Attentiveness to What Is Being Formed
By Bianca Schaefer
Last week, we practiced storytelling and gratitude—looking back honestly at where we began and offering thanks for what shaped us along the way. When leaders pause to remember, perspective is restored. But reflection isn’t meant to remain in the past. It prepares us to lead with greater wisdom in the present.
Leading well requires attentiveness. Not just to responsibilities or outcomes, but to what is being formed within us right now.
Leadership often pulls our focus toward what’s next—the next decision, next season, next problem to solve. Yet formation rarely happens there. It unfolds in the present, in what we are attentive to, what we ignore, and what we choose to tend each day.
Scripture consistently links wisdom with attentiveness. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23). Wise leadership is not hurried leadership. It is leadership that remains awake to God’s quiet work beneath the surface, even when the work feels ordinary or slow.
Attentiveness invites different questions. Not only Is this effective? but What is this forming in me? Not only Am I leading well outwardly? but Am I leading from a healthy and grounded place? Formation reveals itself in subtle ways—in how we respond to pressure, how we listen when we are tired, and how we carry responsibility when no one is watching.
Many leaders are doing the right things while slowly becoming disconnected—from themselves, from others, or from God. Attentiveness interrupts that drift. It helps us notice where joy is emerging, where resistance is growing, and where God may be inviting refinement rather than expansion.
This kind of attentiveness requires slowing down enough to observe without judgment. To notice patterns instead of just problems. To recognize that frustration, fatigue, or restlessness may not be obstacles to leadership, but invitations within it. Formation is rarely loud. It happens in small, repeated moments that shape our posture and presence over time.
Gratitude helps us look back. Attentiveness keeps us grounded in the present. Together, they form leaders who are reflective, resilient, and responsive—able to lead others without losing themselves along the way.
As you move through this week, consider not only what you are accomplishing, but what is being formed in you as you lead.
Reflection Questions
Where in your leadership might God be inviting greater attentiveness right now?
What patterns—internal or external—have you noticed shaping you in this season?