Maxwell Leadership Podcast: High Road Leadership (Part 1)

Mark Cole:
Hey, welcome to Maxwell Leadership podcast. This is the podcast that adds value to leaders because we know leaders multiply value to others. Today, I probably am in the most anticipated podcast, maybe since our inception. That’s not only because John Maxwell is here in Studio live. So all of you that listen and work out and drive down the road, I’m just going to go ahead and tell you you need to go to YouTube, you need to download, because today and for the next three weeks, so four weeks of John Maxwell in studio talking to us about a subject that matters a lot to him. Let me explain. John Maxwell is releasing his new book, High Road Leadership. And here’s the purpose of the book, bringing people together in a world that divides.

Mark Cole:
Now, if I could hear you, you would gasp, like every audience where John speaks, gasp when he says that we’re in a world that divides. And John Maxwell in this book is going to talk about how a high road leader is actually one that brings people together despite the division and the incredible polarizing culture that we’re in today. So, John, I am truly not just because you’re in the studio, not just because you’re live. I’m truly excited. And, John, I’ve not said this to you privately. This will be the first time you’ve heard this, in my opinion. I’ve been with you 25 years. You have been working on this book at least for five years.

Mark Cole:
And let me explain why. It was five years ago that I heard you say, I’m leadership sad. And I watched you work on that sadness and that disappointment and that challenge with today’s leadership culture. For the last five years until today, we’re able to bring to you and those of you watching YouTube, I’m holding up a galley copy. I don’t even have my hardback copy yet. It’s coming to me this month just like it’s coming to you, John, your answer to being high road or being leadership sad is this book High Road leader? And thank you for being here. I’m going to let you share a little bit, and then I want to ask you some questions this week as we kind of talk about the launch of this book, high road leadership.

John Maxwell:
Well, I’m so glad to be, of course, not only with you, Mark, but so many of the people that are on the podcast. You do such a great job leading it and moderating it, and it’s become so popular. So I’m very, I’m very pleased it’s popular. But I’m very proud of you because you’re the person that’s kind of like the catalyst for it. But high road leadership is kind of like my leadership soul. It’s, you know, sometimes I teach leadership with my mind and things that I know that help people. But this is not more than just my mind. This is my soul, who I really am.

John Maxwell:
And what I’m excited about the book is the fact that I think when you want to make change, you have to give a very clear picture of what that change should look like. People don’t know how to make change without the picture. In fact, they become very uncertain and insecure over it. And so high road leadership is a picture. It’s a picture of what does a high road leader look like? And for the younger generation, I mean, I have grandchildren from 17 to 23 for that generation, honestly, they’ve not seen much high road leadership at all. They’ve seen a lot of low road or middle road leadership. And so the book is a picture of twelve distinguishing characteristics of what a high road leader really looks like. It’s kind of like, okay, I see that now.

John Maxwell:
I didn’t realize that that’s what a high road leader looked like. So once you put a picture in the mind of a person, then they begin to be able to see what they can be, what they should be, what they need to kind of emulate in their life. So that’s the do book, and we’re going to be talking about it, especially in the next three episodes. Today, I’m kind of excited because we got, I know you have some personal questions about me and leadership that our podcast leaders haven’t heard before. And that’s why I wanted to kind of maybe start with why I do what I do and why I’ve done it for so long, because it’s a real passion of mine to make a difference in people’s lives, which goes back to leadership and writing books. So today we’ll just kind of go behind the scenes a little bit, and in the next three weeks, we’ll just really go into the pictures of a high road leader. Yeah.

Mark Cole:
And for those of you listening, I’m going to give you a chance to not only buy, buy the book, I’ve got a place for you to go. Highroadleadershipbook.com. For those of you that are impatient, we’re going to talk a little bit about that. We’re going to talk about some things that we’re doing on that website for you in the journey for high road leadership. But John, you’re right. I want to go back and we know you, this podcast community loves you. But tell us, why have you given your life to leadership?

