Recently I was out to dinner with my family at a local chain restaurant. This place was crazy and it took me a good deal of time just to acclimate. When we walked in the lobby was packed with people, and for good reason: every Tuesday night is “Kids Eat Free Night” and I think every family with two or more kids have heard by now. It’s a delightfully eerie collection of mini-van driving soccer families, with their 2.4 kids all feeling so angsty and rebellious as they converge on this restaurant with a distinct “let’s -stick-it-to-the-man” kind of vibe.

Kids get free meals while moms and dads eat the cheapest thing they can find on the menu. I do believe Jen and I are professionals. We each order the bowl of soup which comes with free refills, water all around. Before tip we can feed our family of six for under $15. We’re such wannabe indie-rockers.

By all appearances it might seem that this restaurant has hit a home-run among cash-strapped suburban-ites and judging by the 45 minute wait in the lobby it’s hard to argue against. Servers are frantically running meals like they’re in an Army chow-hall at capacity. But I think they’re blowing it and blowing it badly. Incidentally, the ways that they’re blowing it are the same ways I blow it sometimes as a church leader.

1. Their mission has drifted

It’s clear to me, and every other cannibalistic consumer eating there that they are not about good food, excellent atmosphere or pleasant service anymore (the big three of any restaurant). Their unspoken mission has become: JUST KEEP THE DOORS OPEN. It seems loud and clear to me, that all they care about is filling the place to get one more night of business with no regard for the long-term impact of drifting mission. It’s easy, especially in this economy to drift into the same thinking as a church, to begin doing things just to keep the doors open one more month. This is the beginning of the end, and often a clear sign that the mission was foggy from the start.

2. Their staff are running ragged for little profit

There is a saying in poker, “you can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once.” So as I look at frantic, exhausted people running around serving families of 6 with all the work and a quarter of the return I have to ask myself, “How long will they put up with this?” Well the same is true of us church leaders. We have to look closely at the things we are calling our leaders, staff and servants to do and ask if it is really bringing the return they should expect or we promised. Now certainly there are some who will leave, that is just a given. Leading in a church is one of the hardest jobs on earth. But if you look around and everyone is frantic, exhausted and praying next week is their “week off” there should be alarm bells going off in your head and heart. People will do this for a while, just hoping “profits” will return, but in reality once you get to that mindset, no matter how fast the profits arrive, it’s usually too late.

and finally…

3. Joy is gone

As I sat there eating my bowl of soup I could not help but look around for anyone enjoying themselves. The weightlifter guys at the bar who rode in on fast motorcycles cannot enjoy their beer because it’s so loud with screaming kids. The kids can’t enjoy themselves because their food got messed up and they can’t seem to get another lemonade. The Parents only satisfaction is some sadistic sense that they put one over on corporate. The restaurant staff is exhausted, and management is stressed. Now I am not suggesting we just seek to make people happy and again treat the bride of Christ like consumers, but we are to be known by our love, joy, community and gifts, right? So if one person’s cup is empty, maybe they drank too fast or expect too much. But if everyone’s cup is empty people start looking for water anywhere.

Paul writes in Colossians 3 and encourages us to wear love like a garment. To make such a concerted effort to put it on and do away with the old that it dies permanently. He calls us to focus clearly on the mission and calls us to “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives…and whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus.”

As leaders we cannot take responsibility for the behavior of those we lead, but we certainly set the culture and stage for where and how the explosion will happen. And believe me, leaders may get the first word, but they never get the last. As church leaders we are called by Jesus to create culture where disciples are made, community flourishes and the drowning are rescued. This is the leadership principle and teaching for us: Create a culture where it’s easy to love, natural to forgive and tough to be your old self.

If this is what kind of culture you are creating, then when the tough times come you will naturally bond more deeply with those remaining, love more fervently with hurting and commit intentionally to community. And when it’s good, it will be better than amazing.

Every true leader loves the discussion of how to lead other leaders. We go to conferences, we meet in network groups and we talk

Where's the instruction guide for leading everyone else?

long hours about what it takes to lead smart, action-oriented people. We discuss vision, efficiency and even systems for perfect environments.

Leaders love to lead other leaders. Partly because leaders love positive results, so to lead another leader is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy of positive outcome. Volumes and volumes of books have been written by thousands of wise women and men of how best to marshal the resources and output of high level people.

