Being a mentor isn’t about power or authority, it’s about genuinely sowing into someone’s life - providing the alliance feedback we’ve looked at several times already - so they can be their absolute best. Had Terry, Kevin, Rod, or Chris been prone to pounding their chests and telling me how great they were, I can assure you I wouldn’t be mentioning their names. Not only am I far too willing to call bullshit when someone is that full of themselves, I’ve never seen anyone receive much of real value from the folks who are constantly exclaiming how great their own accomplishments are. The most influential mentors and leaders I’ve had the privilege of learning from have all been extremely successful but they’ve also displayed exemplary humility.

During the same time I gained so much from each of the mentors listed above, I also had close interaction with no less than half a dozen folks who were exceptionally talented in their respective roles and had worked their ways into positions with high levels of authority. They were each in roles that garnered constant attention, within their own organizations and in the communities surrounding them. They were important and they didn’t shy away from making sure anyone even close to being in their reporting chain knew just how important they were. Each of them, in one way or another, was confident that they had hung the moon; humility was not a word I could have ever used in describing any of them. If any one of them ever attributed the slightest bit of their success to someone else, it wasn’t when I was nearby.

I won’t speak for you, but I struggle with taking someone seriously when they’re that proud of themselves. Make no mistake though, I have no issue whatsoever with a leader who’s confident. Confidence and arrogance are very different things. The most confident leaders I’ve been around also display humility in how they look for ways to serve and develop the people around them. Humility dismantles the myth of self-reliance, enabling leaders to lean on relationships for growth. The humility I saw in each of my mentors was exactly why I knew I could trust them.

How Humility Builds Trust in Professional Relationships

As we looked at investing in mentorship for exponential returns, I shared how Kevin Arnold frequently taught me things that he had learned from his mentors. I can’t remember a single time where Kevin took credit for how much he knew about workplace safety or the results he achieved. He was always quick to pass any praise on to whoever he worked with, but he was just as quick to accept responsibility when something went wrong. Kevin was one of the first great examples I had in learning the power of humility. That said, he and the others I’ve mentioned by name to this point are just about the only ones I can think of within that large manufacturing company who at least held regional responsibility and remained even remotely humble. One was so far on the other side of that fence that he earned the not-so-affectionate nickname of “Lumbergh” from Office Space. He had extremely smooth moves but had built little trust in his closest professional relationships. While now isn’t the time, I’d welcome you to ask me one-on-one about how I tracked his poor attendance or about some of his other shenanigans I called attention to on occasion.

While from a distance, the humility Cindy and I felt from John Maxwell - be that through his books, audio lessons, or in large groups where we heard him speak - was a significant part of why we were drawn to his body of work. In more than two and a half decades of learning from his material, I’ve always appreciated how open he’s been about the areas where he counts on his team for support. Whether he was joking about his bad singing voice, how poor his hiring decisions were due to believing he could develop everyone he interviewed into great team members, or his story about laughing at a high-profile CEO who disagreed with him about being so open with his weaknesses, Maxwell may be the most influential leader I’ve ever studied who is consistently transparent about the things he’s just not good at. Just like I’ve learned through interviewing thousands of candidates, someone who says they’re good at everything will lie about other things too! With a global leader like John Maxwell displaying that kind of humility and openness about all the areas he’s struggled with throughout his career, trusting him in his areas of expertise was easy - for me and for hundreds of thousands of others worldwide. 

Even though I had never interacted with John personally, I had tremendous respect for him. I first heard a brief lesson from his CEO, Mark Cole, just a few months before attending the event where I completed the licensing process to teach and train on John’s work. I studied Mark carefully during my time at that certification event, watching how he carried himself in front of 2,500 people and how he interacted with each individual. Near the end of the event, I pulled him aside and shared how impressed I was with what I had observed and how much it meant to me to see him in a role where he would truly carry John’s legacy. Let’s be honest, those comments from some random guy out of a sea of people weren’t likely very memorable. But I vividly remember how much humility I felt from Mark’s response, humility that showed me I could trust him as much as I had learned to trust John. And that created the foundation for the relationship Cindy and I have with Mark today, allowing us to learn from him in a way we never expected.

Earlier, I referenced how open I’ve heard John Maxwell be about his own weaknesses, and how he’s worked to surround himself with people who support him in those areas. That humility amazes me to this day. As one of the most influential leadership gurus on the planet today, I’ve never seen John display the slightest bit of arrogance. Make no mistake though, he’s extremely confident in his areas of strength. People too commonly believe confidence and humility can’t coexist. Humble leaders don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less - focusing more on the people they’re responsible for serving and the opportunities they have to learn from everyone around them.

Having spent more time with John than anyone else in the world over the last twenty-five-plus years, possibly even more than John’s wife or kids, should it come as any surprise that Mark Cole mirrors that quality of humility (and many of John’s other traits)? After Mark provided the closing keynote at our first LeadershipLegacy Experience in June 2025, a friend who had never heard him speak mentioned how Mark’s presentation style and mannerisms closely resembled John. Well, of course it does - and it should! I have a solid friendship with Rod’s (my former HR manager) son. It’s often like seeing a younger carbon copy; tone, body language, everything. I’ll bet you can think of plenty of your own examples too… Even more than his speaking style and mannerisms, I’ve seen Mark replicate John’s intentionality for actively learning from anyone he interacts with. 

Mark obviously learns from John and through his work, he has opportunities to learn from some of the most powerful leaders around the world. He’s also built a core team around him within Maxwell Leadership. But more impressive than any of that, I can’t point to a single time he and I have talked one-on-one when he hasn’t asked me very specific questions about issues he’s working through that he knew I had experience in. Two of those have been tied to decisions he was facing that would impact people around that world as well as how the entire Maxwell brand was viewed. The details around either are irrelevant here, but the fact that he took the time to get input from someone like me - especially considering the people he rubs elbows with daily - emphasizes how having the humility to learn from others can serve any of us in being a gateway to wisdom.

Seeing Mark’s spirit of humility has been the primary reason Cindy and I have worked so hard to build our friendship with him over the last decade. Watching how he works to learn from everyone around him explains why John chose him to carry the Maxwell legacy. That said, leaders like Mark are rare. Far too many people in roles as influential as his are pulled more toward arrogance than the humble confidence I referenced before. Unless they overcome that ego, they’re unlikely to truly embrace collaboration - and we’ll pick up there soon.