Day 296 - Make It and Take It

"It comes down to experience and courage."

This week I took on a new responsibility. As usual when I looked back at last years journal entry we were doing the same thing on the same day this year. Only this year I am in a new role. I have never been where I am at today (really none of us have been) and know that next year will be a different story as well. The story will be one of the grace that God gives to make me into the leader He wants me to be. 

I do know from my past experience that I can do it. I can be what I need to be and do what I am called to do. It comes down to experience and courage. 

You have to make it through something in order to have experience. It doesn't come any other way but through time and lots of situations that you came through. You wan't always come through well either. Many times we learn more through the negative experiences or the tough ones than we do with the positive or easy ones. What matters is that we made it through and we learned. 

Courage comes when you know who is backing you. Some trust in themselves. Some trust in wealth. Some trust in their team or in their leaders. All of these are good but they are not the best. The ultimate One to be trusted is God Himself, Christ in you. When you know that God backs you then you have all the courage you need. 

There are times that I struggle with doubting my decisions. I wonder if I am going with what others want or if I really hear from God. Along the way God has always assured me that I was going in the right direction or corrected my direction if needed. Just today when I was reading my Bible in the morning I read some verses that assured me I was headed in the right direction. It brought me to tears. 

You can know that the paths you have traveled and the experiences you have had combined with the backing that God can only give are a set up for success. You can handle the day because God won't give you more than you can handle. He has called you to this time and this place. Be bold and take the day!

What experiences have shaped you? How much of a role does courage have in your decisions?

Day 295 - Doing It Better

"We had our training for the staff." 

Practice, practice, practice. 

Practice makes perfect. We have heard it. Said it. Maybe even experienced it. But then we forget it. 

Somewhere along the line we forget the practice that made us what we are today. Then when a new challenge arises or we need to grow to a new level we try and side step the process. Well...maybe you don't but I sure try. 

I would love to live in the day and age that someone plugs a cool looking cable into the back of my head and types rapidly on a computer screen and when I wake up from the download of information I am well versed in sixty-two types of martial arts and underwater basket weaving. The reality is that we don't have that technology and may never have it because one, we are not robots to be programmed and two, God knows the process is good for us. 

Athletes, security professionals, military, public speakers, tradesmen and so many others all know this principle. Practice until you get better. 

We had an issue last year with our staff that we wanted to get better at. We wanted to get better at saying hello. It may seem like overkill but we actually practiced saying hello. The neat thing was that after we practiced we talked about our experiences and it helped us to process how we could get better at greeting people and providing a welcome environment for our church. 

Who knew that it wasn't just a clever saying for kids? Practice makes perfect. 

How does this principle apply to you? What do you need to practice so you can better at it? 

Day 281 - Don't Miss Out

"It was reported that we had 260 salvations this past week."

I read over this sentence and it didn't register. I couldn't tell you what we were doing other than normal church activity. In the midst of our labors God was moving and people's lives were being changed for eternity. 

I don't care who you are or how large your church is when one person or 260 people get saved it is a miracle. The problem is that we miss out. We miss the miraculous. Why? Lots of reasons. 

It becomes common. If you are consistently having responses to calls for salvation or healing or prayers answered it can lose the wonder and become commonplace if we allow it. Stop and be thankful. Stop and wonder. Stop and praise God. 

We also miss it because we get busy. Our lives can be so distracted. Too many times I am focused on peripheral things and miss the central focus of what God is doing. It takes discipline and focus to remove the things that distract and get back to what God is doing. 

Finally we miss it because our aim shifts. Many times people will see someone else doing something they like and get off of purpose. They set aside what they are called to do in order to aim at something they shouldn't be. We have to know our purpose and stick with it. Methods may change but if we know our calling and central purpose the aim is the same. 

Is there something God is doing and you recognize you might be missing it? Is there another way we can miss it and, if so, how do we guard against it?

Day 270 - Full Time Ministers

"It really is a matter of people seeing themselves as a full time minister and bringing people to church."

A lot of times people think it is the paid ministers and pastors that do the work of the ministry. The Bible teaches us otherwise. We all are full time ministers. 

A minister really is a servant for the people. Anyone who is a follower of Jesus is a servant. Jesus Himself said that no servant is greater than his master. We are to follow His example. He came to serve and we should too. 

