Podcast Summary

Podcast: Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
Episode: The Hardest Part of Leadership No One Talks About | Compassion International CEO Jimmy Mellado
Host: Craig Groeschel
Guest: Jimmy Mellado, CEO of Compassion International
Date: November 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the unspoken and often misunderstood challenges of leadership with Jimmy Mellado, Olympic decathlete, Harvard MBA, and current CEO of Compassion International. Mellado shares wisdom on the nature of leadership, organizational culture, the power of micro-disciplines, and the unique pressures faced by leaders—especially those guiding global, high-impact organizations. Listeners will discover practical techniques for interviewing, building a resilient culture, self-management, and facing the growing challenges of global poverty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Essence of Leadership & Early Influences

• Leadership vs. Influence:
  • “Leadership is taking you from a known place to an unknown place. If you're a leader and you do not have humility in your leadership... it's just a matter of time. The clock is ticking. You will find your way out of here.” (Jimmy Mellado, 00:00)
• Early Encouragement:
  • Jimmy credits his brother, who first told him he was a leader as a child in Nicaragua, as his lifelong encourager and champion (02:27).
• Courage Through Upbringing:
  • Growing up in seven countries, 41 moves, and witnessing his parents’ deep faith and service to the poor, Jimmy developed adaptability and courage (04:09).
  • His mother’s background in poverty made caring for the poor deeply natural:

    “It wasn’t that it was anything noble... We were always involved in the life of the poor because that’s what you do, that’s what a Jesus follower does.” (Jimmy Mellado, 04:09)

2. The Impact of “Third Culture Kids” and Adaptability

• Pros & Cons:
  • Moving frequently made Jimmy skilled at adapting to new cultures, but also led to people-pleasing tendencies—a double-edged sword for leaders (06:58).
  • “The plus side is I can go in and out of cultures very easily... The downside is, because you want to be accepted, you learn how to people please.” (Jimmy Mellado, 06:58)

3. What Mellado Looks for in Leaders Today

• Beyond Competence:
  • Competency is table stakes. The real differentiators are calling and culture fit:
    • “I need a great accountant whose heart breaks for children in poverty.” (Jimmy Mellado, 11:54)
    • “If you are not a humble leader... you will not be compatible with this culture.” (Jimmy Mellado, 11:57)
  • Key Interview Questions:
    • “What did you hate about your last job?” (09:48)
    • “If I called your previous employer, what would they say you need to work on?” (09:53)
    • “If things don’t work out here and it’s your fault, what would the reason be?” (Craig Groeschel, 11:00)
  • Why these are important: “If there’s something they hated... they’re probably going to accidentally let it come out...” (Jimmy Mellado, 10:19)

4. Culture, Calling, and Organizational Growth

• Doubling Down on Purpose:
  • At a major inflection point, Compassion doubled down on their faith-focused mission when pressured to “talk about Jesus less,” fueling unprecedented growth (13:45).
  • “What’s important to Compassion? Jesus. If Jesus is not important to you, you’re not going to fit here.” (Jimmy Mellado, 15:24)
• Finding Values-Driven Talent:
  • Seek proof of calling and cultural alignment before attempting to instill culture in someone (15:43).

5. Interviewing for Character & Self-Awareness

• Character is hard to test in interviews.
  • Key question: “Describe a time when you went through a very painful, deep valley... and how that formed who you are.” (Jimmy Mellado, 17:21)
  • Self-awareness question: “When were you most fruitful and fulfilled? Why?” (Jimmy Mellado, 17:50)
  • You want candidates who understand why they succeed and can contextualize their strengths (18:31).

6. Micro-Disciplines and Leadership Longevity

• Pre-Decide Your Habits:
  • “If you want the best life, you don’t just try—you train. Training means pre-deciding things that you’re going to do.” (Jimmy Mellado, 21:08)
  • Spiritual disciplines:
    • “Any activity that either stops the natural flow of sin in my life or increases a supernatural flow of the fruit of the Spirit in my life.” (Jimmy Mellado, 22:38)
• Practical Examples:
  • “Bump the eyes” (23:19) to redirect attention from temptations.
  • Always draft heated emails first, never send immediately:
    • “I use the notes function on my iPhone first, then I copy it into text... can’t afford to do that.” (Jimmy Mellado, 23:50)
• Importance of Recovery Rhythms:
  • Leaders should not just structure work, but recovery and replenishment:
    “In athletics it was critical to have a development plan and a recovery plan... companies want people to have development plans. They don’t have recovery plans.” (Jimmy Mellado, 27:32)

7. Structuring for Renewal

• Personal and Organizational Finish Lines:
  • Set clear finish lines (midday breaks, end-of-day shutdowns, weekly and quarterly time away) (29:01).
• Effective Recovery:
  • “Some people think being away is recovery. It’s not. It’s what you do when you’re away.” (Craig Groeschel, 31:04)
  • List the people, places, and circumstances that breathe life into you and intentionally schedule them (31:38).

