Maxwell Leadership Podcast

Episode: 6 Steps to Successful Personal Change (Part 1)

Date: October 22, 2025
Host: John Maxwell, with Mark Cole and Traci Morrow

Overview

In this episode, John Maxwell launches a two-part series discussing the "6 Steps to Successful Personal Change," focusing in this first part on the foundational first three steps. The episode delivers practical insights and stories about how genuine, lasting change starts with oneself and is an essential skill for any transformational leader. Mark Cole and Traci Morrow reflectively unpack John’s teaching, sharing personal experience and practical advice for leaders navigating change—both personally and within their teams.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Nature of Personal Change

• Responsibility for Change

  • John emphasizes that "One person cannot change another person. The only person that can change themselves is themselves."
    • (John Maxwell, 02:30)
  • Leaders are responsible to people, not for people. “You can create the right environment...but you’re responsible to change yourself.”
    • (John Maxwell, 03:38)

• Mindset about Change

  • It’s common to hope circumstances will change, but John insists: "The only way things will change for me is when I change."
    • (John Maxwell, 04:25)
  • Fred Smith’s pointed reminder:
    • “If you really wanted to be any different, you would be in the process of changing right now.”
      • (cited by John Maxwell, 05:02)

The 6-Step Change Process – First Three Steps

1. Change Your Thinking

• “All change begins with thinking. If you change your thinking, you’ll change your beliefs. If you don’t change your thinking, you won’t change your beliefs.”
  • (John Maxwell, 06:43)
• Beliefs are the byproduct of repeated thoughts; thinking forms beliefs which drive our actions and ultimately our legacy.

2. Change Your Beliefs

• “When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations. Beliefs form expectations.”
  • (John Maxwell, 07:49)
• John’s personal formula for change:
  1. Change is personal — “I need to change.”
  2. Change is possible — “I can change.”
  3. Change is profitable — “If I change in the right areas, I will be rewarded.”
  • (John Maxwell, 08:54)

3. Change Your Expectations

• Changing beliefs raises expectations, which then transform attitude.
• John illustrates this with the "10-inch frying pan" story: Don’t limit your outcomes by the size of your “frying pan” (belief system).
• Cites Nelson Boswell:
  • “The first and most important step toward success is the expectation that we can succeed.”
    • (John Maxwell, 10:02)
• Positive expectations generate: Excitement, Conviction, Desire, Confidence, Commitment, and Energy.

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

Leadership and Ownership of Change

• "Nobody likes change unless you’re the one calling the change, unless it’s your change."
  • (Mark Cole, 13:41)
• On owning change: “The change has to come within as a sense of buy-in. I’ve got to envision the outcome...and overplay the sacrifice, the unsettling.”
  • (Mark Cole, 14:02)

On Influence vs. Responsibility

• “You have a responsibility to the people you lead, but you’re not responsible for the people you lead. They’re responsible for themselves.”
  • (Mark Cole, 18:29)

On Taking Advice and True Desire for Change

• “John calls them—those who ask for advice all the time but never take it—‘askholes’.”
  • (Mark Cole, 21:10)

Personal and Organizational Change

• On breaking old thought patterns:
  • "John’s given all of us...the tool of an inner circle and an outer circle. An inner circle exists to keep me grounded...an outer circle is intended to stretch my thinking."
    • (Mark Cole, 25:07)
  • Encourages leaders to ask: “Why?” “Why not?” and “What happens when we do?” as routines for continuous organizational improvement.

Mindset and the ‘Frying Pan’ Story

• “If you believe you can or you believe you can’t, you are right.”
  • (Mark Cole, paraphrasing, 28:18)
• On seizing opportunity: “When opportunity presents itself, it’s too late to prepare.”
  • (Credits John Wooden, 34:54)
• “I don’t throw it back. I find a different way to fry it. I find a partner with a bigger frying pan…”
  • (Mark Cole, 35:38)

Growth and Expectation

• “Feed your faith and starve your fear.”
  • (Traci Morrow, paraphrasing John Maxwell, 33:57)
• On developing belief in the impossible: “I wish more people would try the impossible because when they get more than they bargained for, they will start trying more of the impossible.”
  • (Mark Cole, 32:26)

Practical Application & Reflection

• For Leaders:

  • Focus on self-change first; model the behavior you wish to inspire.
  • Encourage open questioning (“Why?”, “Why not?”, “What happens if…?”) in your team to challenge status quo thinking.
  • Regularly evaluate whether your “frying pan” (your mindset or organizational capacity) is limiting your opportunities.
  • Separate your responsibility to influence from the unattainable responsibility of changing someone else.

• Personal Reflection Questions (shared by Mark Cole, 36:49):

  • How am I doing emotionally?
  • Am I still exhibiting hope and faith in tough times?
  • Am I positive and future-focused rather than past-focused?
  • Am I solving problems or just stating them?

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |:---------:|:---------------------------| | 01:55 | John Maxwell: The 3 personal comments on change | | 05:02 | Fred Smith’s quote on the reality of change | | 06:43 | Step 1: Change your thinking | | 07:49 | Step 2: Change your beliefs | | 08:54 | The “change is personal, possible, profitable” principle | | 10:02 | Step 3: Change your expectations | | 13:41 | Mark Cole: Personal ownership of change | | 17:37 | Addressing leaders who try to change others | | 21:10 | The “askhole” phenomenon | | 25:07 | Using inner and outer circles for diverse thinking | | 28:18 | The power of belief and expectation | | 34:54 | The “frying pan” story and preparation for opportunity | | 36:49 | Reflection questions for difficult times |

Closing Thoughts

This episode firmly establishes that all meaningful, lasting change starts with the internal—changing our own thinking, beliefs, and expectations. Leaders are encouraged to model the change they seek, take responsibility for their own growth, and build belief that positive change is always possible and profitable. The practical frameworks and stories challenge listeners not just to hope for change, but to act, think bigger, and prepare for opportunities before they arrive.

Tune in next week as the Maxwell Leadership Podcast completes the six steps with Part 2 of this series.