The Global Leadership Podcast

Hosted by Global Leadership Network

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Episodes

100

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Aug 2026

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About the show

You have influence, right where you are. We'll help you ignite it — at work, home, church and in your community. The Global Leadership Podcast brings you honest, practical conversations with world-class leadership experts across industries. Past guests have included Craig Groeschel, Joni Eareckson Tada, Coach K, Erin Meyer, Marcus Buckingham, Juliet Funt, Ryan Leak and more. Your hosts David Ashcraft, President & CEO of the Global Leadership Network (GLN), and Whitney Putnam, VP of Marketing and Communications at GLN, draw on GLN's 30 years of curating fresh, actionable leadership insights. The GLN is the creator of the Global Leadership Summit, which reaches more than 350,000 leaders worldwide every year. Learn more at https://www.globalleadership.org/. Because everyone wins when the leader gets better.

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60 recent

September 9, 2026Episode 21934 min

Ep219: What People-First Leadership Actually Requires (with Julio Garcia)

Most leaders say people matter—but that commitment gets tested when growth, performance, accountability, and opportunity are on the line. In this episode, Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen cofounder and CEO Julio Garcia joins David Ashcraft to explore what people-first leadership looks like in practice. Julio shares how his own understanding of leadership shifted from status and entitlement toward responsibility and service, and how that change now shapes Ambriza's culture. He explains why leaders need to know the people behind the roles, how the company develops employees toward greater responsibility and even ownership, and why caring for people still requires clear standards. The conversation also examines a harder question: What happens when you invest deeply in someone—and that growth eventually takes them somewhere else? Julio offers a practical picture of leadership that measures success not only by organizational growth, but by what becomes possible for the people you lead.

September 2, 2026Episode 21826 min

Ep 218: Developing Leaders Who Can Go Further Than You (with David Ashcraft)

Strong leaders do more than delegate responsibility—they develop people who can eventually take their work farther than the leader could alone. In this episode, David Ashcraft shares how he learned to build teams by intentionally investing in people, establishing trust, and giving them room to become experts in their own areas. David explains why development requires more than hiring talented people and handing them responsibility. Leaders need to stay closely engaged early, create shared learning experiences, communicate expectations, and be willing to course-correct when necessary. He also challenges leaders to examine their own role when someone on the team is struggling. The goal is not to remain the most capable person in every area. It is to build people who grow in expertise, ownership, and confidence—and strengthen the organization in ways the leader could never accomplish alone.

August 26, 2026Episode 21729 min

Ep 217: What Great Leaders Do: Two Powerful Practices (with Andy Stanley)

Good decisions depend on more than having the most information—they require knowing when to trust experience, whose judgment matters most, and how to keep hierarchy from getting in the way. In this episode, Andy Stanley draws from his latest book, What Great Leaders Do , which identifies seven practices of effective leadership. This conversation goes deeper on two: trusting your leadership intuition and resisting the "evolution of a court" around influential leaders. Andy explains why intuition is often acquired knowledge leaders cannot immediately articulate, how to draw that judgment out of the right people on your team, and why positional authority should not determine whose voice carries the most weight. He also explores the safeguards leaders need as their influence grows and why finishing well requires choosing enduring values over immediate pressures. The conversation was conducted by Life.Church founding pastor Craig Groeschel in front of a live audience at the 2026 Global Leadership Summit.

August 19, 2026Episode 21628 min

Ep 216: Building a Culture That Develops Leaders (with David Ashcraft)

Organizations can have vision, resources, and opportunity—and still be held back because they do not have enough leaders ready to take responsibility. In this episode, David Ashcraft explains why leadership development works best when it becomes part of an organization's culture rather than another class, program, or pipeline. David outlines the practices that help create an environment where people continually grow as leaders: intentionality, consistent development rhythms, shared experiences, and time. He also explains the power of 'unconscious competence'—how an idea can become so embedded in a culture that people begin developing in that direction almost without realizing it. Whether you lead a large staff, a small team, or a volunteer-driven organization, the conversation offers a practical challenge: develop the people already around you so your organization is prepared when new opportunities arrive.

