John Spence

A business student sent me four sharp questions about leadership. I've been teaching this for 30 years, and here's what it comes down to.

Read the full conversation: https://johnspence.com/four-great-questions-about-leadership/

A few weeks ago, during an executive coaching session, I asked two different leaders to complete the same sentence:

"I'm the kind of person who ________."

Both were following rules they had created years earlier. Those rules were still shaping how they handled conflict, relationships, and decision-making without either of them realizing it.

In this week's blog, I write about where many of these rules come from and why most people never question whether they are still working.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rules-we-live-john-spence-hvnve/

If you are ready to examine what is driving your decisions, send me a note. [email protected]

The Rules We Live By Many of the most important decisions we make are driven by rules we never consciously chose. Those rules shape how we respond to conflict, pressure, relationships, opportunity, success, and failure.

Honored to be included in this month’s Leadership Development Digest, hosted by Diana Peterson-More.

The Digest brings together 26 contributors exploring topics such as accountability, engaging employees, courage, and the deeper aim of leadership.

Grateful to be part of a community that values thoughtful leadership and generous idea-sharing.

You can read the full issue here: https://dianapetersonmore.com/2026/06/02/june-2026-leadership-development-digest/

If you find this useful, share it with your network, and let's connect.

June 2026 Leadership Development Digest - Diana Peterson-More Drum roll, please! This month’s Leadership Development Digest features a record number of offerings – 26 thought leaders share their wisdom on a range of topics: Performance and Results; Growth & Development, Resilience, Well-Being, & Burnout Prevention, and AI & Technology ; Culture, Coaching a...

One idea from this week's blog that seems to resonate with many people.

The strongest companies I work with create environments where people feel genuinely supported and still expected to perform at a high level. Culture and performance hold up best when both are present.

If this reflects something you are seeing in your organization, the full blog is worth your time: https://johnspence.com/capabilities-successful-companies-business/

The CoEfficient Workplace Report 2026 surveyed more than 4,000 employees and the findings are worth paying attention to: workload, leadership, and everyday working conditions are shaping mental health outcomes far more than most organizations realize.

On June 18th I am joining CoEfficient for their first CoEfficient Conversation, a live discussion built around those findings. We will be looking at what the data is showing about workload sustainability, staff retention, and what leaders can do about it starting Monday.

Free to attend. Live on Zoom at 12PM ET. I would love to see you there.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6417801571169/WN_UX8ElPnhRMKn0qKI34i5dg

Over the last year, I've spent a great deal of time working with leadership teams, facilitating strategy sessions, and coaching executives. One pattern continues to stand out. The companies building the strongest cultures are not choosing between supporting people and demanding performance. They are learning how to hold both together.

In this week's blog, I share five capabilities I continue to see in organizations that are adapting well, executing consistently, and building healthy cultures at the same time.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/five-capabilities-successful-companies-share-john-spence-saqte/

Let's partner to build a culture where your team feels supported and high performance follows. [email protected]

Five Capabilities Successful Companies Share Over the last year, I’ve spent a great deal of time working with leadership teams, facilitating strategy sessions, coaching executives, and studying the broader trends shaping businesses. One pattern continues to stand out to me, because I see it across industries, company sizes, and leadership st...

Leadership is about guiding your team toward results they could not achieve without strong direction. The infographic below covers seven qualities that consistently separate good leaders from great ones. Which one do you think gets overlooked most?

If you want to build a leadership team that brings out the best in the people around them, send me a note. [email protected]