Maxwell Leadership Podcast: We Is Better than Me

Mark Cole:

Welcome to the Maxwell Leadership Podcast, the podcast that adds value to leaders who multiply value to others. I’m Mark Cole and this week we’re talking about how we is better than me. John Maxwell says that one is too small of a number to achieve greatness and I think he’s absolutely right. See, if you want to achieve anything big, you’re going to need others in your life. That’s where the power of team lies. See, in this lesson, John is going to share six reasons why team effort is superior to individual effort. Some of these may seem obvious to you, but there’s going to be others that will challenge you, that will maybe enlighten you. That’s why after John’s lesson, I’ll be joined by my co-host Becky Bursell and we’re going to begin to help you and challenge you to navigate John’s lesson so that we together can apply these lessons to our life and to our leadership.

We have a free tool that we provide each and every week. It’ll help you capture the key points in today’s lesson. That’s our bonus resource. This is a free fill in the blank PDF that accompanies each of John’s lesson. If you would like to download this, please visit maxwellpodcast.com/we and click the bonus resource button. All right. Get ready. Let’s dive in. Here is John Maxwell.

John Maxwell:

Andrew Carnegie said, “I owe whatever success I’ve achieved by and large to my ability to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am.” Business has recognized the power of teams. The Harvard Business School says that a team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

So, why are teams superior to individual effort? Because, anybody that’s ever heard me teach always knows I talk about how that teams are much more superior than individual effort. Okay. Here we go. Teams involve more people, thus affording more resources, ideas and energies than would an individual. Teams maximize a leader’s potential and minimize her weaknesses. Strengths and weaknesses are most exposed in individuals. Here’s what Stephen Covey observes. Leaders wear out their followers and themselves when they try to lead alone. People and organizations don’t grow much without delegation and completed staff work because they are confined to capacities of the boss and this reflects both personal strengths and weaknesses.

Teams provide multiple perspectives of how to meet a need or reach a goal, thus devising several alternatives for each situation. Individual insight is seldom as broad or as deep as a group’s when it comes to a problem. Boy, that is so true. Team leaders genuinely believe that they do not have all the answers, so they do not insist on providing them. They believe they do not need to make all of the key decisions, so they do not do so. They believe they cannot succeed without the combined contributions of all other members of the team to a common end. So, they avoid any action that might constrain input or intimidate anyone on the team. Ego is not their predominant concern.

Here’s another point. Teams share the credit for victories and the blame for losses. This fosters genuine humility and authentic community. Boy, do I love that. Individuals take credit and blame alone. This fosters pride and sometimes it fosters also a sense of failure. Teams keep leaders accountable for the goal. Individuals connected to no one can change the goal without any kind of accountability. And, finally, teams can simply do more than an individual.

So, since teams are so important and people are so important in helping you stay in first place, my final thoughts to you are this. Look for teammates. When you get into developing a team, look for teammates that are, number one, believers. Few people are successful unless a lot of other people want them to be. Get believers on your team, people that believe in your mission, people that believe in you, people that believe in your values, people that believe in your company. Believers.

Number two, achievers. You’re only as good as the people around you. A number 10 organization must be full of eights, nines and 10s. So, you want believers, you want achievers. Number three, conceivers. Good ideas guarantee the future success of an organization. If we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we’ve always gotten. So, you want idea people, people that come up with great thoughts and ideas. And, number four, you want relievers. Many hands make light work. Gifted hands make successful work. Complementary hands make teams work.

I guess this will be the conclusion of it in your notes. One besides one equal 11. It’s pretty good math, isn’t it? Huh? One beside one equal 11. Many, many years ago… I’m talking about in the early eighties, 1980s, I came up with this just quick acrostic of team. Together everyone achieves more. That’s a fact. Together everyone achieves more.

Commercial:

Hey, podcast listeners. Fall is almost here, which means it’s time to get your tickets to Live To Lead 2022. Live To Lead is an annual event broadcast live from Atlanta, Georgia to hundreds of communities around the world. It’s an event meant to bring the best leadership teaching to intentional active leaders everywhere. Join other leaders like yourself who are stepping up to create powerful, positive change in their organizations and communities. We’re offering both in person and virtual tickets, so be sure to grab yours at live2lead.com. That’s live, the number two, lead dot com. See you soon.

