I help experts and decision-makers become trusted authorities.
Confidence
Presence
Awareness
Effectiveness
Integrity
John M. Collins MA, SHRM-SCP
It all starts with a conversation about goals, opportunities, and a future that you can feel good about.
Click below to share your story with me and how I can help you:
Office of John M. Collins
I support the efforts of subject matter experts, decision-makers, and teams who are looking to shift into a higher gear. Please get in touch with me if you’d like more detailed information about my programs or a quote for specific services.
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I provide one-on-one coaching for leaders and experts who carry significant responsibility and want to strengthen their effectiveness and credibility. My approach is structured and analytical, grounded in experience with authority, expertise, and public accountability. Our work focuses on judgment, communication, professional presence, and decision-making under pressure. I integrate evidence-based assessment tools, including CliftonStrengths and the Big Five personality framework, to develop high-resolution self-awareness and practical strategy. The aim is steady, measurable growth — greater clarity about your strengths, deeper alignment with your role, and increased trust from those who rely on your leadership.
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Show Up Strong is my structured training program for professionals who must engage difficult situations and challenging personalities with confidence, effectiveness, and intentionality. The workshop equips participants with practical tools for assertive communication, boundary setting, and disciplined emotional control. Through guided frameworks and applied scenarios, individuals learn how to address tension directly, navigate disagreement constructively, and maintain professional presence under pressure. Organizations implement Show Up Strong to strengthen accountability, reduce avoidable conflict, and ensure that authority is exercised with clarity and composure. Learn more at criticalvictories.com/showupstrong.
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We have multiple programs designed for current and emerging decision-makers who carry significant responsibility and want to strengthen their effectiveness, judgment, and influence. Our programs focus on disciplined leadership, clear communication, and the responsible exercise of authority. Participants examine how personal strengths, personality dynamics, and professional context shape leadership impact. Using structured frameworks and applied discussion, the training develops high-resolution self-awareness and practical strategies for building trust within teams and organizations. The result is leadership that is steady, accountable, and aligned with the demands of high-responsibility roles.
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I deliver two distinct three-day Administration and Leadership Academy programs designed specifically for public-sector professionals. One serves government supervisors, focusing on strength-based leadership, public accountability, collective bargaining realities, performance management, and high-stakes decision-making. The other is designed for non-supervisory government employees, emphasizing professional commitment, influence, emotional discipline, workplace relationships, and readiness for public service. Together, these programs strengthen competence at every level of government organizations. Participants gain practical tools, deeper self-awareness, and a clearer understanding of the responsibilities that accompany public trust, enabling agencies to build cultures grounded in accountability, steadiness, and service.
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Advanced Expert Witnessing is a comprehensive two-day training program designed to strengthen the courtroom effectiveness of forensic laboratory professionals. Participants engage in structured mock-trial scenarios, authoritative voice drills, and focused exercises that develop credibility, composure, and disciplined communication under cross-examination. The program addresses admissibility, judicial gatekeeping, witness credibility, ethics, and the practical realities of direct and cross examination. Delivered through high-energy, experience-based facilitation, the training builds situational self-awareness and reinforces the professional mindset required of trusted expert witnesses. Advanced Expert Witnessing is available both live onsite at your location and in an online format for broader accessibility.
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Our Strength-Based Leadership and Teamwork course is a facilitated leadership and teamwork experience built on the disciplined application of CliftonStrengths and the Big Five personality framework. Each participant completes both assessments in advance and receives individualized reports, creating a foundation for meaningful dialogue about talent, temperament, and influence. Through a two-day workshop or focused webinar format, teams examine how strengths and personality dynamics shape collaboration, decision-making, and conflict engagement. The experience translates personal insight into practical leadership strategy, strengthening trust, clarifying roles, and aligning team behavior with mission, values, and performance expectations in high-responsibility environments.
We also offer customized facilitations for strategic planning and other team retreats.
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I deliver keynote presentations and featured talks for organizations, conferences, and professional associations focused on high-stakes, high-responsibility decision-making. My presentations explore the disciplined exercise of authority, the development of trusted expertise, and the character required to lead when the consequences matter. Drawing from decades of experience in forensic science, public safety, and executive leadership, I share real-world stories that illuminate the pressures, ethical tensions, and judgment calls that define serious work. If your audience is composed of professionals who carry weighty responsibility, I welcome the opportunity to contribute perspective, clarity, and substance to the conversation.
Credentials
Certification
Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) through the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Certification
Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and qualified administrator of the Gallup StrengthsFinder (CliftonStrengths).
Education
Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
Education
Master of Arts in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix (Phoenix, AZ)
The Power of Coaching
High-Resolution Self-Awareness must be the primary objective of anyone seeking to become a more effective decision-maker, influencer, or participant in strategically important relationships.
Our program is unique in its ability to equip and inspire your clients to grow, with some so moved by the experience that they feel like they were “introduced to themselves” in a deep and meaningful way.
Our Coaching Process
“DARE” to place your intentions above your circumstances
Discovery
Client Discovery is a self-paced multimodal gathering of critical information about you and your goals, which occurs prior to - and includes - your first coaching session.
Assessment
The assessment phase occurs between the 1st and 2nd coaching sessions, which evaluates your naturally occurring talents, strengths, and key dimensions of personality.
Reflection
You will complete a series of three facilitated reflection exercises followed by your 2nd coaching session, in which your assessment results will be reviewed and discussed.
Engagement
Client engagement is the moment of the truth, the setting of - and commitment to - specific priorities that you identify with your coach during the 3rd and 4th coaching sessions.
Your Coach is Your Partner
Get Started - No Obligation
Complete a series of five introductory assignments to begin your coaching journey with no continued obligation whatsoever. Every client that enters my practice is presented with these assignments. Now is your chance to open your mind, career, and future to thought-provoking insights that will change your life.
Initial Assignments
Evaluation - Coaching Suitability (Optional)
Kinetic Index Summary (Online Form)
Next Steps
Once we receive your submissions, we will reach out to you by email with additional information to help you decide if coaching will be a good fit for you and your goals.
When you become our client, we will mail you a fresh copy of our Client Coaching Workbook. This is your navigation guide through our program.
Instruction & Facilitation
“Mr. Collins is an amazing public speaker. The workshop was very informative, and it not only taught me new things, it brushed up on things forgotten, and solidified the things I was already aware of as crucial.”
— 2025 Workshop Participant in Albany, New York.
Let's Make it About YOU
For coaching, training, or if you’re just |interested in working with me, complete the form with a few details about your interests and goals. I'll review your message and get back to you within 48 hours.