The Bible teaches that ministers and pastors really are there to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry. As we do it will cause growth to the body of Christ. That growth occurs from winning souls and making disciples. 

If you are a Christian then you have a vital role to play in the growth of the church. Do your part. Tell someone about Jesus. Invite someone to church. Lead a small group or serve in a ministry. Find your giftings and your passions and put them to use for the kingdom. You may get paid in a job to take care of your bills and your family but you are a full time minister! 

How does seeing yourself as a full time minister change how you live? What can you do to see yourself as a full time minister? 

Day 267 - Refresh, Renew, Revitalize

"From Spurgeon: “If old plans will not answer, we must try new ones, for fresh experiments sometimes achieve more than regular methods.” 

This is a good leadership and ministry lesson. We cannot expect the same thing to work with changing culture and generations. Set about in a fresh way or look for a new ministry opportunity. Refresh, renew, revitalize."

I have been living in a transition time of leadership for the past five years. With the transitions I have found that some things are working well. The old saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it" still applies. Also as we ride out the transition there are some things that are not working. With these is where we focus and try new things. 

We often have to refresh. Not just a new coat of paint (though that is not a bad idea sometimes). We need to remind ourselves of purpose. If it no longer applies then what is the purpose? How will you achieve that purpose? Is there a better way to do it? 

If it doesn't just need a refresh then maybe it is time to renew. Start over. Start something new. We never like to shut something down but maybe there needs to be a closure to open something else. 

One of my favorite moments from a recent conference was from Dr. Jim Reeve's message. He passionately asked "How long will you mourn over Saul?!" The question comes from the story of Samuel who was to anoint a new king but was still sad about the previous dynasty and was holding on to the past. Often we keep a death grip on things that we like but need to change. Time to renew. 

The best is last, revitalize. It is time to breathe new life into our business, home, church, and whatever other endeavors we are involved in. This comes with prayer, passion and pursuits. If you have let things get cold then some fresh prayer and passion as well as the pursuit of it will heat it up! 

What are some other ways we can do something new that I didn't list? Have you seen this principle work in business or ministry? 

Day 262 - Stepping Into the Void

"I enjoyed coaching the team."

I am a full time pastor employed by the church. My weekends are workdays. I work Wednesday night's for church services and in the fall I teach in our Bible College. I never thought I would be able to coach my son's soccer team. But that is exactly what happened last year. 

The coach who was supposed to run the team was taken away from coaching by his work schedule and he commissioned all the dads to step up and help cover the bases. For the most part we did it all together. But as the season progressed and work schedules for the dads changed we all had to lead at some point. So in the void of leadership I found myself running practices and organizing the team. 

It was different and I did enjoy the competitive aspect of the game. I lead for a living so some of the skills needed to coach came naturally to me. I wasn't able to be there one hundred percent of the time but when I was there it was a nice change of pace and most of all I got to be with my boy on the field. 

Sometimes it is moments of crisis or in a void that we have to step out in faith. The neat thing about it is that no matter how scary it may seem or how insecure we can be God is with us. We can't lose when we step out in faith and He backs us. Stepping into the void can be scary. It can also be some of the best times of life. 

Have you had to step out into an area you were uncomfortable with? Did you end up enjoying it? 

Day 247 - Leadership Awareness

"He had a good insight that the one word to be a good leader was awareness."

Leaders should know and be aware of their sphere of responsibility. The Bible says we should know the state of our flocks. What has been entrusted to us can only be effective if we know what is going on. 

As a leader myself I require all the information before I make a decision. Many things are effected when you make changes. The question is always bigger than the immediate need. It goes into other areas. Like a domino that when you push it over topples over a line of others leaders need to know what their decisions will do and be able to see ahead. 

When I have been heading in a direction and become aware of new information and the whole picture I have found that many times it will either change the direction or the approach. It all hinges on my awareness. It is no one else's responsibility for my awareness. I will often go to the departments and ask questions or walk into areas just to see what we are talking about so that I can make intelligent decisions. 

Without awareness you will be shooting in the dark. It doesn't matter if you are managing a Fortune 500 company or managing your home, if you are not aware you won't be able to effectively manage. Ask the right questions, limit distractions and find out the whole story. 

What are some things good leaders should be aware of? How can we become more aware of the state of our homes, businesses and organizations?