Mark Cole:

Welcome back, Becky. You know, every week I get the privilege of getting multiple emails, posts, podcast comments, and I have to tell all of you, whether you’re viewing, whether you’re listening, that it’s fuel for Becky and I, all of my co-hosts, Jake, our producers. We all just… We get great fuel, great energy, from your feedback and most of the time I save it to the end but today because we’re talking about we and because the comment is such a me to we comment, I thought I would share it with you today.

Now, this came in the form of an email. Most of ours is just a three sentence little post, but this one’s a little long. But, I want to start with it because it really illustrates what John’s trying to communicate today. It’s from Rashu and Rashu… I think he heard it on… Let me see. He heard it on one of our most recent podcasts and here’s what he said. He said, “I wanted to write this email of appreciation for a long time. I love what you guys are doing by sharing and teaching the leadership wisdom in this podcast. Many years ago, as a young engineer, I lacked the wisdom that I needed to work in my workplace. I was technically smart, which was attested to in my yearly performance reviews, but I was always flagged for my leadership skills or lack thereof. I always thought of myself as a force of nature in my leadership.”

Ha ha ha. He laughs out loud. But, he says, “What a mess. It was John’s book The 360 Degree Leader which revolutionized my thinking. I was led to this book through your podcast, which I started to listen to back in 2018 November.” Rashu, thank you, man. You have been with us a long time. You’re family. He said, “This book that you recommended in this podcast, it gave me specific actionable thoughts on how to lead my peers, lead managers and folks who indirectly take my direction as well. I went from zero to 70 so fast. I still have a long way to go, but I was able to be an effective leader, an effective executive, as Peter Drucker says, because of what Maxwell leaders do every day.”

“Each day when y’all.” I love the y’all, Rashu. That’s my language, buddy. “Each day when y’all wake up, you educate, equip and empower millions like myself to be effective in our workplace and daily life. Since 2018, y’all have revolutionized my world. I have been buying all the books of John as well as getting them to folks because I believe in this message and I am an eager witness to this change.”

Thank you, Rashu Thomas.

Becky Bursell:

Wow.

Mark Cole:

I know. And, let me tell you this. A civil engineer.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

Very, very interdependent.

Becky Bursell:

I’m married to an engineer [inaudible 00:09:56].

Mark Cole:

There you go. You get it.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Mark Cole:

Pretty self-contained. Not always extroverted.

Becky Bursell:

Uh-huh.

Mark Cole:

And, what he did is he said, “I went from zero to 70 when I stopped making it about me.”

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

“And, started making it about we.” I think one of the best we books… Shameless plug here. I’m going to talk about another book. But, one of the best books on we leadership is 360 Degree Leader. And, that book impacted me because it’s how to lead above, how to lead around, how to lead below, and that’s what we’re talking about here today. How do we go from me to we?

Becky Bursell:

Yeah, and I love that testimonial because every single one of us… It’s not like it was just one moment where you realized, hey, you’re not as great as you think you are.

Mark Cole:

Mm-hmm.

Becky Bursell:

And, by the way, even when you’re in your greatest moments, it’s not just because of you. I love when John always talks about when people come up to him and say they’re a self-made anything.

Mark Cole:

Mm-hmm.

Becky Bursell:

And, the idea that that doesn’t exist and that none of us are. We’re all a product of our environment and our coaching and people around us. And so, the fact that he was so open with recognizing that about himself… I think that’s what we’re addressing today.

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

Is how difficult it is to put your ego aside and say it’s never just me in this whole process.

Mark Cole:

And, you know, you mentioned ego and I agree and John mentioned ego in the teaching, Becky. But, sometimes it’s really not ego, although we kill ourselves, we crucify ourselves because it feels like ego. Sometimes, it’s just I really can do it better than everybody else.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

And, that’s not an ego statement. It just takes a little bit of time, leaders, impatient leaders.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

It takes a little bit of time and discipline, commitment, to go from me to we.

Becky Bursell:

It does. I would say that’s probably one of my biggest hurdles and it’s not because I don’t love team. I love, love, love team. But, there are places in your growth, especially if you’re a producer, that you’re very used to relying on yourself and knowing that when all is said and done, if it’s up to you, you’ll make it happen. So, taking a step back sometimes and realizing just because you can get it done doesn’t mean it’s the best way to get it done.

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

And, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be the best product as well. So, I think him recognizing that and all of us recognizing that in that process, that really is that first step to being the leader that you would want to follow.

