Leadership That Listens: How to Show Up in Service of the Moment By Rodney Bullard
It’s easy to mistake urgency for leadership, especially when speed and noise seem to be rewarded the most. But the most impactful leaders aren’t necessarily the ones who speak first or move fastest. They’re the ones who make space to listen.
To me, listening is not just a leadership skill. It’s an act of service. It’s how we honor the people around us. When my first instinct is to react, I’ve found it best to stop and ask myself, What does this moment truly need?
This approach has shaped not only how I lead, but why I lead, and it’s at the heart of our work at The Same House. We don’t just gather to talk. We gather to listen, reflect, and act with purpose.
Listening, Then and Now
The work of The Same House, and the inception of the Beloved Benefit, didn’t start with a grand plan. It started with listening.
Through both my professional and volunteer efforts, I had a front-row seat to the everyday challenges facing communities across Atlanta and beyond, from the erosion of human connection to the persistent lack of economic mobility. I was hearing stories, meeting people, and sitting in spaces where pain and hope lived side by side. I learned early on that before we could talk about solutions, we had to truly understand the depth of the need.
That understanding took on new meaning in 2012, when we led Chick-fil-A’s efforts to engage with Atlanta’s Westside. This work grew into a series of initiatives, including the launch of the Westside Summit, the opening of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in the neighborhood, and, in 2019, the creation of the Beloved Benefit: an event that now supports organizations making a difference not only across Atlanta but throughout Georgia.
Beloved Benefit isn’t your typical fundraiser; it’s a gathering designed to honor Atlanta’s rich diversity and elevate the voices that too often go unheard. For the very first benefit, we partnered with local creators, thinkers, and organizers to co-create every aspect of the experience. What emerged was more than an event. It was a space for connection, reflection, and collective action.
Slowing Down to Do More
When you witness injustice or hardship, the instinct is often to act, to fix, to do something right away. I felt that same urgency when I attended Atlanta’s Westside in 2019. I wanted to create immediate change. But you have to earn the right to care. Those community members didn’t need a savior. They needed partners who were willing to slow down, build trust, and honor what was already happening on the ground. And because we took the time to listen, we ended up with an impact that no amount of planning could have made happen on its own.
Now, I know that not every moment calls for action right away. Sometimes, the most important thing we can do is to simply be present. To listen with empathy and patience. And then, when the time is right, to act with purpose.
Step Into Service With Us
If you believe in this kind of leadership rooted in listening, then I invite you to take The Same House Pledge. It’s more than a promise. It’s a commitment to show up for one another, to lead with love, and to build bridges where others build walls.
At its core, The Same House Pledge is about turning values into action. It asks each of us, regardless of title, to listen before we speak, to serve before we’re seen, and to lead with humility, continuously guided by the belief that every person deserves dignity and opportunity.
When you take the pledge, you’re helping create a new approach to leadership where community, compassion, and connection come first.
Will you join us?
