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Leaders are constantly presented with opportunities, expectations, and decisions—but not every open door is an assignment. In this episode of the Global Leadership Podcast, GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft talks with Priscilla Shirer about how leaders discern what is truly theirs to carry. Priscilla shares practical wisdom on calling, wise counsel, humility, accountability, and learning to say yes or no from a place of clarity rather than fear or guilt. She also reflects on how leaders can protect their families, carry public attention lightly, and create “green space” for rest, responsiveness, and deeper awareness of God’s work. For leaders navigating full calendars, growing influence, or the pressure to keep saying yes, this conversation offers a grounded reminder: faithful leadership requires both courage and discernment.
IN THIS EPISODE:
02:35 Priscilla’s early leadership influences
04:55 Recognizing leadership and redirecting gifts
06:50 Closed doors and vocational discernment
10:00 Measuring a call to leadership with the counsel of others
13:00 Why humility matters for leaders
13:40 Finding mentors already in your sphere
16:20 Why leaders resist accountability
18:50 Filtering opportunities by season and mission
26:15 Carrying praise and criticism lightly
28:30 Protecting family from public expectations
31:05 Creating green space for rest and responsiveness
33:35 2026 GLS preview: seeing your assignment as sacred
36:20 Outro and Takeaways
WHY THIS CONVERSATION MATTERS:
Leadership often brings more opportunities than a person can faithfully carry. This conversation helps leaders think practically about how to discern which invitations align with their calling, priorities, and current season—and how to build the kind of accountability, humility, and margin that protects their influence over time.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Not every good opportunity is the right opportunity for this season.
- Wise counsel helps leaders separate calling from ego, fear, guilt, and ambition.
- Humility keeps leaders teachable, correctable, and less likely to become isolated.
- Leaders need trusted people who have permission to ask hard questions and speak honestly.
- A yes driven by fear or guilt often leads to regret.
- Saying no can create space for a younger or emerging leader to step forward.
- Margin is not a weakness; it creates space for rest, clarity, and responsiveness.
- Leaders should carry both praise and criticism lightly, especially from people who are not invested in their growth.
- Public leadership should not place unhealthy pressure on a leader’s family.
- Every leadership assignment—inside or outside the church—can carry sacred purpose.
WHO THIS EPISODE WILL HELP:
- Senior leaders discerning which opportunities deserve their yes
- Pastors and ministry leaders navigating public expectations and family pressure
- Business and nonprofit leaders trying to align decisions with mission and values
- High-capacity leaders who feel overextended by constant invitations and obligations
- Emerging leaders learning how calling, counsel, and character develop over time
- Leaders with public platforms who need to stay grounded amid praise and criticism
- Parents in leadership roles who want to protect the health of their families
- Marketplace leaders who want to see their everyday work as meaningful and sacred
STANDOUT IDEAS:
“One of the major important characteristics of a great leader is humility.”
“If I’m not willing to listen to wise counsel, I’m gonna derail my own self.”
“The leader is supposed to have a leader.”
“Pride has a way of sneaking in on every single one of us.”
“Power is enticing. Attention is enticing.”
“We have to not let fear govern our yeses and our no’s.”
“Anytime our yeses are connected to guilt or fear, we end up regretting that yes.”
“My no opened up the door for a yes for a younger person that was coming along.”
“Rest actually matters. Margin is replenishing. It’s not a weakness. It’s a sign of strength.”
“There is a sacred calling that’s attached to the reason why they are where they are at this moment in history.”
LINKS MENTIONED:
Priscilla Shirer on Instagram: @PriscillaShirer
Going Beyond Ministries: goingbeyond.com
The War Room Moviehit
Chris McChesney: ChrisMcChesney4DX.com
The 4 Disciplines of Execution on Amazon.com
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frank L on Amazon.com
Connect with Chris McChesney on LinkedIn
LISTEN:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
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