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John Spence

Managing Partner at John Spence, LLC

Gainesville, United States

For over 30 years, my passion for helping companies and people succeed has driven me. Through executive coaching, training programs, keynote speeches, and strategy consulting, I've assisted organizations worldwide, ranging from startups to the Fortune 10. My approach focuses on transforming complex business concepts into simple, practical solutions. I deliver tangible results that help my clients achieve their goals and achieve long-term success. I am also the author of "Awesomely Simple – Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action" and "Excellence by Design – Leadership."

Background
At 26, I was the CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation, overseeing projects in 20 countries. Two years later Inc. Magazine named me one of America’s Up-and-Coming Young Business Leaders. More than a dozen organizations have recognized me as one of the world's top business experts. The American Management Association named me one of America's Top 50 Leaders to Watch, along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. The prestigious Thinkers50, the definitive global ranking of management thinkers, shortlisted me as one of the top eight in the World for their Distinguished Achievement Award. Thinkers 360 placed me on the Power List of the 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership. Others on the list include Simon Sinek, Gary Vaynerchuk, Adam Grant, and Marshall Goldsmith.

Services
As an executive coach, I work closely with you to enhance your skills in strategy, culture, high-performance teams, and other critical business topics. With my experience as CEO of four companies and a global business consultant, I bring real-life solutions to help you achieve sustainable results.

As a training facilitator and keynote speaker, I'm an expert at making complicated business topics easy to understand. Every program I deliver is custom-tailored to meet your specific needs. My presentations are fast-paced, highly engaging, content-rich, and deliver ideas and tools that can be implemented immediately.

As your strategy partner, I will help sharpen your strategic thinking and guide you through the process of identifying a set of core strategies that will serve as the foundation for your team's creation of a strategic blueprint designed to increase market share, revenues, and profitability.

Available For: Advising, Authoring, Consulting, Influencing, Speaking
Travels From: Gainesville, FL
Speaking Topics: The Future of Leadership, Achieving Business Excellence, Extreme Customer Focus

John Spence Points
Academic 0
Author 465
Influencer 118
Speaker 11
Entrepreneur 40
Total 634

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Company Information

Company Type: Service Provider
Theatre: Global
Minimum Project Size: N/A
Average Hourly Rate: N/A
Number of Employees: 1-10
Company Founded Date: Undisclosed
Media Experience: 31
Last Media Interview: 12/14/2023

Areas of Expertise

Business Strategy 42.03
Change Management 31.95
Coaching 32.04
Culture 34.97
Customer Loyalty
Entrepreneurship 35.64
Leadership 37.56
Management 33.45

Industry Experience

Aerospace & Defense
Agriculture & Mining
Automotive
Chemicals
Consumer Products
Engineering & Construction
Federal & Public Sector
Financial Services & Banking
Healthcare
High Tech & Electronics
Higher Education & Research
Hospitality
Insurance
Manufacturing
Media
Pharmaceuticals
Retail
Telecommunications
Utilities

Publications

74 Article/Blogs
How I Caught AI Trying to Network With Me
John Spence LLC
June 23, 2025
The other day, I received a connection request on LinkedIn. It looked like a legitimate profile, someone in private equity who might even be a potential client. So, I accepted.

Shortly after, I received a friendly message thanking me for the connection. It opened with a line assuring me it wasn’t a sales pitch. So far, so good.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Control, Influence, and Let Go
John Spence
June 16, 2025
There’s a lot of stress in the world right now. Some of it is understandable. But a surprising amount is self-inflicted. Caused by people pouring energy, anxiety, and anger into things they cannot and will not ever change. Traffic. The weather. Taxes. Airline delays. How others drive. What someone posted on social media. And at the very top of this list? Other people. You can’t control their beliefs, behaviors, or values. You can’t make them act the way you want. And yet, I see people carry an enormous emotional load trying to fix, manage, or correct these things. It doesn’t work. And it is killing them. Literally.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Making Space for Joy in Leadership
John Spence
June 09, 2025
Leadership demands a lot from you. The pressure to perform, to guide others, to stay sharp is constant. And if you don’t take care of yourself, everything else begins to erode. Your health declines, your relationships suffer, and your thinking gets foggy. Over time, ignoring your well-being impacts every part of your life and leadership.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Taking Control of Your Time: When to Work, When to Delegate
John Spence
June 02, 2025
Imagine if every minute of your day was tracked, categorized, and analyzed—not just meetings and calls, but every interruption, every email, and every moment of reflection or lack thereof. This was the reality for 27 CEOs who participated in a comprehensive study by Harvard Business School’s Michael Porter and Nitin Nohria. Over 60,000 hours of their time were meticulously documented, revealing not just how they spent their days but also how their choices impacted their organizations.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Psychological Safety at Work: The Hardest Thing Leaders Must Do
John Spence
May 27, 2025
Years ago, Google tried to decode what makes a great team. They assumed the answer would be some unique combination of skillsets, intelligence, and complementary personalities. What they found instead was striking: who is on the team matters far less than how the team operates. And the most critical factor? Psychological safety.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

