Meet our newest WOL Coach: Jan Köster
I have already learned a lot from Jan.
It started when he analyzed my CliftonStrengths profile on his Die Profiler podcast. He didn’t see my name or other identifying information. All he had was my Strengths report. And yet his commentary was so insightful it was as if he has known me for decades.
That profile led to exchanging comments, then a call, then to collaboration, including work on a new method I developed with Michael Trautmann call WOL Strengths designed “to bring your Strengths to life.” Once again, his clarity and insights amazed me.
Beyond Jan’s obvious intelligence and deep, wide-ranging expertise, I greatly admire his working style: generous, gracious, encouraging. No wonder he is already en excellent coach.
For each new WOL Coach, I ask three questions so you can get to know them and their motivations. (You can also visit Jan’s WOL Coach profile on workingoutloud.com, connect with him on LinkedIn, or reach him directly at mail@jan-koester.info.)
I can’t wait to see what Jan does with WOL.
1. Please share 5 facts about you so people get to know you.
I am a father of four. They keep me curious and grounded, and they show me every single day how authentic learning truly works.
I create spaces for genuine connection and collective learning. Whether in podcasts, keynotes, networking formats, or coaching sessions—I love bringing people together and hearing their stories.
My roots are in Scouting. My view of humanity, my way of working, leading, and learning—it is all deeply rooted in this experience.
I love change and want to make work better. I believe that work should empower rather than diminish us. I design structures in which people can grow, take responsibility, and have a collective impact.
I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. For me, learning is a passion, not a burden. Understanding complex systems, identifying patterns, and deriving strategies from them—that is what drives me.
2. What positive difference do you aspire to make?
My guiding principle comes from the final letter of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouts, and it stays with me to this day: "I want to leave this world a little better than I found it."
I want to help shape organizations in a way that allows people to grow, take responsibility, and unfold their impact. This succeeds when we strengthen strengths, learn together, and enable self-responsibility—the three pillars of my transformation philosophy.
My vision is a working world where learning is part of the culture, where leadership enables rather than controls, and where people have the courage to be themselves.
I believe that when we create structures in which people can develop their potential from within, we achieve more than just performance—we create true future-readiness and leave the world a little better than we found it.
3. Why WOL?
Because it embodies exactly what I stand for: human connection, learning as a self-determined process, and growth from within.
WOL creates spaces where people are encouraged to show up, learn from one another, and develop together. It makes work human and turns it into an iterative process—which is exactly why it is so effective.
In my work with individuals, teams, and organizations, I rely on formats such as retrospectives, peer consulting, or peer coaching—all of which follow principles similar to Working Out Loud: visibility, reflection, and experimentation.
For me, WOL is part of a mindset—a learning mindset that we all need—and it complements my professional toolkit perfectly.