John Maxwell:
Well, it really began on July 4, 1976. I was in Lancaster, Ohio. I’m a kid, I’m a pastor, I’m in my twenties. And we have a growing church. We have 3000 people in our church and there’s only 25,000 people in the whole town. And it’s July 4, the 200th anniversary birthday of America being a nation. And we were doing it outdoors because I didn’t have facilities to handle. We had probably about 5000 people that day.

John Maxwell:
And so I’m outside and I’m teaching about America, doing a little bit of history. And America needs to be revived and renewed. And in the middle of my message, just completely out of the blue, much to my surprise, I really sensed in the clearest way I’ve ever heard God talk to me. I just sensed right in the middle of my teaching that God was going to give me a ministry to train and develop leaders. And I finished the message. And on the way home I was talking to Margaret and I said, you know, I think God called me today to train leaders. She said, you’re kidding. I said no.

John Maxwell:
I said, I think he did. And she asked me, she said, well, what are you going to do about it? I said nothing. I said, really, if this is God, I’m going to let him open the doors so I can be sure I’ll be glad to walk through them, but he’s going to have to kind of open the doors. And he did. The next week I literally received two separate invitations and both of them said, john, would you teach us how to lead? And I started then. And honestly, from 1976, I’ve just had my plate full of people wanting to hear me talk about leadership. So it really began with a calling. Our friend Steve Harvey says, career is what you get paid for, but a calling is what you made for.

John Maxwell:
So, you know, I’m on this leadership journey because of a calling. But then I’m also on, on the leadership journey because of a major conviction. Right after that calling, I came to the conclusion that everything rises and falls on leadership. And that was a game changer for me. When I became convinced that everything rises and falls on leadership, I thought what better thing can I do than to help people learn how to lead? If, if their success in life is going to be more determined by their ability to lead than anything else, then what a gift it would be if I could really tell people how to lead well so they could succeed well. And that comes out of the law of the lid 21 laws. How well you lead determines how well you succeed. So it’s a calling and it’s a conviction.

John Maxwell:
But then I had success leading, and that was life changing for me. In other words, it’s one thing to feel like this is what you should do, but it’s nothing to be good at it. And by the time back in Lancaster, this church I was talking to you about, as I started off as a pastor, you know, I’m 28 years old and I’ve got the 10th largest church in America, and people are coming to me and how are you building the church? And I said, well, I’m leading. I just know leadership. And so when you put those three things together, all of a sudden it just became who I was. I think what’s the most important thing for our podcast team today is this. Now, that was 50 years ago. In fact, it was, yeah, 50 years ago.

John Maxwell:
What’s incredible, Mark, is today I’m more convinced of that journey than I was at the beginning. As I look back, I’m saying to myself, I gave my life to something that really makes a difference in people’s life. I have no regrets. I have. You know, sometimes you start off and you think something, but the longer you’re in it, it doesn’t pan out to be true. I thought everything rises and falls on leadership when I was 25, 26 today, I know that’s a fact. And so to give my life to something that has helped so many people that I know is a absolutely true principle of life that helps people succeed has been very rewarding. And so here we are.

John Maxwell:
We’re still doing it, buddy. And it’s our life. It’s what we do, it’s what we love, and we love to help leaders. And that’s the reason, of course, we even have the podcast. But that gets me to where I am today. The calling, the conviction, everything rises. And then the success of leading itself, it was kind of like, if you’re going to teach people how to lead, you have to be a good leader. And so that kind of gave me, that kind of gave me the credibility.

John Maxwell:
If I still pastoring, I’d say it was the calling, the conviction and the credibility. I just thought of that. I’ll be honest with you.

Mark Cole:
Write that down, podcast listeners.

John Maxwell:
I mean, I really did. The calling, the conviction, the credibility. But that’s literally how I got to where I am today. No doubt.

Mark Cole:
So John purposely asked the question, why have you given your life? And I want to make that distinction just really quick. And that is you’ve given your life today, as we record this podcast live, you’re 77, and there’s no quit in you, and there’s no letting up. And there’s probably even more intentionality and intensity as it relates to giving your entire life, leaving it all on the field. Did that come from your dad? And, like, why are you still 77 and still giving your life to leadership?

