John Spence - author, coach, presenter, consultant and student of effectiveness and excellence at work - addressed more than 125 FAR members and guests at the September luncheon.  From the outset, John described himself as an informational rather than motivational speaker.  In his words, "if you get motivated, that's your problem."  The audience laughed and for the next hour John shared honestly, generously, and thoughtfully his observations and insights on leading member organizations in highly competitive and rapidly changing business environments.  For John, the key indicators of a successful organization are TALENT and WINNING CULTURE, replacing the traditional factors of "product, place, price and promotion" that are now easily and quickly replicated with the help of available technology.  See  John's slides at www.SlideShare.net/johnspence to learn more about a winning culture that attracts and retains  talent, is nimble in response to customer needs and refuses to accept mediocre results. Intended or not - John's knowledge, energy, honesty and humor proved as motivating as it was informative.

"In order to succeed, you need a high-performance team that is extremely customer focused and embraces a strong culture of disciplined execution and accountability while being nimble, agile and adaptable to changes in the marketplace."  Implemented with clarity and persistence, these factors produce an ownership mentality throughout the organization that breeds success -both for your customers and for your staff.  Spence spent 2 ½ hours guiding attendees through a workbook  with grids and audits that could be applied to any organization. The workbook and corresponding slides are available at www.SlideShare.net/johnspence.