If what you focus on expands and what you put behind you shrinks, what should you be focusing on in your leadership? This week, we’re starting a two-part series where John Maxwell answers this question and gives you 4 things that you need to put in front of you! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Robinson discuss what John has shared and offer you practical advice for how you can apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Spend time with the right people. You equip people off of str...
Jun 25, 2025•41 min
No matter what your leadership looks like, the more context you have, the better a leader you are to those around you. In this episode, John Maxwell shares a list of 9 kinds of context that empower you to make your most effective leadership decisions! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow sit down to have a conversation about what John has shared and give you practical ways to apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Leaders must humbly seek information, even if it feels vulne...
Jun 18, 2025•40 min
If the greatest gap between successful and unsuccessful people is the thinking gap, how can you close it? In this episode, John Maxwell is sharing the key to shrinking the distance between where you are and where you want to be! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede sit down to talk about what John has shared and offer you practical application for your own life and leadership. Key takeaways: The most effective leaders give themselves permission to think about what’s possible, not just wha...
Jun 11, 2025•33 min
If you want to love the people you work with and lead them effectively, build a community of friendship in the workplace. In this bonus episode of the Maxwell Leadership Podcast, Mark Cole is joined by special guest Marcylle Combs to discuss her brand-new book, Never Hire Your Friends! Key takeaways: Too many people say that humility is a weakness and not a strength. Speak honesty with kindness, especially when it’s going to hurt. Having fun with your team isn't just a nice idea — it's serious b...
Jun 06, 2025•37 min
How can you take something bad and make it better? In today’s episode, John C. Maxwell answers this question and shares a lesson on how you can grow from tough experiences! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Robinson sit down to discuss what John shared and give you practical ways to apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Be intentional in your personal time to do something that will make you better. People need encouragement and added value more during difficult times than in a...
Jun 04, 2025•30 min
The greatest way to identify with other people is to say, “I know what you’re going through.” In today’s episode, John C. Maxwell is sharing a lesson on how you can be a relatable leader for the people around you! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede sit down to have a conversation on what John has shared, as well as offer you practical leadership wisdom and application. Key takeaways: Adversity makes you relatable to others. Success and failure are not opposites. Wisdom always comes out ...
May 28, 2025•38 min
In life and in leadership, you’ll meet complicated people. How do you work with them? Do you change them? Challenge them? Ignore them? Or is there a better way to approach them? In today’s episode, Mark Cole and Jared Cagle are joined by Ryan Leak for a special look at his new book, How to Work with Complicated People! Key takeaways: Focus on influencing and serving your people rather than controlling them. On the other side of each and every one of us is complexity. The best leaders humbly exam...
May 21, 2025•49 min
The most effective coaches make powerful halftime adjustments. In this episode, John C. Maxwell explains the power of adaptability and how you can leverage it to adjust your way to victory! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Robinson have a conversation about what John has shared and offer you practical ways to apply what you’ve learned to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: You have to get a result in order to change a result. There’s a profound difference between conformity and adaptab...
May 14, 2025•29 min
We have a special episode this week on the Maxwell Leadership Podcast! Mark Cole is joined by personal finance expert, best-selling author, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions, Dave Ramsey. In this episode, they discuss Dave’s latest book, Build a Business You Love , and walk through the 5 stages of business growth. Key takeaways: Time management is one of the ways you level up. The people you put your DNA in define your success. Don't wait until it's too late to ensure your business can thrive without ...
May 07, 2025•43 min
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a leader that people love to follow? This episode is for you! John C. Maxwell shares a lesson that will help you develop a culture where people feel valued, inspired, and empowered. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow sit down to discuss what John has shared and help you to apply what you’ve learned to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Respect is always earned on difficult ground. As leaders, we need a heart to care. We may forget what a...
Apr 30, 2025•38 min
As John Maxwell says, all is well that begins well and all is well that ends well — reflection is key to ending well! In this episode, John shares what his reflection path looks like and helps you understand why reflection is so important when it comes to success in leadership. After his lesson, Mark Cole takes what John has shared and offers you practical ways to implement it into your own life and leadership. Key takeaways: Instead of having reactions to what is happening to us, we need to hav...
Apr 23, 2025•30 min
When you meet a truly charismatic leader, you’ll notice one thing: they are focused on others, not themselves. In this episode, John Maxwell is sharing 3 ways you can develop your influence – and achieve significance – as you maintain your focus on others. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow dive into the chapter and give you practical ways that you can apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Put your focus on others. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain or ...
Apr 16, 2025•34 min
John Maxwell shares that truly great leaders make themselves replaceable by empowering the leaders around them. Do you wonder if you’re an empowering leader? Find out as John himself shares the 3 signs to look for! After his lesson, Mark Cole takes what John has shared and helps you to apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: We need a willingness to empower people. Trust is the foundation of an empowering leader. If you want to develop leaders, you have to delegate authority. Our BO...
Apr 09, 2025•30 min
Good values allow leadership to rise! In this episode, John Maxwell shares a lesson on ethics in leadership and the importance of valuing people and adding value to them. After his lesson, Mark Cole analyzes John’s teaching and equips you with practical advice and application for your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Everything rises and falls on leadership. We should lead not out of reward — we should lead out of responsibility. Treat others how you would like to be treated. Our BONUS resour...
Apr 02, 2025•36 min
In leadership, how can you have courage to continue and keep moving forward in difficult times? John Maxwell shares a lesson in this episode that is all about courage and the important role it plays in the lives of leaders! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow talk about what John has shared and help you navigate how to apply it to your own life and leadership. Key takeaways: We need to focus on today — today matters. Courage is not an absence of fear or failure. Actions follow the domin...
