Maxwell Leadership Podcast

Episode: "What Happens When You Help Others Win"

Host: John Maxwell, with studio guests Mark (A) and Chris (B)
Date: October 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the transformational power of helping others win. John Maxwell and his team share personal stories and practical insights on why and how supporting the success of those around you not only benefits others but is a catalyst for your own growth as a leader. The episode emphasizes that true leadership significance is achieved when you shift focus from personal wins to multiplying wins for others.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Transformational Power of Helping Others Win

• John Maxwell’s Core Message:
  • "When you help others win, you win too." (02:19)
  • Helping others experience a "win under their belt" can change the trajectory of their self-belief and future achievements.
• John’s Wrestling Story: John recalls his father intentionally letting him win several wrestling matches, instilling confidence and a winning mindset that radically altered his approach.
  • “My father put belief in me…My father put a win under my belt.” (04:27)
• Wishbone Lesson: John shares a Thanksgiving tradition where he let his daughter win the wishbone pull, always wishing, “I always wish that you would win.” (05:17)

2. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation to Win

• Chris on Competition:
  • Winning brings a unique feeling of success and completion, fundamental to human nature.
  • “Everybody wants to win, everybody wants success, everybody wants to achieve in whatever it is that they’re doing.” (08:55)

3. Healthy vs. Unhealthy Winning Mindsets

• The Dark Side of Competition:
  • Mark confesses to a history where his drive to win sometimes resulted in making others feel like losers.
  • “We can want to win so bad that our winning makes people feel like losers.” (15:37)
  • Leadership maturity is realizing the importance of others' victories, not just your own.

4. The Influence of Encouragers and Affirmation

• The Impact of Affirmation:
  • Mark credits his third-grade teacher, Ms. Richardson, for instilling a winning mindset early on (11:56).
  • Words of affirmation can create foundational self-belief, especially when not experienced at home or in early life.

5. Transitioning from Desire to Win to Helping Others Win

• Personal Evolution:
  • Both Mark and Chris discuss how life experiences (parenthood, leadership roles) shifted their focus:
    • Mark: “Unlike you, I do let Macy win.” (16:32)
    • Chris: Realized the "real significance" in helping others succeed while managing a sales team.

6. Developing Belief in Others

• John Maxwell’s Leadership Principle:
  • “The first step in helping another person’s ability to achieve is to help them believe they can.” (22:17)
  • Giving belief is only authentic if you have belief in yourself.

7. Self-Belief and Surrounding Yourself with the Right People

• Finding Encouragement:
  • Mark suggests: If you feel unsupported, actively seek environments and people that can pour belief into you—community organizations, mentorship, even podcasts where people genuinely want to see you win. (26:23)
• Practical Steps:
  • “You need to find a place…somebody that can lift you and put belief in you. That is your assignment.” (28:12)

8. Maturity in Leadership: Wanting Others to Surpass You

• The Ultimate Test:
  • Chris shares a pivotal experience of helping someone else get promoted over himself. True leadership is tested when someone you have helped succeeds beyond your own achievements.
  • “That was the first time where I had helped somebody and they had exceeded me…and it truly happened…but this person did awesome in that job. That confirmed for me, oh man, I did the right thing.” (30:16)
  • “It’s not easy to say you want to see people go beyond you—until it really happens.” (30:51)

9. Celebrating Others’ Wins Enhances Organizational Culture

• Sports and Business Parallels:
  • True competitors (in sports or business) recognize and celebrate the best performer, maintaining the sport’s integrity and setting a strong organizational culture.
  • “I want to be a leader that says, hey, I want to be in the game, and I want others to win the game if their plan is better than the one that I’ve been working.” (21:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• John Maxwell:
  • “When you help others win, you win too.” (02:19)
  • “My father put belief in me…he put a win under my belt.” (04:27)
  • “I always wish that you would win.” (05:17)
• Mark:
  • “We can want to win so bad that our winning makes people feel like losers.” (15:37)
  • “If you are struggling with helping others believe their best, it’s probably because you don’t believe in your best...You can’t give belief if you don’t have belief.” (24:13)
• Chris:
  • “It takes some shifting…it’s not easy to say we want to see people go beyond where we go…until it really happens, and then you really get a chance to choose, is this what I really want or not?” (31:01)

Important Timestamps & Content Breakdown

• [02:31] — John Maxwell: The Impact of Helping Others Win
• [07:10] — Chris and Mark: The Competitive Spirit & Personal Stories
• [09:16] — Mark: The Dark Side of Winning & Early Lessons on Affirmation
• [11:56] — Influential Encouragers in Childhood
• [13:01] — When Leaders Begin to Wish for Others’ Success
• [15:37] — Reflection on Making Others Feel Like Losers
• [17:13] — Helping Others Win in Management and Sales
• [20:58] — Sportsmanship Parallels and Business Culture
• [22:17] — John Maxwell’s Principle: Helping Others Believe They Can Achieve
• [24:13] — Self-Belief as the Foundation for Encouraging Others
• [26:23] — Advice for Listeners Lacking Encouragement
• [28:12] — Call to Action: Find People Who Will Pour into You
• [30:16] — Chris’s Story: When Someone You Helped Surpasses You
• [31:01] — The Real Test of Significance and Leadership

Actionable Takeaways

• Intentionally look for ways to help others get a ‘win under their belt’ in every encounter—your daily choices matter.
• Affirmation isn’t just words; it’s about backing up belief with opportunity and celebrating real progress, even if it’s incremental.
• If you lack a support system, actively seek environments and people who inspire belief in you—it’s critical for growth.
• Mature leadership is measured by your willingness and joy in seeing others surpass your achievements.
• Organizational culture shifts when leaders celebrate and support the success of others—make this central to your leadership style.

Further Resources Mentioned

• Book: "Change Your World" by John Maxwell — Encourages shifting from personal success to significance by empowering others to win. (31:28)
• Maxwell Leadership Bonus Resource: maxwellpodcast.com/helpotherswin
• Recommended Episodes:
  • "How to Be a Leader People Love to Follow"
  • "Strategies to Stop Complacency"

By the end of this episode, listeners are challenged to embrace significance over success, intentionally seek opportunities to help others win, and cultivate an environment—both personally and professionally—where belief in people is at the core of leadership.