John Maxwell:
Well, it’s because it works. It just works. You know, people don’t quit what they’re good at. And, you know, so when somebody quits something, I’m pretty well assuming that they really didn’t do it too well. They probably weren’t dealing with a giftedness or a strength. But when you’re really good at something and it works, now there’s two things. You have to be good at it, and then it has to be fruitful, profitable. And that’s what I would say is why I’m still in the game.

John Maxwell:
And then also the people I work with. I wouldn’t be in the game if it weren’t for people like you, mark, and our John Maxwell enterprise, our team, our people. I love being with them. I love doing work with them. I love them experiencing what I experience. And it’s too fun of a journey for me to do a run by myself. And so running with the people that I run with and knowing that what I’m teaching makes an incredible difference in people’s lives and watching their life get better, I mean, that keeps me in the game. What else would I want to do?

Maxwell Leadership Certified Team:
Hey, podcast listeners, many of you listening right now would probably love the autonomy that comes with owning your own business or becoming a coach that helps other businesses succeed. Well, we have a phenomenal strategy where you are 100% in control of your own business, earning income on your own terms, and have access to the people, tools, and resources you need to build a thriving leadership development business. When you become a Maxwell leadership certified team member, you join a global community of entrepreneurs led by our expert team of mentors and faculty, including John C. Maxwell. You’ll also get one of the top leadership certifications in the world next to your name, giving you the boost you need to get started. Visit us online maxwellleadership.com/jointheteam to find out more.

Mark Cole:
And so I’m gonna stay right here for one more second, John, because so many leaders, me and you, we have some friends that’s quit just this year, that’s quit high level, elite program college football, and they’ve stopped coaching because the world around them changed. And yet I’m watching you. Which leads to this book that we’re discussing the next three, four weeks. I’m watching you say, hey, I’m leadership. Sad. The leadership game has changed. Leadership has become polarizing. But rather than just throw up your hands, go sit on the beach with Margaret, your wife, and say, okay, it’s all yours, next generation.

Mark Cole:
Go figure it out. You’re leaning in with us, writing a new book. In my opinion, one of the best, most timely books you’ve written, because there’s something in you that says, I’m not gonna quit. In fact, when the stakes are the most high, I’m gonna lean in and lead in an incredible way. There’s no question in that. But I want our podcast listeners to know I’ve been with John 25 years. The scope and scale of leadership has changed, and yet John is in the game. So I wanna ask you something, John.

Mark Cole:
What are some of the highlights in your leadership? I mean, you’ve had an incredibly blessed life. So what are some highlights?

John Maxwell:
Well, the first one sounds selfish, mark, but it really isn’t. If you’d asked me to do the highlights journey, the first thing I would say to you, the first highlight was the fact that I became a better leader. Now, that’s not a selfish thing. That is a life changing, transformational principle. The things that I believed and the things that I taught changed my life, and I became. I became a better leader because of them. And that is a highlight. I mean, if it doesn’t help you, if it doesn’t change you, if it doesn’t make you a better person, really, I’m not sure it could be a highlight.

John Maxwell:
So it begins with the fact that I improve my leadership, and then the very fact that we began to, you know, again, as you said earlier in the podcast, what do we do? We add value to leaders and multiply value to others. We begin to train others and develop them and to see them be successful and do well. Just compiled the highlight picture for me. And then a highlight that most people wouldn’t consider to be a highlight because it’s a process more than an event, is the fact that I’ve done. I’ve taught leadership for over 50 years. I’ve written 90 books. I’ve spoken at least 13,000 times. There’s something that’s.

John Maxwell:
When you talk about a highlight, I think a highlight to me is the fact that. That I’ve been in the game so long, you know, I talk about consistency compounds, and credibility does, too. And today, my influence factor is way beyond, really, who I am in fact one of the things I’m noticing because I’m mentoring a lot of young leaders which I really love. That’s one of my favorite things I do but I’m mentoring a lot of young leaders and they’re already starting to be successful but they don’t have the influence that they want to get and what I’m learning to teach them is and trying to help them is the fact that influence follows success. It doesn’t go before it, it doesn’t accompany it. In other words you got to be good quite a while before people just begin to lean into you and you begin to have that influence factor with them. So but as a highlight the fact that I’ve been doing this so long and the influence has increased and then specifically oh my gosh, the coaching company that we started, Mark, I mean what a highlight that has been. I mean that brings me so much joy.

