[Leadership Vault] John Duisberg: Prioritizing Employee Recognition And Appreciation

by Jeff Bond

As Executive Partner at Chat With Leaders Media, Jeff Bond helps purpose-driven business, communications, and people leaders create high-impact content that strengthens relationships, fuels engagement, and drives meaningful impact.

His team partners with marketing and communications professionals to produce compelling podcasts, corporate event content, and leadership messaging—freeing up bandwidth while ensuring every message resonates.

Through the People First Elevation Team (PFET), Jeff and his colleagues turn company meetings into transformative experiences. By enhancing planning, elevating production, and coaching speakers, they ensure all-hands meetings and town halls inspire action, reinforce values, and build deeper connections.

Beyond media and communications consulting, Jeff serves on the Conscious Capitalism Atlanta Chapter Board, leading the Marcom Committee. He believes businesses thrive at the intersection of purpose and profit, leveraging storytelling and stakeholder-driven leadership to create sustainable impact.

John Duisberg is the co-founder of Cooleaf in Atlanta, GA, which is an employee engagement platform that helps leaders build a culture of appreciation and performance for their organization. At Cooleaf, John leads revenue generation and overall customer operations. John is married to his wife and best friend, Lauren, and has two awesome dogs! John is also a leader in High Tech Ministries and leads a local Grace@Work Bible study group.

Chat Highlights

What originally motivated you to build your business around improving employee and customer engagement?
Why do you think modern-day leaders need to be hyper-focused on demonstrating their genuine appreciation for their team and customers?
Can you share an example of a company or customer you’ve seen setting a high bar in their culture around engagement and appreciation? What kind of impact on performance is this having?
For leaders who want to build a better culture around employee appreciation, what’s a good starting point?
Employee appreciation day is right around the corner on March 5th and John’s team is generously offering a Free 90 Day Trial of their recognition program. Don’t miss out on a great opportunity!