Testimonials

“John and I recently met for a strategic marketing session for my small business which I launched a few months ago. I was frustrated because I had no direction; I felt like I was missing something. John immediately pointed me in the right direction, outlining clear, concise steps I needed to take to grow my business. He recognized and praised what I had been doing well and suggested tools and techniques to take my business to the next level. After our meeting, I had a renewed sense of excitement and focus and felt that he had put me on the path to success.” – Suzanne Hull, Small Business Owner, Contemporary Business Solutions

“The most impressive thing I’ve noted while John has been helping me rethink my business structure and marketing plan is his ability to meet me where I’M at and to offer individualized solutions that achieve MY goals. So many consultants I’ve met are one-trick-ponies who make a show of analysis and questioning, but always come up with a solution that matches their one-trick answer they use for everyone. John breaks that mold with his innate ability to see what’s best for me, not what’s easiest for him. His intuition and articulation have allowed me to literally gain a new understanding of how I can move my vision forward. As an entrepreneur, that move forward is huge in my world. Simply put, he’s now my go-to person when I need help to get my vision unstuck and moving forward.”   - Ben Stone, Entrepreneur, RPO Consulting

“I very much enjoyed your presentation on “Working with Humans”! You compressed a lot of information into a very short period of time and did outstanding. You really connected with the audience. I just reviewed your presentation and I find almost every slide useful!! You really know how to maximize space and get to the heart of the matter!!! Thank you. I liked the exercises and have tried the “Just Listening” technique. Wow! Is that ever hard, really hard. I will continue to use that one. And next will be the questioning technique which I plan to use on the kids. They need to learn to ask questions as much as I do. I’m a “lifelong” learner and am always looking for ways to improve. I plan on teaching “Just Listen” and “Coaching (with your partner slide) to my wife and kids. As well as using it to reinforce my own practices. For work, the Stages of Team Development and Situational Leadership slides will be used. I like the “putting it all together slide” too! Thanks again for a really entertaining and informative presentation!!!!” – Harry Spinks, Engineer at Boston Scientific

“Our PMI chapter was fortunate to have John come present to us in 2009, and his presentation was well attended and greatly appreciated by all. John Stein is an engaging and thought-provoking lecturer and educator. If you are looking for a presenter who is professional, proficient, and polished, John delivers.”  – Joseph W. Kestel, PMP, Minnesota Chapter of the Project Management Institute

“John is a great listener and helps cut big issues into smaller, reasonable elements. He’s really made a big difference as we move our organization ahead. He is a great coach. There are so many books, tapes, advisors and methods abounding, but I think John is one of the best and offers the most helpful nuggets from all those sources that particularly pertain to our business.” - Teresa McLaughlin, Director, Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University

“John Stein has had a profound impact on my work. His coaching offers tremendous tools for unlocking creativity, engaging others, celebrating successes and implementing planful efforts that get results. I especially appreciate the trust that John puts in process and people. He shares inspiring, concrete, effective ideas, and trusts that they will make a difference without need for him to be forceful in any way. I find that approach very empowering. John helps us find our own answers.” – Becky Dale, Associate Director, Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota

“I recently took John’s “Integral Project Management” course, and it was the most relevant professional development I have done since college. Project Management is relevant to every aspect of business today whether you are a sponsor, manager or team member – why it is left out of curriculum I will never know. I have taken back what I learned and have applied that knowledge on the first day back in the office and everyday since. It has been a a major turning point in how I do my work and how I approach my job.” – Jeremy Sievers, Web Communications Director, Drake University

“John provide me with the first serious approach and learning of the Project Management subject. Since Project Management know-how is a fundamental component of my job, I must say that the training he provided was a pillar in my career. John is very professional and knowledgeable, but at the same time can make such a complex topic easy to understand and absorbe to anyone. I definitely recommend John as a Consultant and his course as a mandatory step in a Project Manager career.” – Marco Lazzari, Continuous Improvement Manager, Sauer Danfoss, Bologna, Italy

“I took John’s Extreme Project Management class at Drake University. His class was not only informative, it was fun to be in. His approach to teaching made it easier to spend a Friday night and all day Saturday on campus. Additionally, I often refer to the materials he personally authored and the suggested text.” – Jacqui DiGiacinto, Economic Recovery Specialist, State of Iowa

“Thank you for presenting your “Avoiding Time Wasters” seminar at the American Society of Agricultural Engineers Annual International Meeting. Your preparation and targeting of an engineering audience resulted in great enthusiasm and participation during the seminar. You were really able to focus in on the needs and tendencies of our audience! I received many great comments afterwards, and there is anticipation of your return to our meeting next year. Thanks again, and great job!” – Chad Yagow, Test/Design Engineer, John Deere Harvester Works

“Your presentation at the Miami Diversity Meetings was outstanding! Thank you so much for sending me “Dialogues on Diversity.” This is a valuable set of documents which I am sharing with our ‘Bridge” Club – a club that is made up of mainly students of diverse cultures – which meets weekly in an effort to learn and understand and deal with problems that “minority” students experience at our university. If these issues cannot be worked out at a university, then we have a very serious problem. May I give your name to the Human Affairs Department as a possible speaker at Millersville University?” – Dr. Sydney Radinovsky, Professor of Biology, Millersville University, Millersville, PA

“In planning a retreat, you always hope that you’ll get a lot done, but also that you’ll have fun and deepen the relationships between participants. Last Saturday was all of that and then some. It seemed like people had a good day, especially since it was a full Saturday away from their families. All the feedback I have received has been very positive. We reached consensus about a lot of things we want to do to accomplish our mission, and everyone got to know one another better. You kept people engaged all day and used some creative methods to do that. The outcome was very substantive.” – Connie Skillingstad, Executive Director, Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota

“Management and leadership, as business philosophy, feel rigid and way too confining for my taste. Through coaching, I have found the true substance of both and feel myself more effective as a leader. John has served to invigorate the skills that exist naturally in me and focus them to help create real change in myself, my personal relationships, and my work.” – Jeff Johnson, President, Johnson Machine Works

“I remember very well the first interaction that I had with the coaching program and John Stein. I was asked to be on the panel of a dialogue about race and ethnicity. I was surprised to see a non-minority facilitate a discussion about race. As we discussed various topics in large and small groups, I was impressed by John’s ability to allow us to interact with one another with little interference. He did not attempt to include his opinion in our discussion, but he did open a gateway for dialogue amongst us. I remember leaving our discussion more humble, more open-minded, and confident that I had created networks that would last throughout my tenure at Iowa State University. I also left thinking that John was more than qualified to facilitate a discussion about race or any other topic for that matter. John possesses a unique ability to listen and to give guidance without interference. He is by far, the best person to motivate thought-provoking discussions about personal or professional decisions.” – Maisha Rudison, Biology Major, Iowa State University

Workshop participant feedback from a variety of organizations…

“Excellent facilitator…Didn’t spend too much time on the basic concepts that could easily be understood. I especially liked the way John brought people back on track. Many times, especially in training classes, the instructors are “afraid” to tell people they are going the wrong way. Great skill.”

“John is sincere – a must for a good instructor!”

“John has great skills in getting participation and involvement.”

“The facilitator did a wonderful job of gaining and maintaining the group’s attention through his energetic approach.”

“John is one of the best at gaining class involvement through the use of relevant questions.”

“Great communicator. Kept the class on track and on time. John always keeps the class involved and thinking.”

“John is an excellent instructor and facilitator. One of the best. Class was fun and though content was new to me, he made it easy to understand.”

“Best class and instructor I’ve had in years – and I’ve been to a lot of classes!”