AI Can Give You Data. It Can’t Give You Wisdom.
John Spence
May 21, 2025
AI can deliver enormous amounts of data in seconds. Charts, trends, summaries, and insights faster than any human ever could. That’s impressive. And useful. But it’s also where the trouble starts because having the information doesn’t mean you know what to do with it.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Impostor Syndrome in Leadership: Why It Happens and What to Do About It
John Spence
May 12, 2025
When I took over an international Rockefeller Foundation at the age of 26, I knew that I was way over my head. Every day, I came to work wondering when they would figure out I had no idea what I was doing. The truth is, none of us does. At some level, we all make it up as we go along. Every day presents us with situations that we have never encountered before. We rely on our experience and intuition, but we are still doing our best to figure out how to move forward in a positive direction.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

From Burnout to Buy-In: How to Reignite Manager Engagement
John Spence
April 28, 2025
I just finished reviewing Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report. The findings are alarming. According to their research, only 21% of employees worldwide were engaged in their work in 2024. The remaining 79% includes both “not engaged” employees—those who are psychologically unattached to their work—and “actively disengaged” employees, who are not only unhappy but also resentful that their needs aren’t being met and are acting out their dissatisfaction.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

What Great Leaders Get Right: 6 Core Elements of High-Impact Leadership
John Spence
April 21, 2025
Outstanding leadership isn’t complicated—but it is uncommon

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

An “Awesomely Simple” Equation That Can Change Your Company—and Your Life
John Spence LLC
April 07, 2025
The main question that John and I have been pondering together across all these years is this: If life, liberty, and happiness pursuit in the workplace is so Awesomely Simple and Helpful to Ourselves and Others, why is it so rare? I believe the answer lies in the following “Awesomely Simple H2O Equation”

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Why Leaders Struggle to Delegate—and How to Change That
John Spence LLC
March 31, 2025
Delegation is something leaders know they should do. But they often struggle. It’s not about holding on to power—it’s about fear. Fear that the work won’t be done right and that it won’t meet their standards. Fear it won’t be delivered on time.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Thoughtful Leader: Why Reflection Matters
John Spence LLC
March 10, 2025
Thoughtfulness is a powerful yet often overlooked leadership practice. It involves taking the time to evaluate your actions, decisions, and their effects. Leaders who reflect regularly become more intentional, self-aware, and effective. They understand issues and challenges at a deeper level. They step back and see the bigger picture.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Uncompromising Pursuit of Excellence
John Spence LLC
March 03, 2025
A world-class chef, innovator, and relentless perfectionist, he transformed fine dining with his obsessive attention to detail and uncompromising standards. He was demanding, unyielding, and, at times, abrasive—but his pursuit of excellence was unparalleled. His Chicago restaurant – Charlie Trotter’s – was more than just a place to eat; it was an institution of precision, artistry, and excellence.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Four Frameworks of World-Class Performance
John Spence LLC
February 24, 2025
Each framework stands on its own. But together, they form a system—one that empowers businesses to rise above mediocrity and sustain excellence over time. This system isn’t theoretical. It’s built on experience. Tested in real companies. Proven in real results.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Six Characteristics of Outstanding Leaders
John Spence LLC
February 19, 2025
Leadership is the force that shapes an organization’s culture, drives execution, and determines long-term success. It is the single most important factor in whether a company thrives or fails. As I often say, “As goes the leadership team, so goes the entire company.”