But if we are to spend a few minutes of total honesty, most of us spend far less time leading leaders than we would like to think. I mean seriously, if I have to read one more Bill Hybels book about how he leads people who quit jobs as CFO, CEO, COO or any other combination of three-letter titles to join his staff I’m gonna puke. Don’t get me wrong, I love Hybels, but in case he hasn’t noticed, he’s an anomaly. The people who go to my church serve coffee to the type people who attend Hybel’s church.

Here’s my reality:  I am a church planter. I spend very small percentage of my time each week leading high level leaders. The vast majority of my leadership time each week is spent leading regular people. They believe somewhat in our grandiose vision of recording worship songs to share with the nations, but more than that, they believe we need to sing THIS Sunday. They believe we could reinvent how children’s ministry curriculum is written, but more importantly to them, they know our kids need to hear Jesus THIS week. So here are a few leadership tips in leading people in your circle of influence. I pray they are helpful to you.

1. Avoid arguing with fools.

In high impact leadership circles we live in a wealth of ideas. We are constantly arguing the best ways to do things. The best practices for system, relationship, even resource management. So it’s only natural we would continue that attitude with everyone. The reality is, you will have some people under your leadership who are just plain foolish. Great people, well meaning, often VERY gifted. But foolish nevertheless. Proverbs talks a lot about leading a fool as a kind of contradiction in terms. Avoid arguing decisions with a fool, Proverbs 26 teaches. You are wasting your time to try and explain too much to them or give them space to argue the other side. You will only further frustrate yourself and cause division with them in the process. With love and gentleness set the course and give the steps so they can follow.

2. Speak of Life Change more than Vision with Servant-types.

These are the people who show up week in week out to host a Bible Study in their home, set up and tear down your worship space, or volunteer in the nursery. They work normal jobs and are often more concerned with lunch today than how you want to feed a village in Africa. Remember, your dreams are not their dreams – and maybe shouldn’t be either. That being said, talk endlessly about life change with servant-types. Tell of the people in their care who’s lives have been changed due in part to their servanthearted love. Never miss an opportunity to point out to them how their seemingly small contribution is in no way “small”.

3. Remember Names!

Nothing will marginalize people faster than forgetting their name. I know you must cringe as I do just hearing yourself utter the words, ” I am just really bad with names”. Forgetting a name is forgivable, but only if you apologize! Say, “I know we met last week, I am so sorry I don’t remember your name.” -That’s your ‘get out of jail free card’ but be mindful it usually works just once.

God's unexpected in the lives of the unaffected

This past Sunday we served communion at Disciples Church. This worship experience is one that has been celebrated since the Last Supper of Christ as a reminder of the price Jesus paid, illustrating our privilege to connect with Him directly. We take a small piece of bread and a bit of juice as a simple but powerful symbol that we have taken Jesus into our lives and he is very much part of us. It’s amazing to think that Jesus has welcomed me to His family. I know my darkest thoughts and deepest fears. They are childesh at times and sinister at others. And yet he takes me in, and so in turn, I take him in at the communion table -symbolically, as a statement and a reminder that I do not journey alone.

When Jesus was traveling in ministry, one of his trips led him to Jacob’s Well in the Northern Region of Israel. A place reserved for people a long way off from God and His church, at least as far as the jews were concerned. Jesus arrived at the well exhausted from a long journey, John chapter 4 recounts. As he sits low, a woman approaches, and Jesus does the unthinkable: He speaks kindly with her. A woman! And a Samaritan woman at that. Even when the discussion progresses to addressing her own sin, he does so in love and she receives his comments not as an angry judge but a loving savior.

She is a brash, even brazen, outcast. She has the guts to begin a theological debate with what was obviously a Jewish man. This man she would soon not only recognize as a rabbi, but later as the Messiah, was sitting asking her for a drink. She argues the law with him and asks why she has to go to church a certain way or in a certain place.

In the end, that short exchange led to a few days “by the well” where people from all over her village were changed by the gospel, just like her. All because Jesus was willing to sit and be lowly. All because he was willing to receive, listen and care for a woman who was living a life totally outside the approval of the current day’s expectations for “good church people”.

