John Bercow was Speaker of the House of Commons for over ten years, making him the longest-serving Speaker since 1945. First elected to the chair in 2009, he was re-elected three times and kept order under four Prime Ministers. As Speaker, John provided more opportunities than ever before for MPs to question, probe, and scrutinize Government Ministers. As Chair of the House of Commons Commission (the strategic governing body of the House overseeing a budget of £200 million, 1750 staff, and 14,000 passholders), John worked consistently to increase diversity in Parliament and make the House more family-friendly. He built a reputation as a reformer who made a difference within and outside the Chamber.
As a Member of Parliament for Buckingham since 1997, John won a string of awards throughout his political career, from Stonewall’s Politician of the Year to The Spectator’s Backbencher to watch.
After stepping down from Westminster in 2019, John published his autobiography ‘Unspeakable’ which reached Number 2 in The Sunday Times bestseller list. He now works as a commercial speaker, addressing audiences domestically and internationally, and as a university lecturer. He has served as Chancellor of the University of Essex and is currently a Professor of Politics at Royal Holloway.
John lives in London with his wife and three teenagers and enjoys an abiding passion for football (Arsenal) and tennis (Roger Federer).
• Lead by Example
If you want others to work hard, work hard yourself and be seen to do so, radiating commitment, energy, and passion
• Communication is crucial
Clarity and motivation are of the essence. Be clear about your company mission and communicate it in bite-sized chunks. Here it is important both to demonstrate the overall goal and the staging posts/interim targets for its delivery. Such effective communication requires prioritization of tasks to have been determined
• Priorities
Be selective. Rome was not built in a day. Do not try to do everything at once. Use your judgment to devise your key priorities and focus on them like a hawk. It is better to prioritize and excel than to adopt a scatter-gun approach of trying to do too many things and failing
• Build Teams
Create teams for tasks, delegate responsibility, and empower people. Give them a sense of ownership. It is their project and their achievement
• Never give up!!!
Be a fighter, not a quitter. Never say die. Find a way. Maximize the chances of success and the lessons when not achieving them
