How to Leave a Legacy that Matters: Reflections from John Maxwell's GLS Talk

It's the seventh episode of the 2025 Global Leadership Summit Recap Series on Stories from the River, and CEO Charlie Malouf is joined again by Will Luke, Senior Director of Project Management, to dive into John C. Maxwell's session at the Summit. 

They reflect on Maxwell’s legacy in leadership, his lifelong dedication to developing others, and the personal stories and frameworks that have shaped his teachings. John was presented with the Lifetime Leadership Legacy Award by Craig Groeschel at the Global Leadership Summit, and Craig referred to John Maxwell as the single greatest teacher and model of servant leadership in our lifetime.  After their conversation, John taught on legacy and leadership. 

The conversation highlights Maxwell’s influence not only on the world stage—including his founding of the nonprofit EQUIP to do transformative work with countries and then the nonprofit iLead to do transformational work with schools globally—but also within the Broad River Retail community, where his principles have become part of the company culture.

Charlie and Will unpack Maxwell’s three-part framework for leaving a legacy:  - the Compass (having a destiny to fulfill) - the Clock (making meaningful contributions in the present) - and Companions (developing others to carry the impact forward). 

They share takeaways about the importance of intentionality in legacy-building, the wisdom of thinking long term, and how true significance comes from what you leave in people rather than just what you leave for them. Personal anecdotes about their own families and the practice of distilling their lives into a single meaningful sentence reinforce the episode’s inspiring, relatable message: every Memory Maker has the chance to make a lasting difference by investing in others and living authentically.

Additional resources: 

John Maxwell's Nonprofit EQUIP - https://www.iequip.org  

Maxwell Leadership Development Company - https://www.maxwellleadership.com  

Maxwell Leadership Certified Team - https://johnmaxwellteam.com  

iLead - https://www.maxwellleadership.org/ilead/  

Maxwell Leadership Foundation - https://www.maxwellleadership.org/nonprofit-programs/  

29 Leadership & Life Lessons from My Father (part 1) by John Maxwell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkfYG2OqVvw  

29 Leadership & Life Lessons from My Father (part 2) by John Maxwell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj0R_w7gOCs  

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell - https://www.amazon.com/21-Irrefutable-Laws-Leadership-Anniversary/dp/0785288376  

Leadership Not by the Book by David Green - https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Not-Book-Unconventional-Principles/dp/1540902242  

The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner - https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Challenge-4th-James-Kouzes/dp/0787984914  

High Road Leadership by John C. Maxwell - https://www.amazon.com/High-Road-Leadership-Bringing-Together/dp/B0CSBTNX1P 

Today Matters by John C. Maxwell - https://www.amazon.com/Today-Matters-Practices-Guarantee-Tomorrows/dp/1931722528/ 

Maxwell Leadership Bible - https://www.amazon.com/Maxwell-Leadership-Bible-Hardcover-Comfort/dp/0785218548 

Maxwell Leadership Bible (Leather Bound) - https://www.cornerstonechristiansupply.com/product/9780785218647  

The Maxwell Daily Reader - https://www.amazon.com/Maxwell-Daily-Reader-Insight-Influence/dp/1400203392  

Watch the other episodes in the GLS 25 Recap series:

Consistency Over Charisma: Takeaways from Craig Groeschel's Opening Keynote at the 2025 Global Leadership Summit - https://youtu.be/cwNiyzyD-go     

Unlocking Potential and Conquering Goals: Takeaways from Jon Acuff's Closing Keynote at the Global Leadership Summit - https://youtu.be/TxtGAFeenSo     

Live Life Like a Diversified Portfolio & More Insights from Thasunda Brown Duckett @ GLS25 - https://youtu.be/-qUowzD4-5M   

Less Really Is More: Takeaways from Juliet Funt’s Tactics to Cut Clutter at GLS25 - https://youtu.be/aa7gHNA_Wao   

Leadership Lessons from Nick Saban: Process, Discipline, and Transformation at the Global Leadership Summit - https://youtu.be/P7ldcRfsQrg   

How Regenerative Performance Can Transform Work: Insights from Dr. James Hewitt’s GLS Talk - https://youtu.be/rnMkFRvbqho 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kJ4h56zdFWY 

Visit https://www.storiesfromtheriver.com for more episodes. 

Broad River Retail brought this show to you. Visit https://BroadRiverRetail.com    

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