As I stood at the table this past Sunday and waited to serve those who came over, I was overwhelmed with the way God met me in that moment. He gave me prayers to pray for each of them individually. I served some friends communion on Sunday who are in the midst of pain, sin, struggle and some who are experiencing God’s love powerfully and joyfully. I served communion to more than a few outcasts and even a few folks whose sin is so grievous they have been asked to leave other churches. But in that moment Jesus made it very clear they were welcome at His table, and so they are welcome at ours.

As you influence lives this week, and I know you will, be the kind of leader who sits low. Be the kind of leader who extends a hand to those the rest of the world would not. Be the kind of leader who risk reputation to expand God’s Kingdom and his fame in Folsom.

Below are questions that we were unable to discuss during our Panel Discussion on Easter Sunday. Please feel free to comment here and keep the conversation alive…When leaving comments please indicate which question you are commenting on by using the question number.

1. Can you contrast Matthew 10:28-29 with Matthew 11:28-30?
2. Can you explain the crown of thorns?
3. If Heaven is not fully prepared yet for us, how is it that Jesus said “Today you will be with me in paradise”?

Want to listen to the whole Panel Discussion? click here

As leaders we have been programmed for some time to climb mountains. And the measure we use to rate our leadership, often times, is not just the amount of mountains one climbs, but also the number of people she/he pushes, pulls and coaxes up said mountains. This is a timeless tension we leaders live in and it will likely never end. But, wait! What if…On to the next mountain we go.

Sometimes our best strategy for climbing the next mountain is to use the speed we have at the top of the current mountain to just barrell down the other side at breakneck speed.  Hoping our momentum will carry us a good distance up the next ascent the last mountain quickly becomes little more than a faint memory. In cycling, we tuck down into our most aerodynamic position to try and gather as much speed as possible so the next ascent will go that little bit easier. But, wait! What about the…and off we go to the next mountain.

I was startled to learn some years ago that mountaineers who summit huge mountains like Everest are typically only at the summit long enough to snap a few photos and then they’re down the other side to avoid sickness, danger or death. I guess we use these same principles in leadership all the time. Fearing what idleness will do to the people and communities we lead our minds are already thinking of Easter on Christmas and strategizing fall festivals on Easter Sunday. But, wait! What about rest, what about reveling the moment?

Let me encourage you to stop this Easter week and breath some fresh mountain air. In an effort to slow my own restless heart (the curse of every achiever/activator/futuristic) I have compiled a simple list of miracles God has performed in Disciples Church this past year. Take a minute and reflect on this list as I pray it will guide you in making your own list of what God has done in you and those you lead this year…

• Last Easter we gathered for a meal in our home with 15 adults – our largest ever turnout at that time.
• We have moved from the house, to a theater and now to Theodore Judah Elementary.
• Countless people making their way back to God after a long break.
• Countless people finding community after a long time avoiding church.
• People’s creativity being used for God’s glory: new songs of worship have been written, paintings, graphic design, metal work, woodwork, poetry and more.
• We’ve served homeless, poor, lonely and hurting people.

And the list goes on…take a few minutes to make your own list of God’s miracles as we all stand together this Easter weekend celebrating all God has done in our midst. It is this rest that is one of the defining characteristics of Church Leadership. It’s the desire to celebrate the mountain that will differentiate us from just another organization with goals, strategies and mission statements. We are a community of faith in the living person of Jesus Christ. We walk with him first and foremost. While I pray the efforts of this Easter Outreach drive you closer to Jesus, those efforts will be a waste if once you get there you don’t stick around a while.

When faced with measurement and tough questions we all feel a little trashy, but these measures and questions are essential in Leadership.

Last week I wrote an article discussing the relationship, I, and many other leaders have with Giving and Attendance. As promised, today’s article is the follow up to Heroin for Church Leaders.

Being a Church Leader is not for everyone. I am becoming more and more understanding of people who desire simply to serve in the local church. Or even those in the local church whose great leadership potential is used in leading a specific ministry. The skill sets for either of these two roles are equal in value, but very different from those required of any woman or man who desires to lead The Church.

