AGL 077: The Motivation Trap with John Hittler

About John

“How were you able to pull that off?”

John has made a habit of creating seemingly impossible outcomes, whether transforming a struggling team to become the top performer, or engaging an audience with his playful, interactive, life-changing style. His belief is simple: we are each endowed with one unique genius, different than any other person on the planet. John uses his genius to create seemingly impossible outcomes and in doing so, helps people win big!

His professional career spans 9 owner funded companies, some of which thrived, others not as much. Regardless, each company (and one non-profit foundation) taught valuable lessons and honed the skills and passions John holds today. In short: Do what you love! Love the people you do it with!

In Evoking Genius, John partners with clients to create outcomes that they simply could not imagine possible, through an encouraging coaching style. “The clients always set the agenda,” says John, “and my job is to make the process of necessary change or transformation safer and more attractive than standing still.” That result comes about often in a playful manner, transforming work into play, and unleashing individual, team, and organizational “genius” in the process.

“We take struggling teams and help them to transform into top performers. We take already great teams and partner with them to transform to their next highest level of growth. That almost always centers upon releasing the pent up talent in each individual and team. That sounds simple, and it’s not always easy. Our job is to make that process accessible, attractive, and mostly…safe. It never hurts to make it fun too,” claims John, who spent more than his fair share of time in the principal’s office for his playful approach to life…and grade school. That same approach makes transformation much more appealing for clients.

Vital Stats

  • BS in Economics and German from Georgetown University.
  • 7 years of formal study in ontology, neural science and linguistics.
  • 7 children. 3 grandchildren.
  • CrossFitter and extreme athlete.
  • Charitable board member, mostly for charities associated with eliminating child poverty and human trafficking.
  • Giving back is simply part of his personal ethic.

Today We Talked About

The Motivation Trap: Leadership Strategies to Achieve Sustained Success

The Motivation Trap: Leadership Strategies to Achieve Sustained Success

  • Genius Talent
  • Founder of Evoking Genius
  • Purpose vs. Motivation
  • Dan Pink – Drive
  • Passion – Doing You Best Work
  • Leaders Don’t Provide Motivation
  • Edit instead of Create
  • Uncovering Genius Talent
  • Hostage Negotiation
  • Growing up with a the last name of Hittler
  • Be Authentic

“The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what?  After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.” – John Maxwell


Connect with John



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November 5, 2018
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