8. Pressure, Discipline, Entitlements, and Walls

• Leadership Pressure Remains Constant:
  • “What’s been constant? Pressure. It never seems to end, there’s always more pressure and tension.” (Jimmy Mellado, 34:28)
• Guard Against Isolation and Entitlement:
  • “The longer you lead, and the longer you lead in the same place, the more entitlements come your way... Those entitlements aren’t often great for your character.” (Jimmy Mellado, 35:50)
  • Deliberately abstain from perks that build walls between leader and team—e.g., parking spaces:
    • “I said, okay, pick the farthest parking lot. Put a camera on it... but don’t put me near the door and don’t put my name on it.” (Jimmy Mellado, 37:34)
• Proactively “Wreck Walls”:
  • “I walk into work, I have this image of putting a hard hat on. I’m going to be a wall wrecker today.” (Jimmy Mellado, 39:10)
• Creating Challenge-Friendly Culture:
  • Always thank those who disagree:
    • “Anytime someone challenges me personally or privately, I always thank them. I want to thank you for disagreeing with me.” (Jimmy Mellado, 39:19)

9. The Limits of Willpower and Power of Patterns

• Willpower is Finite:
  • “Your will is finite. It’s finite by day. I don’t make key decisions at 4pm... When your will is used up, you don’t just become slightly stupid, you become really stupid.” (Jimmy Mellado, 42:41)
• The Solution:
  • Pre-decide and build patterns. Structure decisions and your environment, don’t rely on sheer will (43:05).

10. New Challenges in Global Poverty and Call to Action

• Poverty Trends Are Reversing:
  • “For the first time in at least two decades, the world is going to experience a reversal in progress of releasing people from poverty... 165 million more people now living under the poverty line.” (Jimmy Mellado, 44:16)
• Lean In, Don’t Look Away:
  • “There are only two responses when great need confronts us... Look away or lean in. The best part of ourselves dies a little every time we look away.” (Jimmy Mellado, 47:09)
  • First experience of “leaning in” as a child in Bolivia (47:09).
• How to Lean In:
  • Practical step: Sponsor a child through Compassion (compassion.com, $43/month) (49:38).
  • “If it isn’t that kind of a continuous thing, you can also make a one-time... do the next right thing for you in leaning in.” (Jimmy Mellado, 50:34)

11. Closing Reflections and Legacy

• What Matters Most:
  • “I think trying... to pay attention to the people that love me most and give me the most direct feedback possible that I need to hear.” (Jimmy Mellado, 51:09)
  • Leaning into feedback and staying open to growth, especially from those closest to you.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Leadership is taking you from a known place to an unknown place. If you’re a leader and you do not have humility... the clock is ticking. You will find your way out of here.”
  — Jimmy Mellado (00:00)
• On Recovery Rhythms:
  • “In athletics it was critical, you have to have a development plan and a recovery plan. In life, we often have the first, not the second.” (Jimmy Mellado, 27:32)
• On Pre-Deciding Habits:
  • “You don’t just become slightly stupid, you become really stupid. Really smart people make really bad choices because their will was depleted.” (Jimmy Mellado, 42:41)
• On Building Culture:
  • “If humility is not in your leadership, you’re not compatible with this culture.” (Jimmy Mellado, 11:57)
• On Leaning In:
  • “There are only two responses when great need like that confronts us... Look away or lean in. The best part of ourselves dies a little every time we look away.” (Jimmy Mellado, 47:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – 04:09: Defining leadership and early influences
• 06:58: The challenges and growth of third culture kids
• 09:03 – 11:57: Top interview questions and what Mellado seeks in leaders
• 13:45: Compassion’s culture and changing the world by being explicit with purpose
• 17:19 – 18:31: Interviewing for character and self-awareness
• 21:08 – 23:50: Micro-disciplines; spiritual and practical leadership habits
• 27:32: Rhythms of work and recovery; finish lines
• 34:28 – 39:55: Enduring pressure, discipline change over time, fighting entitlement; preventing isolation
• 42:41: Willpower depletion and the necessity of structuring habits
• 44:16 – 50:34: Reversal of global poverty progress and call to action
• 51:09: Mellado’s proudest leadership achievement: staying open to feedback from loved ones

Application & Takeaways

• Choose leaders based on calling, character, and culture fit—not just skills.
• Regularly ask deeper interview questions that reveal self-awareness and values.
• Pre-decide micro-disciplines (especially for spiritual and emotional health).
• Prioritize not just work rhythms but intentional recovery and replenishment.
• Guard against entitlement, pride, and isolation as you advance in leadership.
• Create safe, challenge-friendly cultures by welcoming disagreement.
• Understand your willpower is finite; don’t rely on it alone—structure your environment.
• In the face of overwhelming need, choose to lean in, not look away.

For more, visit compassion.com or download free leadership resources at cglp.com.