Month: April 2025

Ep 169: Joni Eareckson Tada’s Inspiring Story of Hope and Perseverance

Posted on April 8, 2025 by - Calling, Character, Confidence, Influence, Leading Others, Leading Yourself, Learning Agility, Podcasts, Relational Intelligence, Relationship with God, Resilience, Servant Leadership, Wellness

Now introducing The Global Leadership Podcast presented by the Global Leadership Network.

SUMMARY 

At the 2025 Global Leadership Summit GLN President and CEO, David Ashcraft interviewed Joni Eareckson Tada—an internationally recognized speaker, author, and advocate who has spent decades leading with grace, resilience, and faith. After a diving accident left her quadriplegic at 17, Joni turned her pain into purpose, founding Joni and Friends, a global ministry serving people with disabilities. Her journey is a powerful testament to the kind of leadership that transcends circumstances—one marked by courage, service, and unwavering hope. 

In this episode, we’ll dive into Joni’s journey to become the leader she is today, how leaders can better steward suffering, and other priceless pieces of wisdom from her life. Whether you’re leading in business, ministry, or everyday life, Joni’s wisdom will challenge and encourage you. 

 

IN THIS EPISODE 

0:00 Intro 

2:00 Appreciating Joni’s long-term leadership 

3:00 Surprises from Joni’s life 

5:15 The pain and challenge of her life after her accident 

9:00 The role of family in her life 

10:30 Where her experience with leadership began 

12:30 How her faith evolved 

14:00 Wrestling through when you feel like it’s too much 

18:00 Her relationship with her husband, Ken 

21:45 Responsibilities of leadership 

27:15 Her hopes for the future 

28:15 Some frustrations 

30:30 How to lead through your weakness 

32:30 A closing challenge 

33:30 The desire for trying new things 

36:30 Outro 

  

LISTEN 

 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  •  There’s a difference between feeling thankful and giving thanks.
  • You can make a choice to move forward in life, and not let it suffocate you.
  • Suffering has the way of making faith more visceral, robust and sturdy; it forges iron into your faith.
  • Suffering is a textbook that lets you know who you really are and what you really believe.
  • Joni’s hope is that every person with a disability finds hope, dignity and their place in the body of Christ.
  • People of faith do not really buy into the idea of “boasting in our afflictions.” 
  • The gospel is never given from points of power; it’s always given from points of weakness.
  • Leaders tend to rely on our natural gifts, rather than our weaknesses.
  • Everyone suffers in some way; the question is whether we steward that suffering.
  • It’s a glorious thing for leaders to be able to share their weaknesses with trusted friends. 

 

LINKS MENTIONED 

Ep 168: David Ashcraft on Leadership Legacy

Posted on April 1, 2025 by - Calling, Change Management, Character, Church & Faith-Based, Human Resources, Leading Organizations, Podcasts

Now introducing The Global Leadership Podcast presented by the Global Leadership Network.

SUMMARY 

This month, our focus at the GLN is on leaving a leadership legacy and today podcast host (and GLN VP of Marketing), Whitney Putnam interviews GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft on his experience with organizational transitions and successions. David shares gems from his 30 years of local church leadership, including how to get started planning a legacy, and the one thing that can absolutely derail a positive transition. Every leader should be thinking about what (or who) will follow them, and this episode is a great starting point for your plans.  

 

IN THIS EPISODE 

0:00 Intro 

02:00 Why legacy matters 

04:30 The work to become a “Level 5” leader 

07:30 How anyone can develop a plan to leave a legacy 

11:10 What people really remember about a leader 

18:10 Outro 

 

 LISTEN 

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  •  To be a top-level leader, your organization needs to better after you leave than it was when you were still around.  
  • When planning for a transition, time can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on when you start the process.
  • You don’t always need a completely detailed plan; sometimes, a rough, one-page plan is enough.  
  • Start with the question, “Where would I like to go?” as opposed, “Where am I now?”
  • Beware of pride, selfishness and self-centered thinking. It’s always about stewardship.
  • People will forget your name, but legacy lives on in phrases, ideas and the heart that you instill in the organization.
  • If you think it’s about you, you can blow up a potentially successful transition.
  • You’re lucky if you can be remembered for two generations.
  • No one is perfect: try to “lean” in the direction of being humble and others focused.  

 

LINKS MENTIONED