Day 235 - A Fork In The Road

"I am taking the encouragement road right now instead of the chastening road."

When leading it is good to have a process by which you motivate others to head in the direction you are leading. Leaders should always lead by example and be all in on what they are encouraging others to do. 

The process is simple. Tell others what you want them to do, encourage them, correct them if they get off track and then praise them when they get it right. 

There is more to this when dealing with people who are more than just followers. If they carry the title member or staff (children...) or whatever your organization calls them whether they have been hired or signed on. For these individuals it must be clear expectations with follow up and follow through. 

When these individuals know what they are to do and don't do it then there is a motivation problem. Start with encouragement. Share a story or set a goal. It doesn't have to be ridiculous it just has to be real. People will go as far as you encourage them. 

If they continue to not do what they should be doing then it is time to discipline. There needs to be a real process for discipline and it should be clearly understood and held to. Just like when we were kids and our parents had rules that if we broke them there were consequences there should be in any organization a set of consequences for wrong behavior. 

When we encourage and properly discipline it makes life better. People will feel empowered and it will set a wonderful atmosphere. These principles work at home, church, or even in business. 

How do you encourage? Is there a right or wrong way to discipline? 

Day 233 - Garlic For All

"I think we first need to identify values. It will seep out of who we are. Then speak the values. Finally rehearse and reward the values."

I am a garlic lover. It just tastes great in almost everything. The only problem with loving garlic is that afterward everyone knows you love it. All you have to do is say 'hi'.  

Our values should be like that. They should be evident by what comes out of us in our words and actions. People who share our values will enjoy what they hear and see while those opposed to our values will be repelled by them. 

The easiest way to find out where your values are is to see where you spend. Where you spend your money and where you spend your time will show you most of what you value. If you spend time with your family then you value them. If you spend money on hobbies then you value them.

A good indicator of your walk with God is how much time have you spent with Him in prayer, studying His Word and  being in church and whether or not you tithe and give offerings. If you do all those things then most likely you value your relationship with God. 

Like I said in my quote from last year it is good to rehearse and reward values. We need to talk about them and share them with others. Additionally when we see our values being lived out in ourselves, our families or our organizations and businesses we should reward them. It will only strengthen the values. 

Take some time to identify your values. If you don't know where to start then look at what you spend time and money on. Then talk about your values with your family and friends. Finally reward yourself and others when you see the values being lived out. 

What are some ways we can reward values being displayed in ourselves and others? What are some other ways we can identify values?

Day 220 - The Time For Growth

"I met with one of our young leaders and talked about the book "Nehemiah and the Dynamics of Effective Leadership". We had a good talk and I look forward to what this will end up being in the future."

When I went on missions trips overseas our training camp was in the middle of a cornfield. When we drove into the camp they would stop the bus in the middle of one of the cornfields and have someone run out into the middle of the field. They would turn around and look back at the bus and all the students on the bus would be staring back at them wondering what was going on. You could only see the person from their shoulders up. They would run back on the bus without a word and we would drive into the camp. 

For the next two weeks we would learn about missions and what our purpose was. We would study, pray, practice, run drills and train for what we would be encountering when we traveled to our destinations all over the world. 

When we left the training camp they would stop the bus at the same location in the corn field and the same person would run out into the field. This time they would disappear into the corn. It would be well over their head. At that point our team leader would explain that in just two weeks we had grown. If we were to stand at the corn field and watch the plants we would not have seen the growth. Stepping away and coming back however showed the growth. 

When I look at the last year and the discipleship and mentoring that took place with that young leader I see tremendous growth. The questions he asks and the places his thinking is going shows that he is moving up. 

You may have thought that you plateaued in your growth. First of all you have to remember that most healthy growth is slow growth. If the plant gets too top heavy and the roots and trunk can't support the weight of the growth it will eventually fall over. Slow growth is healthy and sustainable. If the root and trunk are strong then the branches can be heavy with fruit. 

Second remember that not all growth is visible.  I heard of a type of bamboo that would grow only a few inches above ground for the first five years. The underground growth was tremendous over those five years and on the sixth year it would shoot up many feet. Your growth may be deep under the surface in the depths of your heart. You are getting stronger so that eventually what is visible will shoot up. 

How do you see seasons of growth? How can we be patient while the process of growth takes place?