Mark Cole:

I wrote a statement at the top of my notes as John was talking. There’s nothing profound here, but there is something significant here in this statement.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

Teams that can’t function without the leader is limited in its effectiveness.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

Now, again, that’s not profound. We all could have wrote that as we just were listening and absorbing what John was saying. But, here is the profound thought in that for me. Not the statement, but the reality.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

And, the reality is as a leader, I love to be wanted and needed and I want my voice to matter. But, more than… And, I want it done faster, which is why some of the times, I don’t move to a we mindset.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

I can just get it done faster, Becky, and that’s not a statement of egotism. It’s a statement of reality. However, it will only be faster for so long because then I become weighted down because everything relies on me.

Becky Bursell:

Right.

Mark Cole:

It will only be effective for so long because I will cease to see the horizon because I’m watching the path. And, as a leader, we’ve got to awaken ourselves from this me to we. Yes, if you’re ego-centric, get out of it.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

You’re wearing everybody else around you. We know you’re okay, but you’re not as good as you think you are. Okay? Now, we got ego out of the way. That’s not always the reason that I feel restricted from moving from a me to a we standpoint. I go longer and harder on a me concept to get things done quicker, to get them done like I want them to, to get them done effectively. The shortsightedness of that, however, is the reality of that statement. The team cannot be as effective as it should be until we move to a we mindset.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

Pure and simple. Therefore, the thing that’s got to awaken us leaders that are challenged with distributing responsibility or distributing empowerment has got to be the reality that we cannot be as effective if we don’t learn how to do this we thing better.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah. And, I think that also comes back to a level of awareness of knowing and being honest with yourself of what your strengths and weaknesses are. I remember my dad, who’s had a lot of success in the business world, when I was a teenager, coming home just frustrated from some of his board that he was around and him just saying, “Look, the smartest business people I know are the ones that recognize what they can and they can’t do and they’re smart enough to put people around them that are better than they are at certain things that they just are not naturally inclined to be good at.”

And, that’s always stayed with me and it’s interesting how John breaks it up in believers, achievers, conceivers and relievers.

Mark Cole:

Mm-hmm.

Becky Bursell:

So, here’s a trick question, Mark. Which one are you?

Mark Cole:

Woo. Achiever.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

Yeah. And, it’s funny. So, I didn’t know you were going to ask that. We didn’t script that at all. But, I want to be a believer and I think I do okay with that. I conceive things pretty well and then obviously I go over to a reliever. I’ve relieved John of a lot of responsibilities over the last 12 years as CEO. But, that achiever thing. Man, I want to get it done. Now, here’s the beautiful thing of that. Because I’m an achiever, when something needs to get done, it’s a limiter to going to we.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

Because, put me in. I’ll get it done. Well, putting yourself in as the leader all the time stymies the growth of people around you, limits the creativity of people that really can do it better than us. Don’t tell anybody I said that, but they can do it better than us. And, then finally, it ceases to expand our bandwidth to have time to do what only we as the senior leaders can do.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

But, it’s achiever.

Becky Bursell:

It is. But, at the same time, I can also see pieces of all of that in you as well and I think that really is that… When he talks about the 360 degree leader, I think we all have that strength that probably stands out but I’ve seen at times, and everyone has, of being able to kind of be well-rounded in all of those things. It’s interesting how I don’t think those are… You know, I wouldn’t say reliever is where I would want to be.

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

It’s not my passion and so it’s not what fuels me. But, again, out of necessity, it can be a strength.

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

[inaudible 00:16:49] when it has to be.

Mark Cole:

Well, and watching you and the effectiveness of you and our team is not only believer. I think you’re strong in the believer standpoint. You believe there’s a way.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

You believe you’ll figure it out and you have the ability to instill that into the others of the team. So, then therefore, when you’re really focused on a task, because you’ve instilled belief in your team, they can begin reproducing belief that the project’s going to work.

You know, I was struck in this lesson of John moving from me to we because most of you in our podcast family, you’re very familiar with… By now, you’re familiar with Maxwell Leadership Growth Plan. You’re familiar with Maxwell Leadership Certified Team, an army of 44,000 coaches in 165-plus countries. We’re familiar with the new brand, Maxwell Leadership, not John Maxwell Company. You know, it’s really a me to we move that we’re in, Becky.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm. It is.

