The Make-Up that Makes Up a Leader (Part 1)

John Maxwell teaches that the greatest responsibility of a leader is to raise up more leaders, and this episode is dedicated to helping you do that by showing you how to spot potential leaders. What makes up a good leader? John shares three key characteristics to evaluate a person’s leadership capacity: character, desire, and discipline. He breaks down each characteristic to make them readily identifiable.

Mark Cole and Richard Chancy zoom out and share helpful ways to look for these characteristics in the hiring process. Then Mark zooms in, turns the spotlight on the listener, and encourages us to live discipline on a daily basis. He shares that every major good decision costs more than expected and takes longer than hoped for but is worth it. Let the guidance in this episode help you keep growing as a leader while you’re intentional to raise up new leaders. 

Our BONUS resource for this episode is the Makeup That Makes Up a Leader Worksheet. You can access the worksheet by clicking “Download the Bonus Resource” below.   

We also have a survey for our podcast listeners because we want to know how to serve you better. Please take the survey linked below, and we’ll even give you $20 off your purchase of one of John’s Mentor’s Guide Audio Series. Just finish the 3-minute survey to get the discount!

14 thoughts on “The Make-Up that Makes Up a Leader (Part 1)”

  1. Thank you for this podcast. Character is very important as I lead a group of Elders through a time where character is questioned and trust has been lost.
    Do what you say you are going to do!
    Again, Thank you!

  2. Mark & Richard, you are doing a fantastic job! This is really helpful! You both have helped me during the roughest season in my life in jumpstarting my growth. The growth I began with you has continued as I joined JMT and Mentorship. My goal, hope, and prayer is to one day work with you in some capacity.

  3. You guys are great leaders. Thanks for sharing this knowledge. I enjoy listening and learning at the same time. Cheers from Laura Heaney Canada

  4. Thank you for such thought provoking and motivational podcast. Some very deep, soul searching content: such as “An undecided person cannot tap into the strength of his/herwill”. Also, “the will has to be stronger than the skill”. Great words of wisdom. Thank you!

  5. character makes a leaders… i believe that’s the most important aspect that matters a lot in the life of a leader!

  6. Thank you for the great lessons here, I’m learning a lot in terms of Leadership.

    I have a question though, I know that to have a great team we need to select people who will make that team great, but what if we don’t have that choice?

    I know Maxwell said if you don’t pick the members then you’re not the leader in that team, but I’m thinking more in terms of discipleship in a church setting. We can’t really choose who God gives us so we work with what we have. How can we help individuals have that growth mindset and create a team of leaders in that scenario.

    1. Leo, here in our firm we created the Leadership Roundtable to address this same question, albeit in a business setting. Here is our Vision Statement for this team. Maybe it will generate some ideas for you.

      Vision

      To create a leadership culture at CRS that is future focused, faith driven and intentional in our efforts to encourage and add value to those we lead.

      Future Focused-we will continually look outward of the walls of CRS in order to find new ideas and insights that will increase our skills as leaders

      Faith Driven-we acknowledge that some truths are absolute and that faith in those truths are the foundation of all our efforts. That there is no better example of leadership than Christ.

      Intentional-we will strive to be intentional in encouraging each other and those that we lead.
      We will seek to increase the value of the teams and individuals we lead.

      Each of us on the Leadership Roundtable are leaders within CRS. Whether that be leaders of an office, service area or specialty area, we acknowledge that we play a vital role in the culture and overall future of the firm. This Roundtable is formed so that we can intentionally work together to create a culture that is united in creating the best advisory and assurance services firm, period.

      To accomplish this, we will seek out new ideas and discuss them. We will discuss current issues within CRS. We will be action oriented. We will read. We will listen. We will write. We will become the thought leaders of CRS. This means we will read books together, listen to other thought leaders (through podcasts or other media) and we will bring those ideas to each other. Challenge each other, stretch each other and encourage each other. We are not concerned about being right, but about getting it right.

      In Summary:

      Healthy, effective leadership brings together character, perspective, courage, and favor. Indeed, an absence of any of these qualities limits our influence. Without character, a leader is unstable—prone to moral failure. Without perspective, a leader has no sense of direction. Without courage, a leader cowers at the sight of a big challenge. And without favor, a leader cannot persuade others to take action. This is what we seek for CRS. To be effective leaders.

  7. I do not even remember how I found the podcasts originally, but I have been listening since the 1st one. Originally it motivated me to begin reading more of John’s books, but in doing so I have become an avid reader of books on leadership and my own profession. In fact, this podcast is what directly lead me to creating the Leadership Roundtable within our firm. This Roundtable is now how we intentionally find a cultivate leaders. Still my favorite book by John is the 365-Day Devotional Journal (A Leader’s Heart). I start each day with it on my desk. Thank you for the podcast and for sharing Dr. Maxwell’s gift of wisdom and insight with us.

  8. In Podcast Make Up That Makes Up A Leader pt 1 it references coming to this page for Show Notes. Where do I find them? All I see is the workbook sheets?
    Thanks for your help in this.

    1. Hi Colleen, apologies for the confusion. The worksheets we provide as the bonus resource are the fill-in-the-blank notes for each of John’s lessons. Please let us know if we can assist you with anything else!

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