Day 206 - The Art of the Edit

"The message could have been huge so I had to edit way down."

There is always more to say than there is time to say it. The message could get long. There is an art to editing your message. Clear, concise and well thought out. 

Not everything that could be said is applicable. Get rid of it. It won't help drive home the point. 

Lots of what is said is redundant. Rather than reinforcing your message it is reducing the interest. Repetition is one thing, redundancy is quite another. 

I find that if I place myself in the seat of my audience, whether that is one on one or in a group setting, that my message will become clearer. If you as yourself, "What am I saying?" "What is the main point?" and "Is this clearly understood?" your message will come through and the edits will be easy. 

The principles here apply to business presentations, witnessing, and any other public speaking you may be doing. It will be clear and clearly understood. 

Is most of your speaking public or one on one? How can editing your message help in your speaking to others?

Day 183. - It Will Work Itself Out

"I went in to work and got through all my 60+ e-mails from my two days off. I made a point this week to not read or answer my e-mails on my days off. The wonderful thing was that on Monday the office had an issue and wanted some of my time today to deal with the issue. When I got in today there was an e-mail that the situation had worked itself out and there was no need for my involvement. I was thankful I chose to protect my days off and my family time."

There are two important principles here for leaders. First is to give problems the time they need. The second is to protect your family and rest. 

Problems have a way of telling us they are the most important thing and require immediate attention. There are times when a problem should be immediately dealt with. This is not always the case though. I have found that most problems should be given some time. When I have done this I have either seen the problem work itself out or I have been able to step away and pray and get the wisdom of God for the situation. In the end it will be better handled with a thoughtful approach. 

Problems will also try to rob us of our family time and rest. Our family is our first priority after God. God actually equates our care for our family with our salvation. Pretty heavy! We need to be aware of the things that will take from our family time. The job and the problems will come and go. Family is there for the long haul. It would be no good to give attention to problems on the job only to create problems at home. 

Your rest also needs to be protected. If you never turn your brain off the stress will do you harm. God commanded rest for more than just an example, it is actually healthy for us! 

What are some healthy ways to give problems time? How can we guard our family and rest in practical ways? 

Day 142 - Plays well with others

"We did a brainstorming meeting that actually was a true brainstorm. It was nice to get creative and think together. We got some good concepts and will come together next week to edit and plan."

I love to collaborate with creative people on projects. Don't just get me the leaders but get me the creative followers too. One time we had tables in the church sanctuary with paper and crayons to get the juices flowing for a stage idea. It ended up being a brilliant move. 

Vision may come from the leader but it may be a follower who sees it better than the leader could. Or maybe there is a clarity or facet that a leader from somewhere else may see. 

God made us all unique with gifts, talents, passions and personalities. With that comes a unique perspective. I think of the modern day parable of the three blind guys who were all holding on to something together. The first says It is a snake. The second says it is a tree trunk. The third says it is a cord hanging down. Who was right? All three. They were holding onto the same elephant in different parts. 

I see collaboration that way. We all have a different part of the same thing and if we can get together with vision from outside we can appreciate and understand but also get to the right conclusion and destination. 

We have to honor and respect others to successfully do this. The Bible talks about the church as a body that has differing parts but the same purpose. As we get together and work in unity and oneness the job gets done. Wether that job is doing church, business or home, we're better together than we are apart!

Do you work well in group settings? What are the advantages of having others to collaborate with? 

Day 128 - Directionally Challenged

"As a leader people don't always know where you are going or don't want to go where you are going."

My wife has a natural sense of direction. She knows inside where she is and what way she should go. She couldn't tell you North South East or West and sometimes gets right and left mixed up when giving me directions but if you were to ask her what way she could point and tell you "That way!" 

I have known others who habitually lose their car in parking lots and who have to use their alarm to locate their car by listening for the sound of the car locking through the horn or the tone. I admittedly have used this method on occasion and have started off in a direction that later was corrected by my wife's confident "That way" instruction. 

When I look at the statement from last year I see the essential quality of a leader is so simple. Point people in the direction you know they should be going and tell them "That way". Leaders lead; both in example and in instruction. You could also say in word and in deed. 

People won't know where you are going unless you tell them. Communication is key. I get so frustrated with myself when I know I haven't communicated and things go wrong. It is on me at that point. When we communicate and point out the way it helps others to have a clear vision and almost always they will reach or exceed the goal. 

