Meet the team

John Poulsen

BJuris (Hons); BLaw; CTT Certified Consultant

Work with John

John is an executive and leadership coach. As a former Australian Managing Partner and CEO of global law firm Squire Patton Boggs and former Managing Partner of Minter Ellison, Perth, John brings extensive first-hand experience of leadership, organisational change, culture and the challenges of leading people through complexity and uncertainty.

He coaches senior and emerging leaders to lead with greater self-awareness, courage and purpose, helping them let go of fear, step more fully into their values and create environments where people can thrive and perform at their best.

A recent life-threatening experience with meningococcal meningitis and an extended period of rehabilitation and learning to walk again has added a deeply personal understanding of vulnerability, resilience and uncertainty to John’s coaching.

His approach combines practical leadership experience with deep listening, compassion and a belief in the potential of people to grow through change and challenge.

Qualifications:

Barrett Values Centre CTT
Culture Assessment Certification Training – BVC COMPASS (valuescentre.com)
Leadership Coaching Certification Training – BVC COMPASS (valuescentre.com)

TESTIMONIALS

" Hey John Poulsen is the single most profound demonstration of authentic leadership I’ve had the opportunity to come across. He embodies decades of selfless and reflective leadership and continues to mentor me as I try to grasp a style of leadership that often sees young people embody regressive and fear based styles of leadership in a shortsighted attempt to building power. Through countless meetings, I’ve come to appreciate that true power lies in tapping into the discretionary energy of others and that sometimes the best leaders lead from behind. If I had to sum up his wisdom, I would say that leadership comes down to vulnerability, co-creation + the genuine care of others."

"Also really enjoyed the session yesterday. When I reflect on where I feel energised, walking out of our sessions is up there (so is watching Liverpool beat Barcelona 4-0 this morning to win 4-3 on aggregate on a semi-final)."

"I would like to thank you very much for a truly marvellous session today. Without sounding hyperbolic, your one hour session was most likely the most valuable hour in my career to date."

"John thank you for sharing with me your wisdom about values and purpose. Your questions, coaching and mentoring have been a great value to me in gradually seeing and exploring my future with new insights and fresh perspective."