How to Close the Thinking Gap
Maxwell Leadership Podcast
John Maxwell
4.8 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 11 June 2025
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If the greatest gap between successful and unsuccessful people is the thinking gap, how can you close it? In this episode, John Maxwell is sharing the key to shrinking the distance between where you are and where you want to be!
After his lesson, Mark Cole and Chris Goede sit down to talk about what John has shared and offer you practical application for your own life and leadership.
Key takeaways:
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The most effective leaders give themselves permission to think about what’s possible, not just what’s probable.
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If I think that there is an answer, I’ll become a victor. If I think that there’s no answer, I’ll become a victim.
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When facing a problem, think beyond just resolving the issue at hand. Discover solutions to eliminate the root cause and equip others to handle it in the future.
Our BONUS resource for this episode is the How to Close the Thinking Gap Worksheet, which includes fill-in-the-blank notes from John’s teaching. You can download the worksheet by visiting MaxwellPodcast.com/ThinkingGap and clicking “Download the Bonus Resource.”
Take the next step in your growth journey and become a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member. Click here to speak with a Program Advisor today!
References:
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to the Maxwell Leadership podcast. |
| 0:11.0 | This is the podcast that adds value to leaders who multiply value to others. |
| 0:16.3 | My name is Mark Cole, and today, John Maxwell is here to share with us a lesson on how to close the greatest |
| 0:23.9 | gap between successful and unsuccessful people. That gap is really the thinking gap. And John's going to |
| 0:33.0 | share with us on how to not only shrink that gap, but to begin to think differently. After John's lesson, |
| 0:40.1 | I'll be joined by my good friend and co-host Chris Goody. We'll discuss what John has shared |
| 0:45.0 | and offer you some advice and ideas on how you can apply it to both your life and your |
| 0:50.7 | leadership. If you would like to download our free bonus resource |
| 0:54.3 | or watch this episode on YouTube, |
| 0:57.0 | you can go to Maxwellpodcast.com |
| 1:00.2 | forward slash thinking gap |
| 1:02.4 | and be able to get not only those resources |
| 1:04.7 | but other links and other things as well. |
| 1:06.7 | Okay, grab a pen, grab a paper. |
| 1:08.9 | Let's go. |
| 1:09.6 | Here is John C. Maxwell. |
| 1:18.4 | The greatest gap between successful and successful people is the thinking gap, how we think. |
| 1:25.4 | I'm not talking about intellect. |
| 1:29.3 | I'm not talking about IQ. I'm talking about successful people think differently than unsuccessful people. I'm going to give you an example |
| 1:33.4 | right now. Successful people in every difficult situation believe there's always an answer, and people |
| 1:38.8 | that don't do well in the crisis believe that there's not an answer. If I think that there is an answer, I'll become a victor. |
| 1:46.8 | And if I think there is no answer, I'll become a victim. It's just that simple. My father, |
... |
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