If people don't want to go in the direction you are going then it is your job as a leader to get them on board. Once again it is vital to communicate. The question is one of value. Start with the ultimate value of following God. Are we following the true leader? Is it in the Bible? Once you can say yes with confidence then ask if it is a problem of leadership, vision or style. Two of those are easy to overcome. The real leader is God and if he has put me here then trust His choice and let's do this together. If it is a matter of style is there a better way or can you trust that this style will work to accomplish our goals? The last of the three is the biggest hurdle. If they have a problem with the vision then it is time to rehearse the vision, identify the outcomes and hear the objections. Don't be afraid to look at criticisms. It may help the vision get stronger. But if it is found to be negativity or undue then follow the vision and invite them along. 

What are some other obstacles you have encountered as a leader and how do we overcome them? How do you communicate vision?

Day 104 - Getting it right

"The moon rose full over the Yucaipa ridge. It is supposed to be red at around midnight or 2 am tonight. I want to see it so I will either stay up or set an alarm. Or both!"

I should have went with both! It turns out that the website I was looking at to determine the time of the eclipse that would cause a blood moon that night was showing me Eastern time. I am in Pacific Standard time so I ended up getting up at 2 am and stood outside looking at the moon and waiting to see a total lunar eclipse that had already happened. 

Thankfully we are in a season of four blood moons in two years and just this past weekend I had another opportunity to see a blood moon. This time I checked and double checked the time for Pacific Standard. I woke up early and was able to see the blood moon and even got the cool picture at the top of this page. (My Instagram friends have already seen this @roth_dan) 

The lesson, and there is one today, is that if you mess up once it is not the end. Don't quit at failure. Move forward and get it right the next time. I have heard of so many successful people who used failure to get stronger and learn forward. Thomas Edison was asked about his failures in making a filament for the light bulb and responded by saying "I have not failed 700 times. I've succeeded in proving 700 ways how not to build a light bulb." Abraham Lincoln was defeated at the polls more than he succeeded. And yet he is one of our nations greatest leaders. 

So measure twice and cut one, take your time and learn the lesson. Don't stop at failure. Failure is where we grow from. 

Have you ever had an epic failure that you were able to learn from? What other examples of failure from history or the Bible do you know of?

Day 101 - Leadership 101

"Today I had an unusual day in the sense that I had nothing on my calendar and yet worked late because of all the meetings I ended up having."

Leaders have to know themselves. They also have to get their finger on the pulse of what is going on under their care. In order to know both of these things there has to be communication with people. 

On the one hand to know yourself involves more than yourself. In your prayer time and study of God's Word you must listen to who God says you are. If you know who you are in Him then you will be more confident to lead. Also you must listen to what others say about you. I am not just talking about the nice stuff either. It is good to know when people recognize strengths in you and just as good to hear encouragement. We all need to be encouraged or we would give up! But we also need to hear constructive criticism from people we trust whose interest is in our growth. One of the meeting I had on this day last year was with my mentor. He spoke wisdom and encouragement and helped me in my decision making process. 

On the other hand you must know the pulse of what you are over. This takes gathering information, hearing people's hearts and looking ahead at what is coming. The Bible says we should know the state of our flock. We should see where we are strong and where we are weak. We should have a handle on numbers and the resources we are stewarding. It takes diligence but it also takes communication with people. When people know you care enough to listen to them and see you involved the morale rises. I don't just ask people about their jobs I also ask about their families. I want to make sure my employees aren't struggling or hurting at home. And not just so that they will be a better worker but also because I want them to be blessed and prosperous in life. 

If leaders will know themselves and the pulse it will allow for better decisions, better placement, better use of time and resources, and better productivity. 

How can we know ourselves better? What ways do you use to know the pulse of your organization? 

Day 85 - Leaders Lead

"Leaders have to lead and often that means thinking for others, giving clear direction and then following up to make sure that they do it. Then along the way you have to deal with personalities. It is not easy."

I smile when I read this thought from last year. As a leader this is what I live every day. First, I have to lead myself. I have to know a clear direction and keep after it. I have to be accountable as a leader and also have to know my personality. I have to know when to say when and when to not make a decision because of my own personality conflicts. Leaders aren't perfect. We have to have people in our lives who will tell us the truth and who can tell us things that are hard to hear. My wife is great in this area. 