John Maxwell:
In fact just last week we’re in Orlando with about 4000, maybe 4500 there and to watch them growing and learning and helping people and watching them develop entrepreneur careers and making good dollars and helping people, the coaching company, they’re the legs to my legacy. So that’s a highlight. Transforming nations. You know what, Sunday you and I get on the plane and we go to Costa Rica and we go to Panama and we’ll be with two countries that will be with the leaders of the country. We’ll be doing transformation. There was huge, you know I don’t talk too much about awards or what other but I was very touched when I got the Mother Teresa’s award for peace and worldwide leadership. The time that I was able to speak at the United nations, you know those, you know those are just highlights that are in my life. But really the greatest highlight is just seeing people’s lives change and my life being changed again.

John Maxwell:
Jim Collins told me one time, in fact you’re with me. We were out in Las Vegas. We’re having lunch together and we’re talking about transformation. Jim said, you know you have to be a transformational leader to transform a nation. And so when I talk about I became a better leader, that’s the credibility. Us getting better ourselves is the credibility to teach others. In fact, honestly if we didn’t improve our lives how in the world do we think we’re going to improve someone else life if we didn’t get better? How can we help someone else to get better again? We teach what we know but we reproduce who we are. So those are some highlights that I, you know that I just kind of.

Mark Cole:
Think of so today, podcast family, our listeners, our viewers. By the way, John, there’s going to be more viewers today because you’re on and they want to see how good looking you’re looking at 77.

John Maxwell:
They just want to say goodbye to an old man.

Mark Cole:
But to viewers, I’m holding up the galley copy. I don’t even have my real copy yet. I’m holding up the galley copy of Hyrule leadership. And the reason that we’re doing this four part series is we’re laying a foundation. Why, John, why now to this book? And you’re just getting a little walkthrough history in today’s episode. But some of you are not going to wait until the fourth week to go buy the book. So go to highroadleadershipbook.com dot. You’ll be able to get free resources.

Mark Cole:
There’s already a download that you can have there of the first chapter. You’ll be able to download the audio book there. For those of you that listen to the podcast and want to hear the whole book audio, it’s their high roadleadershipbook.com Jon, you get asked this question. You get asked questions literally every week about leadership. What’s the best advice that you’ve received from your mentors?

John Maxwell:
Well, I love that question mark. And really, when people ask me about my personal growth in life, I tell them that the there have been many ways I’ve grown personally, but the most effective way I think I’ve grown personally is through being mentored by people bigger, better, faster, smarter than me. And what mentoring has done for me is it just has increased my speed toward being where I wanted to be and becoming the person I wanted to really become. So when I think of mentors, I’ve had so many, I would start with my father and the best mentoring advice he ever gave. And most podcast leaders know this one. So I’ll just skip or I’ll just say it, move on. Is my father when I graduated. John, every day, if you value people, believe in people and unconditionally love them, people will come to you as a leader always, because they need to be valued, believed in, and unconditionally loved.

John Maxwell:
So that was the kind of like the guiding principle of mentoring advice that I’ve had all my life. I do all my writing, all my speaking through that one. One of my first mentors was Elmer Towns. I effectively call et. And he taught me. In fact, this is so much fun for the podcast listeners because I’m going to spend, I don’t know, maybe five minutes on this. But, you know, when I ask people what’s the best advice they ever received, and they tell me what they’re doing is they’re giving me good advice and I mark it down. Well, I’m talking about my mentors in my life and what they have taught me and what they’ve taught me.