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

High-Performance Teams: The Engine of Execution
John Spence LLC
February 10, 2025
A company’s future depends on the strength of its teams. Without effective teamwork, even the best strategies fail to deliver results.
The following framework outlines the six key components of world-class teams.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Framework for Building a Winning Culture
John Spence LLC
February 03, 2025
In this article, we will turn our attention to what it takes to build a strong culture of highly engaged employees who consistently strive to deliver excellence.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Framework for Organizational Excellence
John Spence LLC
January 27, 2025
Over the last 30 years, I’ve worked with organizations worldwide, helping them navigate challenges and discover what truly drives success. The Organizational Excellence Framework emerged from this journey—a synthesis of proven principles designed to help leaders create lasting results.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Introducing Frameworks That Turn Challenges Into Opportunities
John Spence LLC
January 20, 2025
The business world is chaotic. Markets shift rapidly, demands increase, and change is constant. Yet, even in these turbulent times, the fundamentals of success remain the same. Organizations excel when leaders provide clarity, teams work purposefully, and cultures inspire people to give their best. The challenge isn’t knowing these truths. It’s turning them into action.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Lessons for Leaders and an Upcoming Framework for Success
John Spence LLC
January 13, 2025
People want to follow leaders they trust—those who act with honesty and align their words with their actions. Authenticity means consistently reflecting your values in your decisions and interactions. It also means being vulnerable enough to admit mistakes and ask for help.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Lead with Love or Lose Your Team
John Spence LLC
December 16, 2024
This doesn’t mean you need to fall in love with your employees—that’s romantic love. This isn’t about affection, being their best friend, or their therapist. It’s about genuine gratitude and care. It’s your way of saying, “I love you.” I appreciate everything from your presence on our team to the hard work you do, your positive attitude, the care you show our customers, and your commitment to delivering excellence.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The True Responsibility of Leadership
John Spence LLC
December 09, 2024
I wonder if most leaders are thoughtful about their leadership.

My belief is many just go through the motions. I know I did for years.

I read the books, attended the seminars, studied the articles, and tried to improve. But it wasn’t until later that I took the time to sit and think deeply about the kind of leader I wanted to be and the legacy I wanted to leave.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Advanced Strategies for Market Differentiation
John Spence LLC
December 02, 2024
To satisfy this formula, your offering needs to meet four criteria:

Be unique and compelling.
Be highly valued by your target customers.
Be difficult, if not impossible, for competitors to copy.
Be consistently executed with excellence.
While these principles sound simple, meeting all four is incredibly challenging. However, focusing on the following five key areas provides a practical framework to help you succeed.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

From Competence to Connection: Leadership Qualities That Drive Success
John Spence LLC
November 18, 2024
As you rise in an organization, the skills that once made you successful become less central. Technical expertise takes a back seat to the ability to work with and through others. Leadership isn’t about doing the work yourself anymore. It’s about guiding others to get results. That’s why technical skills aren’t on this list of essential traits. These leadership qualities determine your impact. Developing them shapes your success and the success of those you lead.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Strategy Is Just a Guess
John Spence LLC
November 11, 2024
I have been helping companies build winning strategies for more than three decades. Crafting a strategy can be intimidating. There are many moving parts and a lot at stake. After all, you are plotting the future of your organization. You want to get it right.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

28 Author Newsletters
Trust, Love, and Leadership That Lasts
Linkedln
May 07, 2025
I just finished reviewing Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report. The findings are alarming. According to their research, only 21% of employees worldwide were engaged in their work in 2024. The remaining 79% includes both “not engaged” employees—those who are psychologically unattached to their work—and “actively disengaged” employees, who are not only unhappy but also resentful that their needs aren’t being met and are acting out their dissatisfaction.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Navigating Leadership with Emotional Intelligence
Linkedln
November 27, 2024
I’ve noticed a trend. In my leadership training workshops and executive coaching, people downplay the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in leadership. They think it’s too touchy-feely and don’t want to be seen as “emotional.” People believe showing vulnerability is a weakness. They are wrong.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Questions Demand Answers
Linkedln
September 11, 2024
The quality of the questions you ask determines the quality of your life. Being curious is commendable. Wanting to understand the world around you and what others think is essential. However, as the famous author Ursula K Le Guin said, “The only questions that really matter are the ones you ask yourself.”

