About David
Bestselling Author, Performance Coach, and Keynote Speaker
“David Pollay cares about his clients’ success, both professionally and personally, and he helps you create and live the best version of yourself.”
— Preston Kevin Lewis, General Manager – United Kingdom and Ireland, Warner Bros. Consumer Products
David J. Pollay helps his clients make more money, get promoted, enjoy better relationships, drive positive organizational performance, and find more fulfillment at work and at home. He achieves this by serving as an executive coach to business leaders from the world’s top companies, where he distinguishes himself through his expertise in positive psychology and his own experience in leadership roles at Yahoo!, MasterCard, and other leading organizations.
David is a pioneer in applying the science of positive psychology to fuel organizational performance and personal transformation. David's signature coaching methodology, The Relationship Bottom Line, enables his clients to accelerate their own growth and success as they simultaneously activate the productivity, creativity, and collaboration of the people in their organizations. The bottom line: David gets business results. Through the power of investing in positive work relationships, David's process builds and develops the strengths of each leader, and evokes and amplifies the positive core of their organizations.
David was a co-founding associate executive director of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). For nearly a decade he has served as the on-air host of the Positive Psychology Leader Series, where he has been dubbed “the voice of IPPA.”
“I have never seen professional and personal transformation happen faster. I didn't think it was possible. David Pollay’s coaching is extraordinary.”
– Robert Aliota, President of Carolina Seal, Inc.
In addition to executive coaching, David shares his experiences and insights in other forums. He is the best-selling author of two books: The Law of the Garbage Truck®: How to Respond to People Who Dump on You and How to Stop Dumping on Others, which is now translated into thirteen languages. David’s trademarked method has liberated millions all over the world from the shackles of other people’s negativity. David’s second book, The 3 Promises: Find Joy Every Day. Do What You Love. Make a Difference, has attracted an international following of readers who have transformed their lives by committing to The 3 Promises every day.
David is also a keynote speaker to audiences around the world. He gave a TEDx talk on his mantra, “Spread Gratitude. Not Garbage.” David has been featured on ABC, NPR, Univision, and in Forbes, the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, and media worldwide.
"David Pollay is a master at creating instruction manuals for living one's best life. In his hands, research findings from the science of positive psychology become clear, practical, and deeply transformative..."
— Robert A. Emmons, Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Positive Psychology and author of Thanks! and Gratitude Works!
Much of David’s knowledge stems from practical experience. He has held leadership roles his entire career. David was the first director of customer care at Yahoo!, Inc. and the first director of Yahoo!’s learning and development organization. He partnered with the Gallup organization in 2000 to bring strengths-based leadership and management development to Yahoo!'s top performers worldwide. Previously, David held director roles at MasterCard and Global Payments, and hewas the CEO of AIESEC (the world's largest student-run, university-based leadership development program) in the United States.
"David J. Pollay masterfully weaves moving stories and rigorous science..."
— Tal Ben-Shahar, New York Times bestselling author of Happier and Choose the Life You Want
David holds a master’s degree of applied positive psychology (M.A.P.P.) from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University. He also has completed the academic program for certified professional coaches at the University of Miami.
“In 2006 we merged with a larger overseas competitor to pursue a global opportunity. As with any merger, there was uncertainty and anxiety within our team post-merger. David helped coach me through this process. We also brought him to Chicago to help with our executive and middle management teams where he organized seminars and one-on-one sessions. The feedback from these events was spectacular, and our merger was a success with zero internal turnover.”
— Cris Arens, Managing Member, Total Logistics Solutions, LLC
When he’s not coaching executives, writing books or speaking, you can find David devoted to his family. He coaches his daughters’ sports teams, spends time with his parents, and has fun enjoying everyday moments with his wife, Dawn, and their two daughters, Eliana and Ariela. David, an avid Green Bay Packers fan, is an athlete himself. He was a college football running back and attended Yale after breaking Shorewood (Wisconsin) High School's all-time career rushing and scoring records.
If you want to improve organizational performance and increase your own personal fulfillment on the job, sign up today at www.davidpollay.com for David’s free newsletter where he shares his strategies that have helped millions up their game and live more fulfilling lives.
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The 3 Promises
In The 3 Promises David explains how making three simple, daily promises to yourself – Find Joy Every Day, Do What You Love, Make A Difference – can create a life filled with joy, career satisfaction, and the power to positively impact other people's lives.
The Law of the Garbage Truck
David is the creator and author of the international phenomenon The Law of the Garbage Truck, published by Sterling Publishing.
In The Media
David has been in the media for years as a syndicated columnist. His columns have been published in newspapers across the United States and on news sites worldwide. Check out some of the coverage here. 