John Maxwell:
Now I’m passing it on to you, and you’re going to get kind of 101 mentoring very quickly, just from, from. And Elmer told me, he said, he taught me the hot poker principle. He said, you take a, you take a fireplace, and that poker, if you put it near the fire, it stays hot. If you remove it from the fire, it gets cold. And what he was teaching me was, you have to get yourself around hot people. You got to get yourself around good people, successful people. If you stay close to them, it will be hot. If you don’t stay close to them, you’ll get cold.

John Maxwell:
It’s kind of like what you teach mark, on the power of proximity. It’s the same thing, the hot poker principle that I learned 50 years ago from ET. You know, you’re teaching in a kind of a different way in the power, proximity. And then, of course, I had Kirk Kantmeyer, who at the Holiday Inn asked me what my personal growth plan was, and I didn’t have one. And that marked my, that day marked my life because he said, you have to have a, you have to be intentional in a personal growth plan. So every time I think of my growth in life, I go back to that breakfast and, you know, thank God for Kurt Katmire. Les Parrott had written six books. I had no desire to write books.

John Maxwell:
We were having lunch one day and I asked him why he wrote books. He said, I write books to extend my influence beyond my own personal touch. I leaned into him that day at the table, said, I’m going to start writing books. That was catalytic for me to write, and it just made a big difference. John Wooden, gosh, he taught me so many things. But I think the greatest lesson I learned from John was that who mentors you is as important as what they say. To be around coach Wooden was to have your life changed. He was contagious.

John Maxwell:
Who he was carried every bit as much weight as what he said. And when I left him, every time I felt bigger, I felt like I’ve grown more. I’m going to be able to do more that that teaching. He said, you know, john, who mentors you? This is important as what they say. And Olin Hendricks, I can remember in Pasadena having a lunch with him. And he put on a napkin, you know, you know, growth means change. And he looked at me, said, john, if you’re going to be a growing person, if you’re going to have growing companies, you’re going to be changing all the time. He said, don’t ever get in this thought of we got it and we want to hold it.

John Maxwell:
He said, you’re going to constantly. And he was also that day, I said, growth means change. But he said, change doesn’t mean growth. He said, I want you to understand what I’m telling you is you can change a bunch of stuff. In fact, you can become worse because you change. He said, I’m not glorifying change. I’m identifying growth. And he said, if you grow, you’re going to keep on changing life.

John Maxwell:
Change, you know, Jim Collins, I just mentioned a little bit earlier, said that you have to be a transformational leader to lead transformation. That was huge. I was working on business degree at Northwood of Indiana, and I had a business professor teach me the Pareto principle. And the day that he was teaching that Pareto principle in the class, it was, I was, I can’t even describe my feeling. The rest of the class, they were taking notes and I looked around, I said to myself, that man has teach me something right now that’s going to be major in my life. And that, of course, the parental principle teaches you all about priorities. Fred Smith was the one who taught me that the gift itself, our giftedness, is greater than the person. My gosh, how that changed my perspective upon who I am and what I do versus the gifts that I have.

John Maxwell:
And then Jack Welch, you know, said, john, you need to create legs for to have a legacy. In fact, it’s one of the last things he said to me before he died. And I said, okay, I’m going to get some legs for my legacy. And that was the catalyst mark for the coaching company. And Peter Drucker drilled in, taught me a lot of things. But the thing that was most life changing is he said, there’s no success with, without a successor. You got to have somebody to pass that baton off. And of course, that’s what I’m doing with you.

John Maxwell:
But he said, you got who you’re going to, who are you going to get that baton to? And say, here, you take it. And then Pat summit, oh, the great coach at University of Tennessee, basketball coach. I mean, she’s the one that sat down one night at dinner and said the biggest mistake she made in her leadership at the beginning is she was leading by assumptions and she just assumed her players knew these things and she assumed her players could do these things and she said it was a total miss and I had to back down, I had to go say no, no, I got to get on the same page with them. And it was really. I asked questions a lot and that was one of the catalytic times that conversation. I thought a person leads by assumptions, Mark, because they don’t ask questions. If you ask questions, you won’t lead by assumptions. You’re going to find it out.