Mark Cole:

You and I and even our podcast family, all of you leaning in, you’re helping us go from me to we because we’ve been a persona brand, The John Maxwell Company, and we’re becoming a philosophy brand, Maxwell Leadership, a way to do great leadership.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

We’re going from founder… And, in every organization if you’re going to sustain, you’re going to have to extend, succeed, beyond the founder, and we’re in the middle of going from founder to foundation. It’s a me to a we move. You’ve heard us talk about content, our thought leaders, the people that we have brought on our team. We’ve had them on this podcast. Jeff Henderson, we’ve heard. Had Tim Elmore.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

We’ve had Joel. We have the… Don Yaeger is one of our incredible thought leaders. We’ve had these thought leaders that come in and that’s a me to a we move for John and for our leadership. We have these guides in our Maxwell Leadership Growth Plan and that’s a me to a we. So many times, we see who’s your mentor? John. Well, we’re establishing other mentors that know the Maxwell philosophy and it’s not easy.

Becky Bursell:

No.

Mark Cole:

It’s not easy as an organization. Guess what? It’s not easy as a leader, either, to move from me to we. But, it’s necessary to expand and extend.

Becky Bursell:

And, it’s definitely an intention in everything that we do and starting from John to Mark through every person that’s a part of Maxwell Leadership. It is just a natural intention every single day to be able to grow that, including our podcast. I mean, we go from vision to vision casters to vision carriers. I mean, even this testimonial of being able to apply that. You see that every single day and living it and living it out are two different things and it takes a team to be able to produce all of that. I love this conversation because I love teams.

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

I mean, when you think about a dream team and you think of the vision of a dream team, what team comes to mind when I say dream team?

Mark Cole:

Well, so, I go back to my first admission of a NFL pro football team was Miami Dolphins.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

And, it was the Orange Crush. Their defense back in the seventies was just like everything. So, there’s that. You know, I think of sports team a lot.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

But, I will tell you that for me, and this is going to sound rote, so forgive me, and you’re on this team so forgive me if it sounds like I’m just saying the right answer at the right time. But, the team that I have around me now as a leader is literally the best team I’ve ever worked with, and I’m not saying that we don’t have our challenges. I’m not saying that we’ve got it all figured out. I’m not saying that we don’t need to add additional components to our strengths and our skill sets. But, I am telling you that I’ve worked with a lot of teams in a corporate environment and the team that I get to call my lead team, the team that I get to call my family, our staff, hands down, by far, the best team I’ve ever had the privilege to work on.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

And, I think what makes it a… I think what makes a team a dream team is when you’re chasing the same thing.

Becky Bursell:

Absolutely.

Mark Cole:

When you’re chasing the same…

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

A dream team a lot of times is, oh my gosh, it’s a bucket list. Oh, it’s fantasy [inaudible 00:21:27]. I have a fantasy of a team that just loves each other and we love and live and laugh together.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

I think a dream team is also one that’s chasing the same thing.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

We have a dream and we’re going after it. That dream to bring powerful positive change to our society, to this generation that we’re living in. That’s a dream and Becky, you have a kid in school. I have a kid in school.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

And, we have adult kids. I just want my entire family to be chasing this dream of impacting those around us. And so, again, I love this concept of a dream team, this perfect team with great talents and skills and abilities and oh my gosh we’re playing so well together. But, I also love this idea of a dream team chasing the same thing.

Commercial:­­

Hey, podcast listeners. Do you have a clear plan for growth? Achieving big results most often does not require big life changes. Small improvements over time compound into big results. Download the Maxwell Leadership app. It’s the new free app where our expert guides and John Maxwell help you pace your leadership journey and set a clear plan for your own personal growth. You can also find all sorts of resources on the Maxwell Leadership app, including this podcast, information on upcoming events and much more. Just search Maxwell Leadership in your app store and download the app today.

Becky Bursell:

And, it’s interesting how when we all took our genius assessments, how every single person in that room, that believer gene in all of us is really strong.

Mark Cole:

Yep.

Becky Bursell:

I mean, none of us have a problem with grabbing on to a dream and recognizing what is possible. You and I had a conversation on a call a few weeks ago because I grew up in sales, so I’ve heard all the cliches. You know, the fake it til you make it.

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

And, I’ve transitioned that through the years to faith it til you make it.

Mark Cole:

I love that.

Becky Bursell:

And, I think that brings out the believer aspect in all of us because there is a moment in every person’s growth or plan or goals where it’s not a fakeness but it is a faithness of what you have to be able to really not only conceptualize but truly to the heart and core of what you want to have, believe in it. And, I feel like we have that and that’s probably why that dream team feels… It feels so real.

Mark Cole:

It’s so funny. When you said that, faith it til you make it, I’ve never heard that. That’s very, very good. You need to say that more often.

Becky Bursell:

Oh, I will. Not…

Mark Cole:

Because, we need that more often. Copyright Becky Bursell.

