An Interivew With An Awesome Man, John Spence
In our readings throughout the Internet and through countless of magazines and white papers, we rarely come to meet a man or a woman who promotes the idea of AWESOMENESS in business. A lot of experts think the term is for kids. “Awesome” is usually a term used by the youth. But John Spence begs to differ. In this interview, he awes us with his powerful and engaging answers on how we can build businesses and organizations that are awesomely SIMPLE yet EXCELLENT at the same time.
How can we make businesses AWESOMELY SIMPLE? Is there an AWESOMELY SIMPLE manifesto?
Actually, the book “Awesomely Simple” began as a manifesto on “Achieving Business Excellence,” but the key to making business awesomely simple is in relentlessly focusing on the core strategies that form the foundation for sustained business excellence. ”
Tell us more about Business Excellence by Design. How can we apply it in our daily lives?
Success does not come from hope, chance, fate or good luck… it comes through planning and working for success, as you have to personally define success in your life. The aim then is to create a design, a plan for life success and then follow that plan as closely as possible.
YOU read 100 books a year, what's YOUR favorite book so far?
I read 100+ business books a year (and have every year since 1989) and another 50 or so in the areas of history, philosophy, religion and science. But my favorite business book is “What Really Works – the 4 + 2 Formula for Sustained Business Success” By Joyce, Nohria and Roberson. Fantastic research – extremely solid findings.
In YOUR official bio on YOUR site, what was the “rocky start” to your college career?
I failed out of college on the first try – from a college where there was a building named after my father!!! But on the second try I graduated in the top three in the United States in my major, so I was able to turn it around. The key to the turn around? Study groups, read the books, ask for help – it was just that simple to go from failure to top of my class.
We read that YOU are on the road, 200 days a year, where is the best city in the world? Why?
Wow, tough question. I would have to say for big cities: New York. It is a incredibly vibrant, diverse, exciting city and a major global business hub. I get a little overwhelmed by the number of people, but am amazed at the endless opportunities for exploration, learning, connection and adventure. Form small cities: Crested Butte, Colorado – my home away from home.
What's the secret to creating the life YOU LOVE?
Focus, Discipline and Action. You have to clearly know what success looks like to you, how you define it, what you truly want to achieve. Next, you have to have the discipline to actually do what you need to do to make that vision of a great life… a reality. Lastly, the amount of action you apply determines the amount of success you achieve. The seems pretty straightforward, but very, very few people do it.
What's a key lesson you learned along the way?
The most important thing I have learned in my life so far is: “You become what you focus on and similar to the people you surround yourself with.” Whatever you fill your mind with, and whoever you choose to spend your time with – will in large part determine what your life will look like a decade from now.
Who are YOUR personal heroes?
I don’t really have any “heroes” == but I am deeply impressed by: Teddy Roosevelt, Peter Drucker, Gandhi, Victor Frankl, and the Dalai Lama.
What are YOU hungry for?
The opportunity to help many, many more people run successful businesses and create more successful, happy and balanced lives.
What's YOUR next book about?
I just signed a contract to write a book about the “Keys to School, Career and Life Success,” I am very excited to get started on it!
About John Spence
John is author of the book entitled: "Awesomely Simple: Essential Business Strategies for Turning Ideas into Action."
"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.
For the past 14 years, John has presented workshops, speeches and executive coaching to more than 300 organizations worldwide including; Microsoft, IBM, GE Capital, Abbott, Merrill Lynch, Black Rock, NCR, AT&T, The US Navy, Alltel, Lanier, Verizon, Qualcomm, State Farm, and dozens of private companies, government offices and not-for-profits.
His main websites are http://www.jonhspence.com and http://www.awesomelysimple.com.
Be sure to sign up for his blog: www.johnspence.com/blog/.
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