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Mastering Emotional Intelligence
Linkedln
September 04, 2024
Imagine you’re in a meeting with your leader. The discussion centers on the latest sales numbers. You’ve analyzed the data. Given the down market, the targets they have set are unrealistic. You try to explain this, offering solid evidence and reasoned arguments.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Employees First: A Case Study in Corporate Success
Linkedln
August 28, 2024
Many businesses are hyper-focused on maximizing financial returns. While revenue and profitability goals are essential, prioritizing them above all else can lead to disaster. In my work with companies around the world, I’ve discovered a fundamental truth: organizations that put employees first consistently outperform those that chase monetary success alone.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Power of Referrals in Business
Linkedln
July 24, 2024
Many businesses depend almost exclusively on referrals. A few come to mind right away: real estate agents, financial advisors, lawyers, and accountants. It is rare that someone would Google “lawyers near my location.” They are going to ask their friends to recommend one. Other businesses advertise, but they rely heavily on referrals. Examples include restaurants, dry cleaners, and car repair shops. If you find a mechanic you trust, everyone wants to know about them!

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Maximizing Workforce Confidence and Engagement in 2024
Linkedln
July 17, 2024
The economic landscape in the United States remains strong despite global uncertainties. Workforce confidence is high. Seventy percent of workers feel secure in their jobs, up from 61% in 2021. This reflects the overall strength of the U.S. labor market, which shows resilience even as other parts of the world face challenges.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Urgency: The Catalyst for Change in Tough Economic Times
Linkedln
June 12, 2024
Even though there’s a mandate to reduce headcount, underperforming employees persist, protected by well-meaning managers. Noble intentions, but unsustainable. Continued losses risk everyone’s job.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Why Work-Life Balance Won’t Make You A Better Leader
Linkedln
May 29, 2024
Many leaders stick to a rigid separation between work and home life, convinced it boosts concentration and productivity. However, this often leads to extended office hours, missed family moments, and personal sacrifices for career growth. While it may initially increase productivity, it eventually results in burnout, isolation, and diminishing personal satisfaction and professional output returns.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

War of the Words: The Great Buzzword Purge
Linkedln
May 01, 2024
The English language: a vast and vibrant tapestry of nearly 600,000 magnificent words. Slowly being strangled by a trio of dangerously overused buzzwords. Fear not, fellow wordsmiths! Today, we embark on a noble quest – a crusade to liberate your vocabulary from the shackles of “unprecedented,” “resonate,” and “synergize.”

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Excellence Not Perfection
Linkedln
April 24, 2024
Many years ago, a friend visited me at the company I was running. As we walked around the office, I introduced him to our staff. Each took a minute or two to talk about the projects they were working on. I invited some executive team members to join us for lunch.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

How Adaptability Quotient (AQ) Shapes Effective Leadership
Linkedln
March 27, 2024
As I look at the leadership landscape, I believe there are three quotients that one must have to be an effective leader. The first is IQ, and by this, I do not mean the number; I mean competence. You must be very good at what you do. The next is EQ, emotional intelligence, your ability to understand your emotions, regulate them appropriately, and show empathy.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

I’m Sorry Bob
Business Brief
March 13, 2024
I was recently building a custom AI assistant to help me do research and named it Bob. I gave Bob some very specific commands about the way I wanted him to deliver information. Much to my chagrin, after multiple attempts, Bob still was not giving me what I needed. I decided that Bob wasn’t working out and I would have to remove him from the company. Here is our conversation about his termination.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Riding with Yoda: Advice for a Happier Life
Business Brief
February 28, 2024
I was recently in San Antonio Texas on business. I got an Uber for the 20-minute ride from my hotel to the client’s office. Little did I know that I had gotten in the car with Yoda. Actually, his name was Leo, but he was wise beyond most people I have ever met. During our short ride, he shared powerful ideas about life, family, work, and faith. I gave him my email and asked him to drop me a note. This is the way I make sure people are serious about staying in touch. I have given my email out hundreds of times, and only a handful of people ever send a note. Leo sent a note the next day. Here is our exchange.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

An Essential Tool for Strategy Execution: The Power of Dashboards
Linkedln
February 21, 2024
Creating a robust strategy can be monumental task, but it’s only the beginning. The real challenge, and often the stumbling block for many organizations, is in the execution. The gap between strategic planning and successful implementation is wide. This is where the indispensable tool of a dashboard comes into play. A dashboard is critical for any organization serious about turning its strategic visions into reality.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Clear Path to Success: How to Eliminate Mediocrity and Drive Progress
Linkedln
February 14, 2024
One of my favorite business phrases is “ambiguity breeds mediocrity.” When things are unclear, people are uncertain. They don’t know what to focus on. They’re not sure what to do next. Progress comes to a grinding halt. As a leader, creating clarity is your responsibility. Here’s how to do it.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