John Maxwell:
But if you don’t, if you don’t become committed to asking your people questions all the time, you’re going to start assuming things. And that was kind of catalytic for me to, you know, to begin asking questions. That became catalytic for my book. Good leaders ask great questions. I mean that it all started there. So anyway, that’s not all my mentors. You know, when I was thinking about mentors, I knew you were going to ask me that question, Mark. I thought to myself sometime I think I’m going to write a book on mentors that have made a difference in my life.

John Maxwell:
I mean, just think about it. Because what I did right there is gave all the podcast listeners to people who watch. I gave them a crash course on great teachings from great mentors. And just think, I mean, I don’t mean this unkindly. I could give me, give me an hour and I could put 100 out there in front of you and what they taught me. So I think it’s so important to be mentored well by people that they’ve helped me a lot, that’s for sure.

Mark Cole:
So John, thank you. Every person listening to this podcast, every one of them consider you their mentor. Every one of them, I meet them around the globe and every one of them says, john Maxwell is my mentor and you mentor a lot of people, hundreds of thousands a week on this podcast. And for you then to talk about the power of mentoring in your life so that we can know our mentor has and has had powerful mentors was a great gift. By the way, podcast listeners, go back and rewind that portion because under every one of those mentors, John just didn’t name dropping. He told you the life impacting message that he learned from them and there’s gold in that listening if you will. Go back and listen to the last five to seven minutes. John, I’m holding up, I don’t know if you know this but I verified it this morning.

Mark Cole:
I’m holding up number 89, which you and I know what that means is number 90 is a special book, but we’re going to bring you back live to talk about that in June or July. But let me tell you this, because, by the way, John’s already released this book. He’s already working on the next book. That is the John Maxwell that we know. John, number 89. And you have become the leadership guru of the world, recognized by Inc. Recognized by a business, a journal here in America. You’re known around the world.

Mark Cole:
What are your top five leadership books that you’ve written?

John Maxwell:
Well, I’m glad you asked that question. I’m not starting number one of five. I’m just going to probably give it to you chronologically. So the first one, if I did it chronologically, would be developing the leader within U 2.0. And the reason mark’s kind of clapping. There is many times Mark has told me that was his favorite leadership book, and that was a breakthrough book. In fact, that book put me on the map because I was the first person to write a book that said leaders can be developed. Most times, people thought that leaders just were born.

John Maxwell:
You were a born leader. You weren’t so developing. And it’s a huge mentoring book because it gives you ten things that you need to teach your team that they have to do well to lead well. So that would be one, obviously. The second one is, the one I’m known most for is the 21 laws of leadership. That’s the best selling leadership book ever written. In fact, developing leader within you 2.0 is the second best leadership book ever written. I wrote a book called the 360 Degree leader, and that I went to, I went to New York City and at the Waldorf Astoria, they gave me the award.

John Maxwell:
That was the business book of the year for America. And the guy that gave it to me told me afterwards, he said, that book, what they do is they literally have a polling or a voting on which is the best business book that year. He said it won by the widest margin of any business book ever. And I think it’s because it was a different take on leadership. It was talk 360. You lead from the middle, you lead up, you lead sideways, you lead down. That’s, that 360 feel. So, but that’s, that is a fabulous book to help people learn how to lead people above them, beside them, and beneath them.

John Maxwell:
The fourth book would be the five levels of leadership in the corporate world. It’s the Bible. And the five levels of leadership is all about how to, how to develop yourself from level one up to level five. But I think what makes it really powerful is that it’s also how to develop someone else from level one to five. In other words, it literally is a game plan. If you got somebody on your team and they’re on level one, the book teaches you, okay, how to get to level two, level three on up. So the five levels of leadership. And then the book I wrote right before COVID leadership, you know that just even today, in fact, I’m going to Denver here in a couple days on the way to Costa Rica and Panama.

John Maxwell:
And the company I’m going to go speak for, they said you just have to do leadership. And it’s requested a lot. It’s how to be agile. It was written before COVID but you would think I would have written it during COVID because it’s how do you pivot? How do you, how do you flex with the times and lead? Now you asked for five, but, but there I have to give you six. So I’m sorry, because high road leadership would be number six without any question. And let me just say something about high road leadership. This is going to be, for me as a, as a father and a grandfather. This is going to be the mentoring book I have for my grandchildren.

