A full-day session of the Global Leadership Summit was held in Hong Kong last Saturday, with 80 participants in attendance.
The summit on February 8 featured videos of world-class speakers from the 2024 Global Leadership Summit and welcomed three speakers from the education and business sectors in Hong Kong. Following each lecture, a discussion session was held.
The Global Leadership Summit (GLS) is an annual leadership conference organized by the Global Leadership Network (GLN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising up leaders around the world. The summit features speakers from various fields, including business, faith, education, and social activism, providing leadership insights and strategies. The annual conference is usually held in August, with a main event in the U.S. and simulcasts to hundreds of locations worldwide. GLS has been translated into more than 60 languages, reaching more than one million people over 120 countries.
Speaker Craig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of Life Church, known for its YouVersion Bible App, which reached one billion users by 2024. In his video presentation, Groeschel discussed the concept of "Permission to Obsess," using the development of YouVersion as a case study to emphasize the importance of staying focused on ministry, caring deeply for team members, and making a full commitment to the ministry.
Joni Eareckson, CEO of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, became a quadriplegic following a diving accident in 1967 at the age of 17. Emerging from two years of rehabilitation, she resolved to assist others facing similar challenges. In 1979, she founded Joni and Friends, an organization that has since supported 14 million families.
In her video speech, Joni posed questions about recruitment, wondering whether people prefer individuals who are fast or slow, capable or incapable, strong or weak. She expressed gratitude that God is not a boss who only recruits the capable, as He was willing to use weak and inadequate people like herself.
Speaker Will Guidara, the former co-owner of the Manhattan restaurant Eleven Madison Park, which was ranked the top on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, shared his story in a video for the Global Leadership Summit. He recounted how, under his leadership, the restaurant transformed from an ordinary establishment to being shortlisted for the World’s 50 Best and ultimately reaching the top spot.
Summit speaker Kindra Hall, blending the characteristics of the social media era with the skills of conversation required in the new leadership landscape, shared the importance of effective storytelling and provided insights on how to tell a great story in her video lecture.
Additionally, one of the on-site speakers, an expert in the education industry, addressed the widespread issue of "tiger parenting" and its stressful impact on today's educational landscape. The speaker emphasized that life is akin to a marathon, filled with uncertainty, and shared insights on fostering a more holistic approach to education. The theme, "Winning at the Turning Point," focused on how to empower individuals not just to "complete the race," but to succeed at the finish line.
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Poppy Chan