From Plan to Performance: How to Execute Your Business Strategy
Business Brief
February 07, 2024
You’ve got a killer strategy. Your team has spent days, weeks, maybe even months crafting it. You’ve evaluated your market, studied your competitors, and set ambitious goals. You’ve got a plan that could take your business to new levels of success. But then, nothing happens.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

35 Questions to Inspire Self-Reflection
Business Brief
January 31, 2024
When was the last time you paused to reflect on your life? You’re too busy for that, right? Wouldn’t you like to know if you should continue full-speed ahead or if you’re veering off course? Here are 35 questions to inspire self-reflection. They will help you identify your values, discover your driving forces, challenge your behavior, and determine whether you should recalibrate your direction.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Turning Seminar Ideas into Action: A Simple, Proven Method
Business Brief
January 24, 2024
Attending a seminar can flood you with new ideas. But often, these ideas fade away. Why? Because we don’t act on them.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Turning Life’s Trials into Triumphs: Practical Techniques for Resilience
Business Brief
January 17, 2024
Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving. We grow stronger and more resilient. But how do you do that?

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Leader’s Toolkit: Four Essential Leadership Skills for Business Success
Business Brief
January 11, 2024
Continuous improvement is crucial for business leaders. It drives personal and organizational success. Focusing on just a handful of key development areas can yield significant benefits. Here are four critical areas where even modest improvements can lead to big gains.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

The Strategic Power of Customer Relationships
LinkedIn
December 13, 2023
The voice of the customer is everything. It should be a primary focus of your strategy. It deserves a significant investment of time, money, and people. Strong customer relationships are among the only sustainable competitive advantages for many businesses. It should be a top priority

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Tags: Leadership, Business Strategy

Effective Decision-Making for Leaders: A Strategic Approach
LinkedIn
December 06, 2023
Strategy is about making decisions. You have limited resources. You must allocate them carefully. Deciding where to invest your money, time, and human capital is daunting. There are usually several options with varying degrees of urgency. Making sound strategic decisions in a timely manner is a vital skill for leaders.

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Tags: Leadership, Business Strategy

Counterfeit Leadership
LinkedIn
November 29, 2023
The fact is, some leaders are causing irreparable damage to great institutions by shirking their responsibilities. They’re afraid to address difficult issues, make tough decisions, and introduce the change that’s required to achieve long-term success. Instead, these “counterfeit leaders” spend much of their time playing politics, protecting their turf, and promoting their self-interests. To make matters worse, counterfeit leaders, in both public and private sectors, often masquerade as positive role models while condoning unethical or irresponsible behavior that undermines the very foundation of their institution.

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Tags: Leadership, Business Strategy

The Power of Not Being Number One
LinkedIn
November 15, 2023
Many companies aim high. They set their vision or BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) to be the best in the world. It’s a lofty goal. But let’s be honest. Only a few can achieve it. It takes massive resources, focus, and effort. If you can do it, great. Go for it! But what if you can’t?

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Tags: Management, Leadership

6 Books
Letters To A CEO
Flycaster & Company
January 01, 2023
For nearly two decades, John Spence has served as a trusted advisor and coach to senior executives at top companies around the globe. They turn to him because of his wealth of experience working with big corporations – to hundreds of small to medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups. Because his clients know that he has read a minimum of 120 business books a year since 1989, they will often ask him to summarize the key points of what he has learned on a specific topic into a “letter” that will help them learn a new skill or make a major business decision.

Letters to a CEO is a compilation of the actual letters that John has sent to his clients in the last few years. It covers such critical business topics such as how to make good decisions, increasing accountability throughout the organization, strategic thinking, high-performance teams and much more.

Each letter is only a few pages long but every one is packed with John’s best ideas, insights and lessons learned as the CEO of ten companies. Add the knowledge he gained in reading nearly 3,000 business books in his quest to learn as much as he possibly could on what it takes to build, grow and sustain a highly successful organization and you have Letters to a CEO. Reading this book is like having a top Fortune 500 executive coach standing by to give you great advice whenever you need it.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Change Management, Leadership

Awesomely Simple - Essential Business Strategies For Turning Ideas Into Action
Jossey-Bass
September 08, 2009
The six core strategies to elevate any business-and how to implement them-made simple

What do the world's most successful companies and organization have in common? And what can you actually take away and use from their examples? Distilling the best fundamental business strategies, trusted advisor and strategist John Spence helps you take a hard look at your business and together develop specific plans and action steps that will allow you to dramatically improve the success of your company.

