Thank you for listening to The Champion Forum Podcast with Jeff Hancher! Have you ever felt burned out by leadership? If so, you’re not alone! But how do you get back on the right track? If anyone can answer this question, it is Mark Cole! Mark went from burned-out entry-level employee to CEO of John Maxwell Companies in just ten years. He joins us to talk about how he got started, what helped him get promoted, how to be an excellent Number Two, and a few things leaders can do to set themselves apart and make the most significant impact.
About Mark Cole
Mark serves as the CEO of all John Maxwell Companies and has more than 25 years of leadership and team development experience, which uniquely qualifies him to have an integral role and be the champion of the John C. Maxwell brand. He is committed to adding value to individual leaders and leadership teams. He has led companies through economic challenges, growth barriers, and disconnected team dynamics. He has worked more closely with John than anyone else in the world and brings exclusive access to John’s real-time principles to leaders all over the world.
Tell us briefly about your background and how you got started at Maxwell.
When I was 30, I lost my way as a leader. At a young age, I knew I loved telling people what to do. At 18, I read my first John Maxwell book. However, I spent so much time developing the leader people saw on the outside that I neglected the leader on the inside. I felt broken and bankrupt in every key area of my life. A friend helped me get an entry-level job at a call center at John Maxwell’s company. During my first week at the job, my leader asked me this question: What is your growth plan? This question caused me to start being intentional with my life. I wrote out my goals and started investing time and energy into them. Over time, the intentionality I was applying to my life got me to a place where I could believe in myself again. I accepted my first promotion after 3 years, and 7 years later, I was invited to be the CEO of our (then) three companies.
How did you work your way into becoming John Maxwell Companies's CEO?
Environment
Being in a great environment causes you to see things you could not have seen without the voice and influence of others. You will talk the same to the same people. You’ll get incrementally better, but it takes a different environment to get you exponential growth. You will only grow exponentially when you get in front of people who challenge you.
Relationships
You will know the influencer in the room by watching where everyone looks when someone is speaking. In 2004, I started noticing that all of the presidents of John’s companies would look at his assistant, Linda Eggers. I realized that if I could get Linda to be on my side, John Maxwell would be on my side, too. Find out what is important to the organization. Then, you can make that important to you so you produce what is important to the organization and get more significant opportunities.
Mentorship
When I started, I couldn’t get anyone to mentor me. So, I started asking to eat lunch with the 21-year-old interns and ask them about how they were learning. I went to people who would give me time, and I asked great questions and gave them my thoughts in return. Today, I have access to many people. However, I pay for mentorship because I want to get the most out of it, and I want my mentor to bring me his best.
Q: Which of these three topics has significantly impacted your ability to lead and be promoted? How can you help your team members ensure they are leveraging their relationships and getting around the right people?
What makes a person a great Number Two?
I’m writing about this concept in a book I am working on called “Follow Me, I’m Right Behind You.” At John Maxwell Companies, we teach that leadership is not position or hierarchy. John always says, “You don’t work for me; you work with me.” Still, there is a level of respect and honor you should give the leader above you. Here are three of the mindsets a great Number Two should have.
Never see yourself as Number One; you’re Number Two.
You are answerable to others on the team and must know how your decisions and actions affect others.
I’m never a Number Two; I’m a Number One.
Never be satisfied with being Number Two. The best way to grow is to ask your boss, “What can I take off your plate?” Find out what Number Two can do in this environment that a Number One would do in a different environment. One day, I could be a better Number One than anyone else because I’ve been the best Number Two I can be.
Always understand whose agenda wins.
His agenda becomes my agenda. Eventually, his agenda becomes our agenda. Your agenda can become his if you get far enough along in the relationship. You may find that your boss asks you questions about what they should be doing and acts on that advice. I’ve found that when John takes my advice, he uplevels my suggestions and makes them better than I knew they could be.
Q: How are you supporting your leader? Where are you in your relationship? Are you serving their agenda? Would you say it is “our” agenda? Or are you actively contributing to forming the agenda? How can you move to the next level?
Things I’ve learned from John
Growth is infinite.
John is learning more at 77 than he has ever learned, inspiring me to keep growing.
You must be comfortable in your skin.
Insecurity will destroy a leader. They’ll take themselves too seriously. Start laughing at yourself!
Your greatest gifts also create your greatest blindspots.
Every gift has a drawback, usually one the leader cannot see. For example, I am a very passionate leader. However, that also means I am very intense. If I’m not aware of my tendencies, my passion will be less effective because the people around me feel it as intensity. You have to bring people into your life who you trust enough to call out your blindspots so you can address them.
What is the one thing that will set leaders apart?
Empathy! You cannot take a team member where you want them to go if you don’t go where they are first. You have to lead from what your employees see, not what you see. Get in your people's shoes so you can take them to the views you see. Empathy will also allow leaders to better utilize cause leadership. Cause leadership is where leaders tie their goals and organization to a specific cause. Working for a cause they are passionate about is incentivizing for many employees and will become a more prominent part of successful companies over the next decade.
Application Activities:
How can you increase your level of intentionality toward your life and goals? Write down one of your goals and then list what you are doing to ensure you reach that goal. You could write down listening to podcasts or audiobooks, reading, practicing a skill, investing in a coach, etc. Now, write down how frequently you are doing each of those things. Finally, look at your schedule. Where can you make time to do the things that will help you reach your goal? Block off that time first and plan the rest of your day around it. You can also try stacking the new habit you want to include on top of something you already do daily. For example, if you already exercise in the morning, try listening to an audiobook while you exercise or for 10 minutes before you get started.
What cause is your team currently supporting? Does your team understand how their work supports that cause? This question may be easy if you are a leader at a nonprofit, but for many companies, the answer is more complex. If your company does not already support a cause, talk to your team and your leadership about a cause that would get everyone excited and align with the company’s mission and values. Plan a day for the team to serve together, or ask your leadership to unlock a donation to a specific cause if your team can meet a particular metric. By working together for a cause people are passionate about, you will increase engagement and collaboration
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