Month: April 2025

Ep 171: Stephanie Chung on Leading People Who Are Not Like You

Posted on April 29, 2025 by - Communication, Conflict Management, Culture, Diversity, Human Resources, Influence, Leading Others, Leading Yourself, Podcasts, Relational Intelligence, Servant Leadership, Supervising People, Team Building

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

SUMMARY 

Stephanie Chung spent her career in the aviation industry, rising from being a baggage handler to eventually making history as the first African American and second female president of a major private aviation company. During that rise, she was a top sales executive, generating $1B in revenue annually. Stephanie is now a highly sought-after speaker, and her most recent book, Ally Leadership: How to Lead People Who Are Not Like You, was released in 2024. In this conversation with GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft, Stephanie shares about her leadership journey, and how all leaders of all kinds can learn to be allies of the individuals on their teams. 

 

IN THIS EPISODE 

00:00 Introduction. 

03:30 People who have left a legacy in Stephanie’s life. 

06:15 How she got started in the aviation field, and how she moved into leadership positions. 

15:30 How did Stephanie’s experience in sales prepare her for executive leadership? 

18:00 Discussing Stephanie’s transition from sales into executive leadership. 

21:00 How can leaders navigate the tension between wanting people in the office and trusting them to get the job done? 

26:15 Stephanie’s experience with working in diverse teams, and what inspired her to write her latest book. 

30:30 How aware was Stephanie that she was “the first” African American president of a private aviation company?  

34:00 Diving deeper into the content of Stephanie’s book. 

40:30 An example from the book of how Stephanie had to meet someone where they were at, and how it impacted her leadership.  

46:50 Comments and Takeaways. 

  

LISTEN 

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  • There are always two sides to every story.
  • The job is the job, and the mission must be completed.
  • A team represents the leader just as much as the leader represents the team. Everybody wins (or loses) together.
  • As a leader, set the mission and vision and make it clear, but then step back and let the team do what they do.
  • Being in the office does not automatically equate to being engaged. At the end of the day, it’s just about getting the job done.
  • When you have people at the table with different upbringings, communication styles, perspectives, races, genders, age, etc., you have an opportunity to have the best of the best and can achieve greater positive outcomes.
  • Part of learning to effectively lead those who are not like you is just making leadership easier.
  • Allowing your voice to be heard is about being a role model and inspiration for those will follow you.
  • There are simple, unavoidable facts about current demographics in the United States, including:
      • We have six generations (ages 16-17) currently in the workforce 
      • Women make up the majority of the population 
      • Every single ethnic group is growing, while the non-ethnic group is shrinking 
      • We have increasing amounts of neuro-diverse individuals who are working
  • As leaders, it’s our job to set the company up to win by getting different people to the table and leading them effectively.  
  • It’s a new world, and becoming a great leader today means leading those who are not like you, and the best way to do that is to meet people where they are.
  • Leading is hard enough; if we can just truly learn to see everybody as God’s creation—and treated them as such—it would actually make our jobs easier.  

 

LINKS MENTIONED 

Ep 170: Dan Owolabi on Entrepreneurship and Authentic Leadership

Posted on April 22, 2025 by - Confidence, Conflict Management, Influence, Leading Others, Leading Yourself, Podcasts, Relational Intelligence, Servant Leadership

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

SUMMARY 

Dan Owolabi is a CEO, a sought-after speaker and an author. He founded Branches Worldwide based on the belief that faith-fueled entrepreneurs can transform communities. Branches Worldwide works diligently to raise up entrepreneurs around the world and to connect them with resources, mentors and community. At the 2024 Global Leadership Summit, Dan sat down with Jason Jaggard, CEO of Novus Global and Global Leadership Podcast team member, to talk about why entrepreneurship is so critical to local communities, and the importance of being an authentic leader.  

  

IN THIS EPISODE 

0:00 Intro 

2:20 What is a “faith-infused business”? 

6:00 What is the “entrepreneurial mindset,” and why is entrepreneurialism so important, especially in developing countries? 

14:00 What was the genesis for Dan’s book? 

18:45 When it’s actually okay to “fake it.”  

20:00 What is Dan’s process for crafting a keynote?  

22:15 What’s next for Dan. 

23:50 Articulating how God often communicates to people.  

37:45 Outro 

 

LISTEN  

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube 

 

STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS 

  • There are many ways to infuse kingdom principles into your day-to-day operations: how you hire people, how much you pay them, how you treat your suppliers, etc. 
  • It’s important for an entrepreneur to understand the depth of their influence.
  • In today’s environment, disruption is the norm.
  • For entrepreneurs to thrive, they need mentorship, access to capital, coaching and a community of other entrepreneurs.
  • Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur.
  • Entrepreneurship is a team sport.
  • Faking your way into influence can lead to crippling insecurity.
  • There are actually two scenarios when it’s okay to be “fake”: when you are practicing/learning and when you are legitimately trying to serve people while being deeply scared.
  • Techniques for keeping people engaged include, not using notes, telling stories, varying the pace, and staying focused on one, big, “sticky” point. 

 

LINKS MENTIONED 

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