John M. Greco
I was born and raised in the south side of Chicago, Illinois.
My father was stricken with alcoholism for most of his life; my mother somehow single-handedly ran the household and raised five children - four boys, one girl, I was number 4 in birth order. My mother’s strength and character was no doubt the most influential factor in my development as a human.
I was an altar boy and a paper boy and a little league baseball player… Soon after my 16th birthday I followed in my older brother’s footsteps with my first job as a retail store clerk at Robert Hall Clothes on Kedzie avenue in Chicago. This part time job led to another, at United Parcel Service; I was able to buy my first car and fund my college tuition.
A blind date led to marrying Jamie in 1978. Son Jesse joined us ten years later. Both are creatives; while none of their talent was transferred to me, I’ve had a life-long course in art appreciation! They each have added depth and dimension to my personality…
Upon earning a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1978, I worked as an industrial engineer and engineering manager for several years. As a people manager, I noticed that the strongest of my engineers were not the most proficient technically, but instead had differentiating interpersonal skills. What made them stand out was their emotional intelligence, though I was unfamiliar with that concept back then. That insight led me to self-study personality theory and social psychology. As I explored my emerging interest, I discovered the field of organization development (OD).
Twenty years after earning my bachelor’s, I earned my master's in organization development (OD). OD is a discipline that helps organizations build their capacity to change and achieve greater effectiveness by developing, improving, and reinforcing strategies, structures, and processes.
At roughly the same time, a work project connected me to two new colleagues who introduced me to systems thinking, which is a way of looking at complex problems holistically, focusing on context and relationships to unpack complex cause-and-effect. My worldview forever changed. While still in my engineering role, I started applying systems thinking principles and organizational development practices. My career soon pivoted; I’ve contributed as an organization development practitioner ever since.
As an OD practitioner and “systems thinker,” I examine organizations holistically, seeing people and teams within the context of their environments. I am skilled at seeing the below-the-surface interdependencies and cause-and-effects that impede or drive results.
Over time and through change, I’ve learned a few things about myself and about the nature of change. I’ve been knocked off course by its force and intrigued by its complexity. My experience and development manifested in johnponders.com, my blog on work/life topics. I subsequently curated my blog posts and created four e-books - on change, organization design, culture, and leadership.
As my thinking crystallized, a composite book began to take shape. BETTER CHANGE: Delivering on the True Promise of Change Management synthesizes the lessons of my work and life experiences.
I’m currently semi-retired, and loving it! I consult part time, which leaves plenty of opportunity to travel - Puerto Rico and Australia in 2023, Key West, Big Sur and London in 2024!
If BETTER CHANGE generates opportunities to work with people and teams as they manage through organizational challenges, I willingly accept the work/life balance challenge, admittedly with a bit different spin now . . .
And if it doesn’t, more at-home time! My puppy would be happy, my garden would thrive, and my wife would ramp up her shopping excursions!
