At the Workplace


Team Results USA’s CEO John Kolm is an innovator of 21st century team productivity programs, a best-selling author, and a former intelligence officer.

Originally from Australia, John formed Team Results in 1996 with retired business partner and decorated veteran Peter Ring as the end result of an experiment that began in 1993. Driven by frustration with the team development options then available to business and government, and with encouragement from early clients, they applied their academic training and practical leadership experience to build the unique approach to team productivity improvement that eventually became Team Results. The company grew rapidly, expanded to a wholly US-owned branch in the United States in 2005, and now operates as a very successful business in both hemispheres.

In 2004 John and Peter wrote the global bestseller “Crocodile Charlie and the Holy Grail” (Penguin, available on Amazon.com), consolidating ten years of work with peak clients into a compelling story about team productivity, leadership in business and government, and happiness at work. The book has been re-published in seven languages and fourteen countries, and a sequel is in the works. John is also the author of numerous articles and papers on team dynamics in the modern workplace, some of which can be found in the News Room at www.teamresultsusa.com .

John is qualified in Psychology from the University of Melbourne, and in mathematics and statistics from the U.S. National Cryptologic School, where he also taught on the faculty. Email him at John.kolm@teamresultsusa.com .

Partner Blog for At the Workplace

Nerdism

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“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook […]

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Handling Opposing Political Opinions At Work

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In the twinkling of an eye, the Trump shall sound… and we shall be changed.” -1 Corinthians 15:52 Let’s imagine a land far, far away, where there has just been an election.  It has, to put it mildly, been both controversial and conflict-ridden.  One candidate won, another lost, even that is questioned by some, each […]

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A Man Called Phud

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“Hi”, said the stranger.  “My name is Allen Owen Phud.” “Phud”, I thought.  That’s an unusual name. We were at a corporate reception.  It was the usual cast of manager types and specialists in various fields, everything from computer software to team dynamics.  I was the team dynamics guy.  Music was playing.  There were drinks.  […]

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When The Bottom Line Goes Through The Heart

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Up With The Downside, Down With The Upside

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In defense of managers who make weak, maddening non-decisions. Other than accidentally spitting through a closed car window, there can be few things more frustrating than a manager who just won’t take a risk. Whether it’s a boss who won’t let you take a training course (what if you’re needed while you’re away?), a head […]

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Congratulations, You’re A Marine

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Little Jimmy Smith joined the Marine Corps at age 19, and he was full of excitement. Imagine his surprise when he arrived at boot camp to find not people doing push-ups, crawling through mud or stripping and reassembling rifles but instead, a large and well-lit room full of computers. “It’s the new way of training […]

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Conflict Till The Last Trump

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Rejection Man

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Meet Rejection Man. Superman can fly.  Batman has money.  Spiderman can climb skyscrapers.  These are their superpowers.  But what, you ask, is the superpower for Rejection Man? Rejection. You’ll meet him – or her – in some workplaces. It’s the person who refuses to engage in any optional interaction.  The one who walks out when […]

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Happiness In a Rainstorm (PHOTO)

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This week it’s a guest blog, written by our Ops Manager Amanda Biller.  Something happened on one of our team and leadership programs recently, the client noticed and had a long discussion about it, and I asked Amanda to write about this incident in her own words.  They say the most powerful story you can tell is […]

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A Brief Explanation of MBTI Type (PHOTO)

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ISTJ: These letters in no way define you.  They are based on bad science and charlatanism.  Your fate is not written down anywhere.  Do what excites you, and pursue the dreams you really want. ISFJ: These letters in no way define you.  They are based on bad science and charlatanism.  Your fate is not written […]

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