Let’s take a look today at some “gauges” Church Leaders are called to reference, and some questions Church Leaders are challenged to ask…

THINGS TO COUNT

• People new to the church in the last 6 months who are now involved in a small group community.
• People new to the church in the last 6 months who are now serving in some capacity.
• Measurable resources given away to efforts outside your local church.
• Leader Multiplication (see The Pinnacle of Momentum, for more explanation)

POSITIVE THINGS TO SEARCH FOR

• Leaders disagreeing, even vehemently, on non-essentials yet still finding unity AND friendship in the end.
• People naturally hanging out together, especially at “non-church functions” –whatever that is.
• People regularly and publicly inspired in prayer, Scripture & creativity.

QUESTIONS OFTEN FORGOTTEN

• Are the people in your circle of influence successfully inviting new people into community?
• Are the people whose influence greatest also the people whose service/sacrifice greatest?
• Are there significant efforts of individuals to serve the lonely, needy, poor and outcasts?

While I feel the angst and appreciate the heart of those dead-set against measuring anything in the church in favor of a completely organic existence, this kind of living is not a luxury afforded to Church Leaders. Ministry Leaders and those who Serve fulfill a role in the local church EVERY BIT as essential and valuable as those of a Church Leader, but when it comes to measuring, if Church Leaders don’t do it, nobody will.

Ask Moses who counted.

Ask Nehemiah who measured.

Ask David, who strategized.

And finally, ask Jesus, who calls each of us to Walk with Him fervently,  counting the cost of everything from the building of a house (Luke 14) to following Him (Matthew 10). Church leaders have to make difficult calls everyday and asking the right questions that will lead us to measure the right things help us to keep our local communities of faith prevailing at their highest levels of impact. Our willingness to not only ask these tough questions but ultimately ACT in accordance to their answers will remain one of the defining characteristics of a Church Leader.

I studied communications in college thinking I would settle into a nice church and lead students for 30 years. Not sure if that’s what I really wanted back then or if that’s just what the people around me were doing to serve God. In the 10+ years since those early college days everything I have done, both occupational and recreational has been entrepreneurial and pioneering. Whether it was managing a retail store, owning a restaurant or starting ministries there has always been an inexplicable and often intangible leadership quest (epic word choice…you’re welcome). A quest for what Randy and Simon refer to as “X Factor”. In leadership the X Factor is always momentum. My dear friend, coach and mentor, JD Pearring, has made a life of helping women and men create momentum in their areas of leadership.

When I meet with him I sense him sifting through what I share about Disciples Church as he searches for marks of momentum in our midst. I am learning only now what he has known for decades. Defining something that is an “X Factor” can be a difficult proposition often leading us all to declare any movement, positive or negative, a signal of momentum. While many of these intangibles are indeed indicators of positive momentum, I am finding one undeniable and truly quantitative mark of positive momentum: MULTIPLICATION. Show me a leader that is multiplying their duties, service and role and we will be looking at a leader with momentum.

• A leader with positive momentum is always searching for ways to get more people involved, not less.
• A leader with positive momentum is working to better manage their time so they can have greater impact with the limited hours.
• A leader with positive momentum is looking for ways to increase peoples interaction with the central mission, God.

And here is where the conversation takes a turn for what is also an undeniable and sometimes difficult truth. Leadership Credibility is earned predominately through ones ability to create and maintain momentum in whatever they lead. It would appear to be a just another variation on the “What comes first, smoke or fire.” Unfortunately, it’s far more complicated than that, I believe. In order to gain the leadership credibility to try new things and break out of the molds in which we are currently cast, we need to gain momentum in the things we are currently leading. This is the one of the mysteries of leadership and one of the times I think back to Jesus’ words, “Do you love me?” he goes onto to say, “Then feed my sheep.”

In whatever we are leading, we are often faced with this difficulty. Because truth be told, we are either the type with bigger dreams and greater challenges summoning us away from our current leadership anointing. Our responsibility as a leader is to keep the momentum going and multiply ourselves, right there, so we earn the support and credibility to start something new. On the flip side, many of us just love our current tasks and the thought of raising up others to do them in our place, frankly stated, makes us mad. There again, the pinnacle mark of a true leader remains multiplication and that only happens through positive momentum.

In whatever capacity you lead, I encourage you to take your impact to the next level this week by looking at some ways you can multiply yourself.

thankfully this, like giving and attendance, was not a trend I was designed to follow

As a leader of any sort there are things we measure in the well-intentioned efforts towards illustrating trends. With trends in hand we then evaluate our efforts or the efforts of the project we’re leading. If we are in retail leadership we measure profits, contacts and expenses. If we are in educational leadership we measure scores, publishing and research. But if we are in church leadership what do we measure?

