Introducing The Learning To Lead Show

Introduction to the Learning to Lead Show

In this inaugural episode of the Learning to Lead Show, host Mark Cundiff introduces his new podcast, sharing his journey from a salesman to a plant manager who found a passion for leadership. Mark discusses the lack of training during his transition and how John Maxwell's '21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership' ignited his lifelong commitment to learning about leadership. The podcast aims to teach curated content from the plethora of books Mark reads and to feature interviews with frontline leaders. The goal is to equip, inspire, and help listeners grow from being good leaders to great ones. Mark also offers a free Leadership Guide in the show notes and previews the next episode's guest, Sean Eisenhower.

00:00 Welcome to the Learning to Lead Show
00:17 My Journey from Salesman to Plant Manager
01:15 Discovering the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
02:17 The Purpose of This Podcast
02:53 Insights from Frontline Leaders
03:36 The Importance of Leadership in All Areas of Life
04:15 Always Make Your Future Bigger Than Your Past
05:37 Conclusion and Next Steps

Resources Mentioned on Today's Episode

• Get your Free Learning to Lead Leadership Reading Guide Here
• The Learning To Lead Newsletter
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
• The Laws of Lifetime Growth

🔎 About LeaderNotes

LeaderNotes is a quick-hit companion to each episode of The Learning to Lead Show. In just 5–10 minutes, Mark Cundiff recaps the top leadership insights, frameworks, and action steps from each interview, designed for busy, growth-minded leaders who want to review and apply the episode’s biggest takeaways on the go.

It’s like the highlight reel + playbook—all in one.

Download This Episode's Leadernotes Here: LeaderNotes

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hello, welcome to the Learningto Lead Show.
I'm your host, mark Cundiff.
Today I want to take a momentand introduce you to our new
podcast.
Thank you for joining today,back in 1999.
I had been promoted to a plantmanager role in a little town
called Corinth, Mississippi,where I would be leading 30

(00:24):
people.
The previous 12 years I hadspent as a salesman.
I worked for eight years withthe company that I was being
promoted with, and four yearswith a another company working
in sales during that time,during the eight years with this
company, I had doubled the salesfor my territory.
I had won the salesman of theyear, but all of those things

(00:45):
had not really prepared me forstepping into a leadership role
where I would be directing theactivities of a group of men and
women to drive profitability, tomeet customer demands, to handle
safety, to make sure we wereworking safely in all aspects of
what we were doing.
What happens many times whenyou're in these situations, you

(01:06):
get promoted, but no training,no real direction about how to
move from being a salesman tobeing a plant manager.
So I took it upon myself to pickup John Maxwell's book, the 21
Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,and that book helped me begin my
lifelong journey and passion forlearning about leadership.

(01:28):
That book spurred in me ahunger, a thirst, and a desire
to have a growth mindset aroundleadership.
He talks in that book about thelaw of the lid The law of the
lid is that you can only take anorganization to your level of
leadership, if you don'tcontinue to grow as a leader,
then the organization will notgrow and develop and become more

(01:49):
effective and prosperous inwhatever it is that you're
doing.
So that spread in me to take theopportunity to read as much as I
could to go to courses andclasses that taught leadership
to seek out mentors.
And over the last 30 years, Ihave spent time studying
leadership trying to understandhow to better influence an

(02:13):
organization for positiveresults.
So this podcast is going to be acombination of a couple things.
One, it's gonna be where I.
Teach curated content that Ihave gathered for the books I've
read.
I normally read about a book aweek.
I've done that for the lastseveral decades, I wanna just
share with you some of the keyinsights that I've got from

(02:34):
those.
Many of you are busy leadersthat are on the run, have a lot
of things going on and don'thave time to maybe sit down,
read through these books.
So I want to try to take some ofthe key points.
Share those in concise ways andpractical ways so that you can
put them into practice and leadyour organization more
effectively.
The next thing I'm going to dois spend some time with leaders

(02:57):
that are on the front line.
I have interviewed six leadersthat are currently out there
making it happen already.
Those podcasts will be comingout in the coming weeks, and
you'll get some great insightsfrom how they lead.
Both in a nonprofit and a profitorganization, and there's great
lessons and great leadershipgoal to be taken from each one

(03:17):
of those.
So this journey is going to bewhere we learn.
Together, we grow together.
I hope you are encouraged.
Inspired.
I hope you're entertained attimes.
I hope that you walk away withsomething that helps you be more
effective in whatever role it isthat you have.
The most important leadershiprole that we have is being a

(03:40):
father, being a parent, beingsomeone that's leading the next
generation to where they'regonna go and what they're gonna
do.
So some of these may apply towhat you're trying to do at
home.
Maybe you're leader of anonprofit, maybe your leader of
a church, and this will help yoube more effective in
accomplishing the mission youhave for those organizations.

(04:00):
And for those of you out therein the business world, the
profit world.
Who are trying to find new keys,new triggers, new things to help
you drive improvement throughoutyour organization.
I think you've come to the rightplace.
One of the great books that Ihave read recently is The Laws
of Lifetime Growth.

(04:22):
Make Your Future Bigger ThanYour Past by Dan Sullivan.
One of the things that I reallylike about that is that subtitle
Make your Future Greater thanyour Past.
This book comes with 10 laws,and that is the first law.
Always make your future biggerthan your past.
That inspired me to think abouthow to do this podcast, to do it

(04:43):
in a way that we equip you, thatwe show you ways to take your
leadership to the next level.
No matter if you've been reallysuccessful, maybe you've grown a
great organization, set safetyrecords, set profit records, and
done a really great jobthroughout your career.
One of the things that'll do isit'll help you to keep going

(05:06):
forward and keep building on thesuccess that you've already had.
Or maybe you're in a lull.
Maybe you're in a tough spot.
Maybe you're in a part of yourlife that has been a setback and
you need to re.
Inspire yourself to take thingsto the next level.
If you'll use that statement,always make your future bigger
than your past.

(05:26):
It'll help you have aperspective that everything that
you come in contact is alearning opportunity, an
opportunity to learn and grow,and develop yourself for what's
next.
So that's what the Learning toLead show is all about,
equipping you, encouraging you,inspiring you, and helping you
move.

(05:47):
From being a good leader to agreat leader.
If you like this content or areexcited about this contact,
please subscribe in your localpodcast player that you like and
your favorite podcast player.
If you would share this withothers.
Let others know about what we'redoing here as you see the
interviews coming up.

(06:07):
Our first interview is with SeanEisenhower, a leader of a
training company who's on thefront lines of equipping
leaders, Thank you for listeningto the Learning to Lead Show
today.
In appreciation for listening.
I have a free gift for you inthe show notes, the Learning to
Lead Readership Guide, 12 booksthat will really help you take

(06:27):
your leadership to the nextlevel.
Also check out the Learning toLead Newsletter and subscribe to
that as well.
Please let your friends knowabout us and we'll see you when
we interview Sean in the nextepisode.
Have a great day.