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…
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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
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…
Communication can make or break trust on a team, especially when the conversation gets tense. In this episode, Whitney Putnam and GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft talk about one of the most common leadership challenges: how to communicate with clarity, candor and care when the stakes are high. They unpack a real moment from a recent GLN all-staff meeting, where a public challenge created…
Every leader eventually faces a moment when the plan stops working. A strategy fails, a team dynamic breaks down, growth creates new complexity, or an unexpected circumstance forces a change in direction. In this episode, David Ashcraft talks with Craig Groeschel, founder and senior pastor of Life.Church, about how leaders can respond when leadership does not go as planned. Craig reflects on…
Every leader eventually encounters disruption—moments that challenge assumptions, redirect plans, and test resilience. In this episode, GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft talks with Edgar Sandoval, President and CEO of World Vision, about navigating what David calls "leadership hijacks": unexpected events that reshape both leadership and life. Edgar shares his journey from immigrating to the…