John Maxwell:
Again, ages 23 down to 17. And they read my books. I paid them to read my books, but they read my books. But these kids, they’ve not seen enough good high road leadership. And so I’m going to, that’s going to, my mentoring project for 2024 is I’m getting a book for each one of the grandchildren and we’re going to go through it and we’re going to take the twelve distinguishing characteristics of a high road leader and we’re just going to learn them and practice them. And it’s going to be so much fun because what I’m going to do is each time we take another distinguishing characteristic or practice of a high route leader, we’re going to then say, okay, let’s go try that for x amount of time and let’s come back and talk about it. And so we’re going to, they’re going to learn it, but they’re going to, they’re going to learn high road leadership, but they’re going to practice high road leadership, which I think is going to be a lot of fun. So you asked for five, I gave you six.

Mark Cole:
Well, John, I’m going to let you kind of entice us to come back next week in just a moment. But podcast family, let me talk to you for just a moment. I travel the world with John Maxwell, and there’s not a place that I don’t go into that we, number one, don’t meet one of our Maxwell leadership certified team members. They’re everywhere, and they are there to serve you. If you ever meet one of them, they will serve you. The second thing that happens every place that I go is somebody comes up and says, I love the podcast. It’s changing my life. That was no exception this week when I was at my daughter’s final, her 12th grade cheerleading banquet, and coach Parker, her basketball coach, came up and said, I just listened to Maxwell Leadership podcasts for the first time.

Mark Cole:
So, Coach Parker, and to many of you podcast friends, welcome. We’re glad you’re here. You have joined on a good week. If this is your first week, and if you’re a long time you’ve joined, you’re continuing for the right time. Because for the next three weeks after today, so, four week series, John Maxwell and I are going to be sharing about high road leadership, bringing people together in a world that divides. You can go to highroadleadershipbook.com right now. You can pre order the book. You can download the audiobook.

Mark Cole:
You can get some free digital resources that we’ve created. There’s even a talk there that John has done on high road leadership that you can download. But podcast family, I’m going to challenge you with one thing before I throw it back to John. And we wrap today. We do our best week in and week out to add value to you. We bring it to you. We have considered all kind of financial mechanisms with the podcast, and we’ve kept it free because we’ve added value and want to add value to you. But today, I’m going to challenge you to step up.

Mark Cole:
I want talent challenge you to step up, like John just said. And I want you and your family to go through this book as soon as possible. Now, every week, I’m going to challenge you every week with somebody that I want you to bring this message to, to equip this message with. But today, I want you to put it inside of you. Put it inside of your family. I want you to order it. Please do me a favor. Order one for every member of your family.

Mark Cole:
And like John is doing with his grandkids, take this book and do a study. The next generation needs a model at home on how to lead because they’re not getting a model anywhere else in society right now. So make this book your family study. Make it your personal study over the next three to four weeks. And by the way, for you, overachievers hurry up and do it this week because next week I’ve got another challenge for you as we continue to dig into high road leadership. John, thanks for today. Thanks for hanging out with us for the next three weeks as well. I’ll just let you send everybody off with a challenge about high road leadership.

John Maxwell:
Yeah, well, I’m excited. Next, the next podcast, we’re going to pull back the curtains on why I wrote high road leadership. And again, we’re going to, we’re going to talk about more than just the book itself. The book is a tool to help people have a picture what a high road leader looks like. But almost all great works are they’re birthed out of the heart of a person and that’s why they’re created. And so we’ll in the podcast, we’re going to talk about why I wrote high road leadership and then we’re going to just start getting practical and helping people become high road leaders. I can hardly wait for that time.

Mark Cole:
So high roadleadershipbook.com, join us on YouTube. John’s going to be here hanging out with us for three more weeks. We’ll see you there. By the way, why high road leadership? Because everyone deserves to be led. Well.