If you’ve been around church long enough to see Chris Tomlin’s hairstyle change more than a few times you are likely thinking what I am thinking: dollars given and butts in seats. Money and attendance are indeed very visible gauges on the dashboard for church-leaders. Partly because of their immediate gratification and simple interpretation. But let me, in the next few minutes bring us all (myself first) back to a healthy attachment and interest in these two things.

I am not suggesting that we stop measuring, or stop caring about vital things like giving or attendance. The analysis of such data is inevitable, even in the most organic and missional movements. Rather let’s focus our attention on how we “trend” these pieces of weekly data.

The art of Trending, as I call it, is simply answering the questions of “How are we doing?” and “Are these efforts working?” When looking at that spreadsheet full of numbers most leaders are looking for trends. In reality the numbers mean nothing if you cannot plot them on an XY axis. The problem with most church leaders is we are drawing lines on the axis before we have enough dots. And in so doing we are declaring victory or defeat at the Super Bowl by counting 3-pointers. And if that’s not bad enough, we are doing it before the puck even hits the ice. –Oh crap, I think I mixed far too many metaphors.

If Jesus were to look at the excel sheet for each disciple after their first year, let alone their first month, the resulting data would have been pretty bleak. Even after his crucifixion the “data” was not promising as to whether or not these twelve were truly transformed and capable of leading the movement they were soon to be charged with leading. Yet here we are today, leading that which they started.

So as church leaders, especially pioneering ones like us, let’s be reminded this is a marathon not a sprint. Two weeks, heck two months, of poor attendance is not the “sure sign” that we’re headed down. Likewise, two weeks of strong giving does not mean it will go on forever. Here are few helpful reminders for us all in looking at such data:

1. If our goal is to Make Disciples, giving and attendance tell only part of the story.

2. For the data of Giving and Attendance to really help we need be patient and let them develop over months & years not days & weeks.

3. Maybe most importantly, never let someone who cares a lot about giving or attendance gather the numbers. Those who care, will typically either exaggerate or manipulate the data.

The reality is once we truly allow the sometimes overwhelming power of giving and attendance to take it’s rightful place on the dashboard we will merely glance at them as gauges to HELP us answer the questions of “How are we doing?” and “Are these efforts working?”.

In next week’s edition of Leading Thoughts I want to introduce a few other gauges often overlooked. I want to explore why these are so valuable to church leaders, especially church leaders who are looking for some spiritual data not built on the foundation of earthly consumerism. I pray you’re encouraged, and I hope to see you next week!

photo courtesy of www.eikonphotography.com

Recently I was driving with some of our church leaders and dear friends to an event. We could not all fit in one car and as happens many times in life (at least in America) we found ourselves driving several cars to one destination. Now for those of you who have driven in a carpool or caravan before you may remember some of the discomforts of the experience. It was difficult to stay together as we found ourselves dashing through traffic, stopping and going. As we drove I was reminded of more than a few important leadership principles. Let me briefly unpack these for you in the narrative of our driving.

First of all, we were driving in caravan. Several cars headed through the city in rush hour traffic. Transferring freeways and changing lanes. As a leader I found myself very comfortable in the lead position and very uneasy in the latter spots in line. But even when I slipped back I was always put at ease when I knew what the next stop was. That even if the car in front got too far in front of me, I knew we would regroup at the previously chosen exit. Which leads me to my first point:

• Verbalize the Rest Stops

We all move at a different pace as leaders and when we are doing our best for God we ought not ever be made to feel guilty if our pace is a bit slower or a bit fast than the woman/man next to us. Communicating our next ‘regroup’ is such an essential piece to keeping us all together as a team, a family, a community. For those who are growing weary in the later miles of the journey, just knowing we will be stopping all the meeting, playing and speaking soon just to share a meal and talk about the trip can be the saving grace for everyone, even those who “think” they could keep going further than the rest.

