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John Spence

Goodreads Author

Website

http://johnspence.com/

Twitter

awesomelysimple

Genre

Business & Investing, Professional & Technical, Nonfiction

Influences

Tom Peters, Jim Collins, Tim Sanders, Peter F. Drucker ...more

Member Since

April 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/johnspence

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Background on John Spence

"Making the very complex...awesomely simple” is no mere catch phrase, it is truly John Spence’s mission in life. Driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand the fundamental aspects of what it takes to achieve and sustain excellence in business and life, John Spence has earned a reputation as a leading authority in the areas of Strategic Thinking, High-Performance Teams, Advanced Leadership Development, and Delivering Consistently Superior Customer Service, making him one of the most highly sought after executive educators and professional speakers in America.

At the age of just 26, John was named CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation, overseeing projects in 20 countries and reporting directly to the Cha Background on John Spence

"Making the very complex...awesomely simple” is no mere catch phrase, it is truly John Spence’s mission in life. Driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand the fundamental aspects of what it takes to achieve and sustain excellence in business and life, John Spence has earned a reputation as a leading authority in the areas of Strategic Thinking, High-Performance Teams, Advanced Leadership Development, and Delivering Consistently Superior Customer Service, making him one of the most highly sought after executive educators and professional speakers in America.

At the age of just 26, John was named CEO of an international Rockefeller foundation, overseeing projects in 20 countries and reporting directly to the Chairman of the Board, Winthrop P. Rockefeller III. Two years later John was nominated as one of the top CEOs under the age of 40 in Florida and Inc. Magazine’s “Zinc Online” recognized him as one of America’s up and coming young business leaders. In 2011 John was named one of the Top 100 Business Thought Leaders in America.

For the past 17 years, John has presented workshops, speeches and executive coaching to more than 300 organizations worldwide including; Microsoft, IBM, GE, Abbott, Merrill Lynch, AT&T, Verizon, Qualcomm, State Farm, and dozens of private companies, government offices and not-for-profits. John is also the author of “Excellence by Design – the six key characteristics of outstanding leaders” and “Awesomely Simple – essential business strategies for turning ideas into action” and has been a guest lecturer at over 90 colleges and universities across the United States including Harvard, Rutgers, Brown, Stanford and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Affectionately referred to as the “Human Cliffs Notes” by many of his clients, John is known for taking massive amounts of research combined with his personal hands-on experience to deliver timely, focused, results-driven programs. For example, to create carefully customized workshops and presentations that reflect the newest research and most current thinking, John reads a minimum of 100 business-related books each year and listens to an additional 30-50 audio books, giving him an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge which to draw from.

John has served as “Executive in Residence” for the University of Central Florida’s Technology Incubator; as a Special Advisor to the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University; as a lead instructor for the University of North Florida’s Executive Education division; on the Board of Directors for the University of Florida’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation; as an advisor to the University of Florida’s Leadership Development Institute and as a senior instructor at the Cornell University Leadership Development School.

His work as a business advisor and executive educator has taken him on assignments to Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Austria, Mexico, Latin America, the Bahamas and Canada.
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539 posts
John Spence's Blog

How I Learned to Handle Disagreement Constructively

Disagreement is not a problem to avoid but a skill to master. In every healthy organization, disagreement is a sign that people care enough to think deeply and speak up. What separates great leaders from everyone else is not whether they disagree but how they do it. Recent research from Harvard Business Review by Julia Minson, Hanne Collins, and Michael Yeomans offers practical insight into what m

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John Spence’s books

Average rating: 4.23 · 193 ratings · 23 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas Into Action

4.23 avg rating — 200 ratings — published 2009 — 12 editions

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John’s Recent Updates

John Spence wrote a new blog post How I Learned to Handle Disagreement Constructively Disagreement is not a problem to avoid but a skill to master. In every healthy organization, disagreement is a sign that people care enough to think d Read more of this blog post »
Nov 25, 2025 12:29AM · like
John Spence rated a book it was amazing Values to Live By: Know What Matters Most and Let It Be Your Guide by Frank Sonnenberg (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Another outstanding book from Frank Sonnenberg. I have a favorite Walt Disney quote: "When values are clear, decisions are easy." When you understand the things that are core to the person you want to be, even the most difficult decisions become simp ...more
Jul 21, 2025 08:22AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Values to Live By by Frank Sonnenberg. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Values to Live By by Frank Sonnenberg <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Spence has read Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders by Steve Shallenberger (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 28, 2024 07:44AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Becoming Your Best by Steve Shallenberger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Becoming Your Best by Steve Shallenberger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Spence has read Think First: My No-Nonsense Approach to Creating Successful Products, Memorable User Experiences + Very Happy Customers by Joe Natoli	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 28, 2024 06:37AM · like
John Spence has read Getting F.I.T.: Unleashing the Power of Fully Integrated Teams by Jim Leighton	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 26, 2024 06:41PM · like

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John’s Quotes

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”
― The Dalai Lama

tags: inspirational

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