Once you have yourself in line then you can start getting others to follow. You have to give them clear direction and follow up with them. Don't expect people to read your mind or understand your vision after one conversation. Especially if your vision came from long hours of thought, prayer, study and dreaming. If it took you a long time to get the vision it may take more time for others to get it. 

Then comes the personalities. If you can be tactful and diplomatic when it comes to other people's personalities you can thrive as a leader. Many times conflicts don't come from problems in operation or finance. Most of the time I find that the conflict comes from personalities. Managing personalities takes care and sincere love. People want to know that you are sincere and really care about their problem. 

I finished my thought from last year by saying it is not easy. It really isn't...but it is rewarding. If you can lead yourself and lead others effectively then when the vision is accomplished everyone wins together. The reward is unity and productivity. 

How do you lead yourself? How do you handle others personalities with love?

Day 84 - Productivity

"I didn't do much today but it somehow turned out to be a productive day."

When I look back on last year I see that there were days I did a lot and got nothing done. There were also days like this one from last year that even though I didn't do a lot it was productive. 

It really comes down to defining what is important. If there is one thing that is important on your list of things to do in any certain day and you get so busy you never get to that one thing then you have been unproductive. But if you only got to that one thing and everything else was left undone then you have been very productive. Activity and busyness don't always equate to productivity. 

I remember when I first became a pastor and would be getting ready for a church service I would feel guilty for taking time to pray and study. Now I look at that and wish I could shout back in time from more than ten years later and speak some sense into myself. The number one thing a pastor should be doing when it comes to a church service is connect with and hear from God what His desire is for the service. Then from that place the study and the preparations for the service can be made. But I realize now that I didn't understand that these essential elements of my job weren't unproductive just because they weren't busy with activity. 

If you want to be more productive then focus on what you really want to get done give your effort and energy to that. You will be happy you did!

How do you stay focused on the priorities of the day? How else can we be more productive?

Day 73 - Passing Blame

"I am glad I wasn't in the meeting even though it seems we got blamed in the end."

One of my favorite movies is the Fugitive. Not only did the remake have some outstanding actors and lots of action they really told the story well. If you don't know the story it is of a man whose wife is killed and then he is framed for her murder. All he has to go on is that a one armed man killed his wife. So while he runs from the law he also unravels the case and in the end is set free. 

On a less dramatic scale I think that leaders get blamed for lots of things they didn't do. As a leader though you don't get to run from blame or point all the evidence to the real culprit. What will happen is that you end up looking like the bad guy. 

Now if someone is bringing a false accusation or is discrediting your integrity you don't have to take it. The response of a leader in this instance should be that of Nehemiah when the enemies brought accusations against him. He simply denied the accusations and took the matter to prayer. 

Most of the time the blame that is laid on a leader is not false accusations or intrigue. It is things like "You hurt my feelings," "You were harsh," and the like. In instances like these the response should be the same but softer. Instead of a denial like in extreme cases an answer that includes an apology works much better. 

For example; you can cover the issue and mend the relationship by saying, "I am so sorry, it was never my intent to hurt you but I can see that I did. Will you forgive me?" That is what is most important. Don't lose your ability to lead and speak into their lives over being too prideful to apologize. I have apologized for plenty of things that I didn't do but was perceived as doing. You take it on the chin and keep going. God will uphold your cause and love will cover the multitude of sins. 

What other qualities do see in Nehemiah that we can learn from as leaders? What other scriptures or examples do you use when dealing with blame? 

Day 57 - Agents of Change

"I love the example of being a thermostat instead of a thermometer. We don't react to our environment we change it!"

We decide the atmosphere around us. We can either react and show the climate that surrounds us or we can set our hearts on God's truth and speak in agreement with His word until our surroundings change. Some would say we are just full of hot air and my response would be in this case 'exactly'. The more hot air we push out the more the cold world heats up. We are agents of change. 

Have you ever been in the midst of a heated argument and cooled it down with a kind word or an apology? You were the thermostat. A thermometer would only let its heat levels rise until it blew it's top. 

Rather than react lets respond with faith filled words and loving actions. As we do we will see the change in the world around us. 

Have you experienced being the thermometer or the thermostat? What advice would you give to someone wanting to be an agent of change?