I noticed something else as I drove one of the cars in the caravan loaded with people. My driving style is NOT everyone else’s driving style. Sometimes I roll a stop sign when those in the backseat felt I should stop. Other times I waited to change lanes when some felt I should. I was frustrated at their backseat driving and they were afraid for their lives. Which takes me to my second point:

• Verbalize the Lane Changes

Let people know what you’re doing before you make a move. This may seem really elementary, but when people are “in the car with you” and you swerve violently it makes it really uncomfortable to ride with you. When the conversation comes up you may not even feel you were swerving, but that’s because you knew you were merging long before you did so. Communicate where you’re going and when you’re going to get there. And maybe most importantly, as a leader, DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE GOING TO DO. Nothing makes people less excited about leading with you, or by you, than changes in plans that are communicated late or not at all. Changes happen and especially in a new church like ours, change is the one thing you can count on happening. However, with email, text messaging, cell phones and a rich communal environment like ours, there is just no excuse for leaders who get blindsided with change.

While our mission is paramount to our existence, we were never designed to live the mission outside of the community of the local church. So let’s be intentional as leaders to make this “living with the local church” and enriching experience for those with which you are partnered. I believe that for you, as it has for me, these two simple reminders will be a help to not only yourself but the rest of us who lead with you. I pray your week is full of God’s confirmation, God’s moving and a miracle or two!

Jen & I cuddling up while in Yosemite this past week

While away on a family vacation this past week Jen and I spent many hours standing together watching our kids play in the snow. They rolled around in it for hours laughing and playing. Yet without fail, the fun was always followed by the cold and wet feeling that leaves them ready to get inside and eat some warm soup. Jen and I stood by, dignified adults that we are, in our warm coats and jeans. We had no intention of getting in that cold wet stuff, but often our defense against the cold and wet was overcome by a desire to jump on the sled and go barreling down the mountain with our kids. God spoke to me many times this past week as he was renewing my heart for the things he has called me to be, to do, and to lead. My defenses against snow got me thinking about the defenses I am seeing against the moving of God in the people who check out Disciples Church.

In our journey with people who are far from God and His church there are dozens, if not hundreds, of defense mechanisms we encounter. From relational distancing to partial truths and from extreme privacy to wild unedited authenticity. But of all the defenses we see from people with real pain towards people, God or church there is one that we (ok, me) as leaders are ignoring all too often:  cynicism. “What?!” you ask. “Cynicism is a defense mechanism?”  Yes, I come in contact with people every week who are deeply cynical towards people, God and church. People who have their horror stories and their wounds they wear like badges of honor. These church cynics use their scars from former experiences in a church to predict, often with uncanny accuracy, when their current church will show a dark side of empty mission, unadulterated greed or spiritual narcissism.

Now for some of us, we begin to sense someone’s cynicism and we just chuckle with them at their biting statement or snide joke, writing it off as nothing. For others of us we hear a person’s cynicism enough that we unfortunately write them off completely as just being immature. Neither of these responses help our new friend or the mission of the church we lead. While admittedly their cynicism is an immature and counterproductive defense, it is still just that, a defense. What we are seeing on the surface is a cry for help. A cry for answers. A cry for something real. As leaders, we are not afforded the luxury of simply laughing off the comment or writing off the cynic. We are leaders, for God’s sake! -really.

So when a new person enters the community of Disciples Church but spouts off early and often their own cynicism for the church, its leaders and its form, I am learning to fight my initial response. Yes, these are people who need to grow up a bit, but isn’t Church the perfectly ordained place to…grow up? Our response as leaders needs to be one of listening intently, knowing that this is a person who cares deeply for the church, its leaders and its form, afterall they’re here aren’t they? Church cynics are looking for a reason to believe The Church is still the only hope this world has to walk with Jesus as he designed us to walk with him. Cynics may even appear to be gathering evidence for their final indictment, and while that may be true in some cases, our best efforts in connecting people far from God and his church with Christ and community begin with understanding they care deeply for this bride of Christ. They want to believe, that’s why they’re here.

Let’s be leaders who listen well, and when the Holy Spirit nudges let’s be relentless in offering a cynic opportunities to adore God, make disciples and serve the hurting and poor. Let’s fight the urge to over-embrace their immaturity or even write these cynics off as lost causes. Let us instead be ever-mindful that cynics matter deeply to God and God has gifted us with their engagement with Disciples Church. If they had given up, they would not be here. They are looking for a reason to believe, to serve, to change the world. As a leader, who will you listen to this week? Who will you offer opportunities to this week?