John Spence | SpeakerHub

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Bio

John Spence

Making the Very Complex Awesomely Simple

With over 30 years of experience as a global business and leadership expert, John Spence is renowned for transforming complexity into clarity. Having delivered more than 1,500 presentations to audiences ranging from small executive teams to over 25,000 participants, John has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as "100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference.” Other speakers on the list included Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, Seth Godin, Simon Senik, and Brené Brown. John’s programs are highly engaging, information-intensive, and deeply customized, ensuring every audience leaves with actionable tools and insights.

Most requested topics:

• The Future of Leadership

• Building and Sustaining High-Performance Teams

• The Formula for Business Excellence

• Creating a Winning Organizational Culture

• Building Resilient Organizations

• Strategic Thinking and Execution

John's presentations and workshops are based on rigorous research, real-world experience, and a commitment to delivering tangible results. His tagline, "Making the Very Complex Awesomely Simple," reflects his ability to distill cutting-edge business concepts into practical strategies that inspire action.

John is also a bestselling author, a guest lecturer at top universities such as Harvard, MIT, Cornell, and Wharton, and a two-time TEDx speaker. His extensive background includes serving as the CEO of multiple companies and guiding organizations across industries toward long-term success.

Current position (1)

Managing Partner

John Spence LLC

Achievements (4)

Thinkers50 Top Global Thought Leaders

Often called the “Academy Awards of Management,” recognized me among the top eight global management thinkers for building high-performance leaders and organizations.

Top 50 Leaders To Watch in America

The American Management Association has named me one of America’s Top Leaders to Watch, sharing this honor with visionaries like Sergey Brin, Larry Page, and Jeff Bezos.

100 Great Leadership Speakers

Named as one of the 100 best leadership speakers, others on the list included Tom Peters, Gary Hamel, Jim Collins, Jim Kouzes, Barry Posner, Brene Brown, Tony Hsieh, Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Marshall Goldsmith.

Top 100 Thought Leader in Trustworthy Business Behavior

Presented by Trust Across America. Other recipients include Richard Branson -Virgin Group; Tony Hsieh–Zappos; Ram Charan; Thomas Freidman; Patrick Lencioni; Tom Peters – author; Howard Schultz - CEO of Starbucks.

Degrees (1)

Public Relations

The University of Florida

1985 to 1989

Presentations

Presentations (6)

Simplifying Success: What Great Businesses Focus On to Win

Business doesn’t have to be complex. After decades of work with top companies worldwide and extensive research, I’ve identified the patterns that great businesses consistently focus on to achieve lasting success. In this session, I’ll introduce the five essential areas that every organization must master to excel:
• Purpose-Driven Leadership: Inspire and align your team with a clear, compelling mission.

• People-First Culture: Build an environment where employees feel valued and motivated to perform at their best.

• Customer-Centric Strategy: Deliver exceptional value by deeply understanding and exceeding customer expectations.

• Focused Innovation: Stay adaptable and impactful by balancing creativity with strategic priorities.

• Operational Simplicity: Remove unnecessary complexity to streamline processes and empower your teams.

Attendees will leave with tools and insights they can apply immediately to drive strong, positive results in their organizations.

The Six Characteristics of Outstanding Leaders

After decades of guiding top leaders worldwide, I’ve distilled the principles of great leadership into six essential pillars that empower organizations to thrive:

Integrity and Values: Build trust and credibility with ethical, consistent leadership.

Vision with Execution: Inspire with a clear mission and align teams to achieve measurable results.

Big Picture Thinking: Make decisions with a holistic perspective and long-term focus.

Adaptability and Agility: Navigate change with resilience and a growth mindset.

Emotional Intelligence: Foster trust and collaboration through empathy and self-awareness.

Empowering Others: Delegate, coach, and develop leaders to build a stronger organization.

Attendees will leave with practical strategies to lead with clarity, engage their teams, and drive meaningful results in their organizations.

The Building Blocks of an Exceptional Organizational Culture

Organizational culture drives success. This speech covers the key characteristics that create a thriving culture—one that inspires employees, fosters innovation, and delivers extraordinary results:

• Trustworthy Leadership: Build trust with integrity and transparency.

• Shared Purpose: Align work with a mission that inspires and unites.

• Belonging and Connection: Create an environment where everyone feels valued.

• Empowered Collaboration: Foster autonomy, teamwork, and shared accountability.

• Growth and Development: Invest in learning and career pathways to unlock potential.

• Well-Being and Recognition: Support holistic wellness and celebrate contributions.

This session equips leaders with strategies to create a culture that energizes teams, strengthens collaboration, and achieves sustainable success. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to elevate their organization’s culture.

Unlocking Excellence: Building Teams That Thrive

What makes a team truly exceptional? This speech introduces six key characteristics of high-performing teams that consistently deliver outstanding results:

• Shared Purpose: Align individual contributions with a unifying mission.

• Psychological Safety: Build trust and encourage open, honest communication.

• Accountability and Dependability: Build a culture of reliability and mutual support.

• Transparent Communication: Ensure clarity and alignment through open dialogue.

• Adaptability and Agility: Navigate change with resilience and a growth mindset.

• Results Orientation: Prioritize collective success to achieve shared goals.

Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to build cohesive, resilient teams that drive sustainable success.

Mastering Strategic Thinking: How to Win in a Competitive Marketplace

Great strategy starts with great thinking. This speech explores how to elevate your strategic decision-making by focusing on clarity, alignment, and execution. Attendees will learn:

• The five levels of strategic thinking and how to apply them effectively.

• Why pattern recognition is critical to anticipating challenges and opportunities.

• What strategy truly is—and what it is not.

• A proven formula to create a differentiated strategy that will allow your organization to win in the marketplace.

This session provides leaders with the tools and insights to improve their strategic planning process, make smarter decisions, and drive lasting results.

Building Unstoppable AQ: Thriving Through Change

Business as usual no longer exists. In a world of constant disruption and rapid change, adaptability is the key to survival and success. This speech explores how to build your AQ (Adaptability Quotient)—the ability to adjust quickly and effectively at both the individual and organizational levels.

Attendees will learn:

How change impacts people and organizations—and how to manage it effectively.

The importance of learning, unlearning, and cultivating resilience in the face of setbacks.

Practical strategies for increasing personal and organizational adaptability.

How to foster realistic optimism and maintain focus during uncertainty.

Ways to make your business more flexible, fast, and competitive.

This session equips leaders and teams with the tools and mindset needed to embrace change, overcome adversity, and thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

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Press Kit - John Spence

Books & Articles (1)

Awesomely Simple

Jossey-Bass,

2009

Expertise (11)

Leadership

Business

Other

Clients

Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Apple, GE, the American Society of Association executives, Securities Industry Institute, Motorola, Heartland Landscaping, the Marine Manufacturers Association, Union Bank of Switzerland, Allegacy Credit Union