Delivered in Spence's approachable and straightforward manner, Awesomely Simple reveals the six key strategies that create a foundation for achieving business excellence: Vivid Vision, Best People, A Performance-Oriented Culture, Robust Communication, A Sense of Urgency, and Extreme Customer Focus.

Filled with case studies and clear action items, includes easy-to-follow guidelines for implementing the strategies in any organization no matter its mission or size
After concisely breaking down each strategy, Spence gives specific examples, tips, tools, discussion questions and exercises for how to execute them successfully
A perfect resource for business leaders, Awesomely Simple will help you turn ideas into positive action and achieve lasting business success.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Leadership, Culture

Awesomely Simple
Jossey-Bass
September 01, 2009
What do the world's most successful companies and organizations have in common? And what can you actually take away and use from their examples? Distilling the best fundamental business strategies, trusted advisor and strategist John Spence helps you take a hard look at your business and then to develop specific plans and action steps that will allow you to dramatically improve the success of your company.

See publication

Tags: Business Strategy, Customer Experience, Leadership

Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action
Jossey-Bass
August 01, 2009
The six core strategies to elevate any business - and how to implement them - made simple.

What do the world's most successful companies and organizations have in common? And what can you actually take away and use from their examples? Distilling the best fundamental business strategies, trusted advisor and strategist John Spence helps you take a hard look at your business and then to develop specific plans and action steps that will allow you to dramatically improve the success of your company.

Delivered in Spence's approachable and straightforward manner, Awesomely Simple reveals the six key strategies that create a foundation for achieving business excellence: Vivid Vision, Best People, A Performance-Oriented Culture, Robust Communication, A Sense of Urgency, and Extreme Customer Focus.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

Excellence By Design: Leadership - The Six Key Characterics of Outstanding Leaders
Flycaster & Company
January 01, 2008
A straightforward, practical, and actionable guide designed to teach the essential steps necessary for becoming an extraordinary leader. Solid advice, powerful tools and timeless wisdom on how you can dramatically improve your leadership effectiveness. Lays out the six key characteristics of outstanding leaders.

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Tags: Management, Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Excellence by Design – Leadership
Flycaster & Company
January 01, 2008
Straightforward, practical and actionable guide designed to teach the essential steps necessary for becoming an extraordinary leader. Solid advice, powerful tools and timeless wisdom on how you can dramatically improve your leadership effectiveness. Lays out the six key characteristics of outstanding leaders.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Culture, Leadership

2 Founders
Flycaster & Company
Flycaster & Co.
October 16, 2009
Boutique advertising and marketing company specializing in the marine industry.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship

Managing Partner
John Spence LLC
March 02, 1994
Managing Partner at John Spence LLC, where I provide executive coaching, strategic guidance, workshops, and keynote speeches to organizations worldwide.

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Tags: Leadership, Business Strategy, Coaching

6 Influencer Awards
Power List of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership in 2022
LeadersHum
February 01, 2023
Other people who receive this award include Gary Vaynerchuk, Marshall Goldsmith, Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, and Dorie Clark

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Tags: Leadership, Coaching

Top 50 Leaders to Watch in America
American Management Association
February 01, 2023
Other recipients of this recognition include Serge Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

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Tags: Leadership

Thinkers50: 2017 Distinguished Achievement Awards Shortlist - Top 8
Thinkers50
September 01, 2017
Breakthrough Idea Award
The Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award celebrates a Eureka moment in management. It is given for a radical idea, which has the potential to forever change the way we think about business. From Taylorism to the Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, new ideas have challenged what we know about the world. This award is dedicated to the legacy of CK Prahalad, who proved there is nothing so practical as a great idea.

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Tags: Leadership

Top 500 Leadership Development Experts in the World
HR.com
April 10, 2015
John Spence is recognized as one of the top 500 leadership development experts in the world.

Prestigious Leadership Awards salute top leadership practitioners and highlight their roles in the industry.

