10-month old son managed to commute between Vancouver, Toulouse and Barcelona with six separate flights. Some were long, eight-hour hauls, while others were shorter. Flying with a baby isn’t…