July 29, 2026Episode 21539 min

Ep 215: How Leaders Make Ideas Stick (with Emma Kuhl Pitts)

Leaders communicate constantly, but not everything they say is remembered, internalized, or acted on. In this episode, David Ashcraft talks with Emma Kuhl Pitts, CEO of PullSpark and, about how leaders can create messages and experiences that stay with people. Emma shares why attention is not the same as impact, how memory shapes influence, and why leaders should ask, "What do I want people to believe?" before asking, "What do I want people to do?" PullSpark is also the official creative partner of the Global Leadership Summit, and this conversation gives a behind-the-scenes look at how Emma and her team help shape creative moments at the Summit, from openers and story videos to the details that help leaders engage more deeply. For pastors, executives, communicators, and team leaders, this conversation offers a practical framework for creating moments people do not just consume, but remember.

July 22, 2026Episode 21436 min

Ep 214: Excellence, Influence and the Making of the Summit (with Lori Hermann)

Some of the most consequential leadership in an organization happens far from the stage. Lori Hermann has helped lead the Global Leadership Summit team for 14 years, drawing on more than three decades of experience creating events and experiences that serve leaders around the world. In this conversation with David Ashcraft, Lori explains how she learned to recognize her influence even though she did not fit the image of an outspoken, visionary leader. She also offers a practical look at the leadership behind the Summit: assembling people with complementary strengths, developing a shared standard of excellence, encouraging honest collaboration and finding the courage to speak up when the work begins to drift. Lori's approach demonstrates that excellence is not the same as perfection. It grows through continual learning, thoughtful preparation and leaders who care enough about the people they serve to ask difficult questions and keep improving.

July 15, 2026Episode 21329 min

Ep 213: Our Favorite Moments, Spring 2026—Four Leadership Lessons for Uncertain Seasons (with Whitney Putnam and Eric Case)

When plans change, leaders still need to provide clarity, steady themselves internally, and help their teams keep moving forward. In this Q2 "Best Of" episode, Whitney Putnam and Eric Case revisit four leadership moments from recent conversations with Craig Groeschel, David Ashcraft, Chris McChesney, and Edgar Sandoval. Together, these clips explore what leaders can do when strategy meets reality: stay flexible when plans shift, avoid comparison, define success by the right measures, create visible progress for their teams, and communicate with steadiness during pressure-filled seasons. This episode is a practical look at the internal and external work of leadership. Whether you are navigating organizational change, team fatigue, personal self-doubt, or a season that feels unpredictable, these four lessons will help you lead with greater clarity, humility, and purpose.

July 8, 2026Episode 21222 min

Ep 212: Why Productivity Starts with Clarity (with David Ashcraft)

Productive teams do not move faster because leaders push harder; they move faster because the goal is clear. In this episode, Whitney Putnam talks with GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft about productivity from a team leadership perspective—not as a system of hacks, but as a question of clarity, initiative, accountability, and trust. David shares why he looks for initiative in team members, how clear guardrails help people move with confidence, and why leaders often stay busy with the wrong things while avoiding the work that matters most. The conversation also explores how accountability rhythms, like the 12-week year, can help leaders and teams stay focused on what they said they would do. For leaders who feel busy but not always effective, this episode offers a practical way to rethink productivity as a leadership responsibility.

June 17, 2026Episode 21138 min

Ep 211: On Calling, Counsel and Courageous No's (with Priscilla Shirer)

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.

June 10, 2026Episode 21045 min

Ep 210: What Leaders Miss About Motivation, Purpose and Progress (with Chris McChesney)

Many leaders are trying to solve burnout with more inspiration, when their teams may actually need clearer progress. In this episode, GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft talks with Chris McChesney, author of The 4 Disciplines of Execution , about the difference between employee satisfaction and true engagement. Chris explains why people can have what looks like an ideal job and still feel disconnected from the work, while others can serve in demanding environments and remain deeply motivated. The difference often comes down to progress and purpose. Through practical examples from manufacturing, creative work, ministry and leadership, Chris helps leaders understand how to create a "winnable, high-stakes game" for their teams. This conversation will help leaders translate big vision into visible wins, address burnout with greater clarity and give their people something meaningful to move toward.