Mar 26, 2025•39 min
How can you attract people to your team or organization? In this episode, John Maxwell answers this question by sharing 5 helpful tips that you can begin applying today! After his lesson, Mark Cole sits down to review what John has shared and give you practical ways to implement what you’ve learned into your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Passion is the great energizer. Leaders not only know the way, but they also show the way. The size of the vision you have determines the size of the pers...
Mar 19, 2025•39 min
John Maxwell often says, “The best thing a leader can leave people is a legacy.” In this episode, John will be sharing 3 pictures that will help you develop a legacy culture for your team and organization. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow sit down to talk about what John has shared and give you practical ways to apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: “There is no success without a successor. And the most important thing you can do is leave a legacy.” — Peter Drucker Whe...
Mar 12, 2025•41 min
Leaders and business owners – tired of working around the clock to grow your organization? In this bonus episode of the Maxwell Leadership podcast, John is sharing 3 questions that will help you move from linear to exponential expansion – all while getting some hours back in your day. After his lesson, Mark Cole is joined by BELAY CEO Tricia Sciortino to help you turn these questions into practical time-saving strategies to leverage in your own life and leadership. Key takeaways: Growth is happi...
Mar 07, 2025•39 min
Every leader worth following builds their leadership on 3 key qualities. In this episode, find out what they are as John Maxwell shares a lesson on the foundation of great leadership! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow help you to practically apply what you’ve learned to your own life and leadership. Key takeaways: Character is essential to who you are. Commitment separates the doers from the dreamers. The best generosity comes when you give in a way that has no strings attached. Our B...
Mar 05, 2025•39 min
If leadership is influence, then relationships are the foundation of leadership. What can you do to win with others and grow your relationships? In this episode, John Maxwell shares a lesson on 5 ways that you can do just that! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede sit down to offer you practical ways that you can apply what you’ve learned to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Relationships are the foundation of leadership. Look for the best in others. Let people know that you need t...
Feb 26, 2025•40 min
What would you attempt if you knew you would get a positive return on the failures you encounter? In this episode, John is sharing a lesson on how you can powerfully shift your perspective on failure in your life and leadership! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow sit down and give you practical application for what John has shared. Key takeaways: Success and failure belong together. On good misses, I make adjustments. On bad misses, I make excuses. There are no shortcuts to success. Ou...
Feb 19, 2025•43 min
It’s one thing to have a lot of followers, but it’s much better to develop leaders! In this episode, John Maxwell is sharing a lesson on how to successfully create other leaders in your business or organization. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede discuss what John has shared and offer you practical ways to apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: It takes a leader to know a leader. Leaders know the value of developing other leaders. To add growth, lead followers. To multiply...
Feb 12, 2025•38 min
In this episode, John Maxwell dives into how he became a world-class leader and offers practical steps for you to become one too! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow sit down to talk about what John has shared and help you to apply it to your own life and leadership. Key takeaways: - You don’t lead for what it benefits you. The only reason to lead is to benefit others. - If you can’t lead a few, you’ll never be able to lead many. - If you keep doing the right thing every day, someday yo...
Feb 05, 2025•38 min
John Maxwell often says that a great leader serves others! In this episode, he’s sharing 3 things that serving others has taught him throughout his leadership journey. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Robinson sit down to talk about servant leadership and how you can apply what John has shared to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: - Leaders add value to others by serving them. - One of us is not as smart as all of us. - The moment I started valuing people, I found that fulfillment com...
Jan 29, 2025•31 min
All great companies and organizations have great builders! In this episode, John Maxwell is sharing characteristics of a builder so that you know what they look like and so that you can become a builder yourself. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede talk about these characteristics and offer you practical ways to apply them to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: Never be satisfied with yesterday; it ended last night. When people believe in the leader, they believe in the vision. When...
Jan 22, 2025•36 min
When John Maxwell was a freshman in college, he learned 3 questions from a professor that have shaped the way he leads today. And he’s sharing them with you in this episode! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Robinson discuss these questions and help you apply them to your own life and leadership. Key takeaways: - What do you cry about? - What do you sing about? - What do you dream about? Our BONUS resource for this episode is the 3 Questions to Become a Better Leader Worksheet, which include...
Jan 15, 2025•36 min
As John Maxwell says, “Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.” Today’s lesson from John is all about how you can help your people cultivate the character of a winner in their own lives and leadership! After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede sit down to talk about what John has talked about and offer you practical ways to apply it to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: If you become better on the inside, you’ll become better on the outside. If you become bigger on the inside, you’l...
Jan 08, 2025•40 min
Happy New Year, podcast family! For a lot of us, the beginning a new year means setting new goals and chasing more dreams — and this episode will help you do just that! John Maxwell is sharing a lesson from his book, Put Your Dream to the Test, that will help you reach the dreams and goals that you’ve set. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Robinson sit down to talk about the questions John has shared and give you practical ways to apply themit to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: The ...
Jan 01, 2025•34 min
Merry Christmas and happy holidays, podcast family! As the year is coming to a close, we wanted to do something extra special for you and take some time to look back on a few of your favorite lessons from John Maxwell in 2024. Let’s reflect on what we’ve learned and look forward to what’s to come! Key takeaways: The heart of leadership is serving others. Motivation gets you started; habits keep you going. Leaders develop daily, not in a day. Goals are nothing without action. Take the next step i...
Dec 25, 2024•34 min
Whether you’re leading in difficult times or in the best of times, this episode is one that will encourage you and give you the energy you need to keep going! In this episode, John Maxwell shares 4 powerful statements that will inspire strength and resilience in your leadership. After his lesson, Mark Cole and Traci Morrow talk about these 4 statements and give you practical ways to apply them to your life and leadership. Key takeaways: All great works and all great successes are a result of str...
Dec 18, 2024•38 min