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Tags: Leadership

Top 5 Small Business Experts America
Small Business Trends
September 19, 2014
Voted as one of the top 5 Small Business Experts in America by small business owners across the United States

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Tags: Entrepreneurship

Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business Behavior: Global List
Trust Across America
February 01, 2013
Recipients hail from around the globe and include leaders from the public and private sectors as well as authors, consultants, researchers and academics. Other 2013 recipients include: Richard Branson -Virgin Group, Tony Hsieh – Zappos, Ram Charan - top global business consultant, Thomas Freidman – author, Rosabeth M. Kanter - The Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship at Harvard Business School, Patrick Lencioni – author, Tom Peters – author, Howard Schultz - CEO of Starbucks.

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Tags: Leadership

1 Speaker Award
100 great leadership speakers for your next conference
Inc. Magazine
December 16, 2014
Presented by Inc. Magazine. Others on the list included Sir Richard Branson, Ken Blanchard, Bob Berg, Dori Clark, Marshall Goldsmith, John Kotter, Gary Hamel, and John Maxwell.

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Tags: Leadership

2 Trainings
Securities Industry Institute – Wharton School of Business
Securities and Financial Management Association (SIFMA)
March 12, 2001
The Securities Industry Institute is recognized worldwide as the premier development program for securities industry professionals. Now in its 60th year, the Securities Industry Institute focuses on helping participants broaden their perspectives, increase job effectiveness and strengthen management skills.

SII utilizes a variety of class formats from general sessions to individual electives, panel discussions to small workshops; many supplemented with pre-course work and case studies. The curriculum embraces a combination of practical information, theory, and broad issues. Participants who complete this intensive three-year program receive a certificate of completion that is recognized among the leading firms in the industry.

During my more than two decades as an instructor, the programs I have delivered at the Institute include leadership, strategic thinking/strategic planning, organizational culture, high-performance teams, the future of business, accountability and business excellence.

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Tags: Business Strategy

Global Leadership Development Program – Senior Instructor
Merrill Lynch
April 01, 1997
Serving as a consultant, I delivered highly customized training programs and executive coaching to employees at all levels across the organization, from financial managers to the C-Suite. I also served as a senior instructor for the Global Leadership and Development Program for high-potentials. Areas that I focused on for this client included leadership, strategic thinking, high-performance teams, conflict resolution, presentation skills, communication effectiveness, and negotiations.

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Tags: Leadership, Coaching

1 Whitepaper
The Journey To Thought Leadership: 13 Steps To Take You There
John Spence LLC.
August 20, 2024
I never had the goal of becoming a Thought Leader. My focus has always been on doing great work. The accolades have been a fruit of that labor. Today our company's mission is for me to be consistently ranked as one of the top 100 Thought Leaders in the world. This is not about ego. It is about doing the quality of work that allows me to be considered for those awards. From a business standpoint, quality work at that level equals more and happier clients.

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Tags: Entrepreneurship, Leadership

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1 Business Consulting
Executive Coaching

Location: Global    Fees: $4,000 per month

Service Type: Service Offered

Executive Coaching and Business Advisory:
As an executive coach, I have worked with numerous leaders, from small companies to the C-Suite, in global organizations. I provide personalized guidance, helping individuals maximize their potential, refine their leadership skills, and achieve their professional goals. Through insightful coaching sessions, I assist executives in navigating challenges, enhancing their decision-making abilities, and driving sustainable growth. For many clients, I coach their entire executive team, helping them become a more cohesive and effective high-performance team.

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1 Keynote
Keynotes on Business Topics

Location: Global    Fees: $20,000 + Travel

Service Type: Service Offered

Keynote Speaking:
As a keynote speaker, I specialize in turning complex business concepts into actionable strategies. Each presentation is custom-tailored backed by in-depth research and real-world experience. My presentations and workshops are fast-paced, content-rich, and focused on delivering ideas and tools that the audience members can implement immediately. Whether to a small group of executives or more than 20,000 people in the audience, I have the experience to deliver excellence in every presentation.

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1 Speaker
Training and Development Programs

Location: Global    Fees: $20,000 + Travel

Service Type: Service Offered

Training Programs
I have a proven track record of designing and delivering comprehensive training programs for over 30 Fortune 500 companies, smaller private companies, and professional associations. These programs cover a wide range of topics, including leadership development, strategy, high-performance teams, and organizational culture.

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