Becky Bursell:

And, now trademarked.

Mark Cole:

That’s exactly right. And so… But, it’s funny because when we walked in the studio today here in Atlanta, Jake, our producer, he said, “Hey, Mark. How you doing?.” I said, “Exceptional.”

Becky Bursell:

Exceptional.

Mark Cole:

And, he went, “Have you ever said that you’re doing exceptional when you’re really not?.” I said, “Well, there’s some times it requires a little bit more faith than others.”

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

And, I think that’s exactly what you’re saying, is it’s not that I am faking it that I’m exceptional and it’s not that today may be better in production and in a sense of emotional satisfaction as yesterday was.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

But, still, there is this belief and this certainty that we are exceptional. Now, let’s go back and make that applicable to a we. I think that when we as leaders recognize the significance of the team around us, we instill that belief that you’re talking about, we can do this.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm. Yep.

Mark Cole:

I think there is a responsibility to continue saying that even when it doesn’t feel that way. I think leaders that their vocabulary changes with their emotion are so ineffective.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

Because, it’s an exceptional day today because I feel good. How you doing tomorrow when Jake asks me and I go, “Man, I’m terrible. It’s horrible.”

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

Guess what he’s going to do the third day? He’s not going to ask.

Becky Bursell:

He’s not.

Mark Cole:

But, if you can create this belief and this consistency that we are a team… What do we do here at Maxwell Leadership? We’re one team with one dream. That’s a we statement.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

It’s not a unilateral dictatorial statement. It is a we statement. We are one team, we are one dream and we’re going after the same thing.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah, and if you think about even the two statements, I can do something and we can do something, that I can do something sounds a lot harder.

Mark Cole:

Well, it’s what Helen Keller…

Becky Bursell:

It’s a lot harder.

Mark Cole:

It’s what Helen Keller said. The quote. It’s in my notes. Anyone… Alone, we can do so little. Together, we can do so much.

Becky Bursell:

I love that.

Mark Cole:

You love it.

Becky Bursell:

And, just from a… Just from a problem solving standpoint, you know, the possibility of being able to solve all your own problems yourself… That just sounds daunting.

Mark Cole:

Right.

Becky Bursell:

It doesn’t sound very fun. And so, being able to have an incredible group of people around you that at least you know you can turn to and when you can’t figure it out, that is the whole point of that team. But, you set such a great example walking into a room and not initially trying to take over the ideas. You know, when we start to ideate something and put all the pieces together, you are brilliant at being able to really sit back and… Because, I think you and I are wired the same way.

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

At the back of our heads, we already have an idea.

Mark Cole:

That’s right.

Becky Bursell:

And, we probably already think it’s the best idea. So, being able to sit back and be able to let the room all contribute and by the end of it recognize, oh, I did not come in with the best idea and even if I created the foundation and idea, they just took it to a whole nother level and man, I’m so much more excited about where we’re going now because of that. I mean, we really just did this with the initiative we’re working on with Maxwell Leadership Growth Plan. I mean, we thought we had it and then we built it and we said, “You know what? This is not exactly where we want to be.” And, being able to bring just that amazing team together to take it to the next level and next level.

And, you and I had a conversation this week where I said, “Honestly, only God could have put all of these pieces.”

Mark Cole:

Yeah.

Becky Bursell:

Because, none of us can take credit for what we have and where we’re going and every door that has opened along the way.

Mark Cole:

Yeah. You know, so, let me tell you. I’ll close with this illustration, but let me tell you one thing that came to mind. So, this is confessions of a hardheaded leader. Join in. [inaudible 00:27:53]

Becky Bursell:

That’s why we do this podcast, by the way.

Mark Cole:

Yes. Pull your chairs in and join the confessions of a hardheaded leader. This is about you and I. For our event, the Maxwell Leadership Certified even that we do, International Maxwell Conference, for years and years and years and years, need I say decades, John has started the event off with a culture lesson and it’s just been, “Hey, let me lay the found work. This is who we are.”

About a year ago, our team started challenging me that there’s a better way to design or to structure that first day and I had a sacred cow.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

I had a white… I had an elephant in the room, man, and that elephant in the room is this is the way that I want our culture done. Put it out there at the beginning. And, you might know some of that, but you came to me recently and you went, “Mark, I really feel like we need to change the order of that first day.” And, I don’t know if you… I don’t know how many times you and I have had the conversation, but I know I’ve had the conversation with other people a lot.

Becky Bursell:

That was our first time.

