Joni Eareckson Tada took the stage at the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) on Friday, Aug. 8, where she exhorted attendees that the most effective leaders do not lead from a place of personal power but out of the strength that God provides through their weaknesses.
“The most effective leaders do not rise to power in spite of their weakness. They lead with power because of their weakness,” said Tada, who was greeted with extended applause and a standing ovation and was presented with a legacy leadership award after her talk.
Joni Eareckson Tada: ‘Suffering Is God’s Textbook’
Joni Eareckson Tada is a Christian author and disability advocate. She is the CEO of Joni and Friends and advocated before Congress for years for the Americans with Disabilities Act. During her tenure on the National Council on Disability, that law was successfully passed.
Tada is known for her remarkable story of resilience following a diving accident that occurred when she was a teenager that left her a quadriplegic.
RELATED: Joni Eareckson Tada, Now Out of the Hospital, Says, ‘Jesus Was With Me’
Life.Church Pastor Craig Groeschel introduced Tada before her talk, noting how “very unusual and rare” it is for someone to persevere in resilience and faith for decades, as she has.
“Oh, friends, please,” Tada responded to the audience’s applause. “Oh my, thank you.” She described herself as the “least likely candidate” to receive a legacy award and suggested that others would feel the same in her position. Many people understand what it is like to go through a crushing loss, to be part of a “story you never would have chosen.”
Tada said that after her diving accident, she was “depressed” and “living a nightmare.”
“I was utterly broken,” she said.
But now, she has an incredible ministry and has had numerous opportunities to advocate for and share the gospel with countless people with disabilities throughout the world.
Tada hypothesized about the qualifications marked by power and strength that she would require if she were God and wanted to reach the world. “Thank God I’m not running the world,” she said.
In contrast, the people God actually calls are broken and weak. Tada drew examples from the Old and New Testaments of inadequate people God called to accomplish his purposes, people such as Abraham and Sarah, Gideon, and the Apostles Peter and John.
“Why take a risk on these people?” she asked.
%20on%20Friday,%20Aug.%208,%20where%20she%20exhorted%20attendees%20that%20the%20most%20effective%20leaders%20do%20not%20lead%20from%20a%20place%20of%20personal%20power%20but%20out%20of%20the%20strength%20that%20God%20provides%20through%20their%20weaknesses.){kind=link}