Mark Cole:

That was our first time?

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

Well, you wouldn’t know that, and I’m telling you, I think we were on the phone or maybe an email.

Becky Bursell:

Email.

Mark Cole:

I think I was on an email on a plane and if you could have seen the hair on the back of my necks, they were standing straight up. I went, here we go again.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

I felt this initial hardheadedness. No. Why do y’all keep challenging me on this? I’ve stated what we want.

Becky Bursell:

Yep.

Mark Cole:

And, there was just this small voice within me. And, again, I’m going to tell you how I got the small voice. That’s the point of this story. The small voice in me and said, “Why don’t you let the team wrestle this, Mark? Rather than dictate where this needs to go.”

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

Now, so then I fired back an email to you and said, “Hey, why don’t we bring this up in our next leadership meeting? We’ll make a decision in that meeting. So, you can keep running, but give me three days and let the team lead into that.” That was a discipline for me, Becky.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm. Right.

Mark Cole:

Because, my initial response was, “No, Becky. I can’t remember if I’ve told you before, but I have already killed this idea multiple times before. No, this is how we start, with John Maxwell telling people who we are.”

Becky Bursell:

Right.

Mark Cole:

Well, I let that be a conversation in our leadership meeting just this week as we’re recording the podcast and I watched a brilliant idea manifest itself that really made your idea much better than mine. Now, could I have defended mine and made it right and everybody got behind it and supported it and it’d have been a great experience? Yes. But, would it have been as good as it’s going to be? No. It wouldn’t have.

Now, that’s not easy for me.

Becky Bursell:

Right.

Mark Cole:

But, here’s the reward for doing something not easy, leader. We came up with a better idea because me didn’t put my foot down as I had done so many times before. And, as a leader, don’t miss that weirdness. Don’t… Or, don’t miss that idiosyncrasy right there. To make yourself a me to we, stop making the sacred cow decisions that you’ve made for the last years and let your team beat up the idea to see if they can come up with something better. And, it wasn’t that I thought we had come up with a different outcome. It was that I was committed to a me to we mindset.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

That came up with the best idea. Because, I would have left to my own devices, I’d already answered that a dozen times.

Becky Bursell:

Mm-hmm.

Mark Cole:

Y’all are wearing me out with the same question. But, because I went, “No, I’m going to start making these decisions in a group environment because if I keep having to make them, I’m going to keep getting emails rather than letting you feel empowered. I know best, I’m going to do it.” The next time, that will be a quicker decision because you were empowered and guess what. You were right. I wasn’t. And, that’s a wonderful thing to say even on the podcast.

Becky Bursell:

I’m sorry. Could you repeat that part again? Could you?

Mark Cole:

Yes, I can. This is… This is… Becky is just like Stephanie, my wife. I said you’re right and she wants… All of a sudden, her hearing goes. She wants to hear it again. Becky, you were right. I was not. And, that really is true but it’s not because it was the best idea that convinced me it was right.

Becky Bursell:

Exactly.

Mark Cole:

It was a discipline that I want a me to we leadership team that got it right.

As leaders, how are you moving from me to we? Because somebody impresses you with their good idea that’s better than yours? You’re not going to get them.

But, if you’ll say, no, no, no. We’re going to start. We’re going to start communicating and wrestling with these ideas in a collaborative setting, a we setting, we got the best idea.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah. And, I think those moments… It’s important for the leadership to step back and say, “Okay. What is the win here? Is the win that I get my way? Or, is the win that we get better?.”

And, again, very much easily said than done. It’s something that takes discipline. And, again, you have modeled that for all of us and hopefully we’re all doing that within our own teams as well.

Mark Cole:

Well, the standout session that we’ve tried to deliver to you today has been we can do more together.

And, we really can. We can accomplish things together. I love our podcast family. I love this community that we’re a part of. I haven’t done this in a long time. I wish that you would go over to YouTube. I wish that you would search for Maxwell Leadership Podcast and you’ll see us on YouTube. We’d love to visually inspire you and love to audibly inspire you. And, by the way, get connected with us. Go to the Maxwell Leadership app and let that tool that we have created help you become better so that your team around you becomes better.

Becky Bursell:

Yeah.

Mark Cole:

And, like Rashu started this whole session off, hey, you might be an engineer like John, your husband.You might be all over the place like yours truly. But, you will be better when you get into an environment and the world needs us better. Don’t forget this, podcast community. We come together so that we can bring powerful positive change to the world because everyone deserves to be led well.