10 Questions With Leader @ScottWilliams – LifeChurch.tv

Scott Williams is a great leader I have learned to admire online. I haven’t met him personally, but social media has allowed me to connect with him to the point I feel I can call him friend. Some day we will actually meet. In the meantime, I love learning from Scott at his amazingly popular blog Big Is The New Small.

Scott has learned the value of connecting online. Scott is the Campus Pastor for the Northwest Oklahoma City Campus of LifeChurch.tv. Scott has an interesting background in leadership, after spending 13 years in the prison system prior to ministry. As much as anyone, one would have to say Scott is somewhat of a Twitter expert. You can follow him HERE.

Here are 10 questions with leader Scott Williams:

When you were growing up, is this what you thought you would be doing vocationally? If not, what did you want to do?

Ministry is absolutely not what I thought that I would be doing. I changed my mind quite a bit while growing up, everything from being an Attorney, the President to a Rocket Scientist. This statement always intrigued me, “It’s not rocket science!”

What’s the most different job you’ve had from what you are doing now and how did that job help you with what you are doing now?

I was a Prison Warden… I was actually one of the youngest Wardens in the country, meaning I didn’t have a clue when I started. I learned the importance of genuine care and concern for people. The method, in which you lead people, can cause them to become a great asset or pain in the asset (many times the inmates were my greatest asset as a leader, the same philosophy applies to church members). Ultimately a Warden and a Pastor lead a venue where people can be confronted, held accountable, developed, challenged…. and leave personal chaos behind, in order for their lives to be truly CHANGED!

Who is one person, besides Christ, who most helped to shape your leadership and how did they help you?

My mother who always believed in me and thought I could do things at a much higher level than I would ever imagine. She taught me to dream BIG and think BIGGER. My mom always reminded me that, “You can’t control what others think, only what you do!” To this day she will always believe in me and say, “Absolutely, you can do that!” I believe in those that I lead at a level hat no one else will… we succeed together! One other person is Marvin Wiebener who was my boss in Corrections and took a risk on me as a 25-year-old kid to be a Warden. Because of his leadership, I will generally take risks on younger hires with the right potential.

Besides the Bible, what is one book that has most helped to shape your thought process in life and ministry?

This answer could go on and on like the Energizer Bunny… I’ll give you two:
*Good To Great- (Jim Collins) First Leadership book that I read once I went into full-time ministry and it’s a LifeChurch.tv Leadership Staple.
* The War Of Art- (Steven Pressfield) This is a somewhat obscure and interestingly written book that masters how to break through resistance and get things done.

What are three words other people would use to describe your work style/ethic?

Empowering, Developer & Risk Taker

What is your greatest strength in leadership?

Visionary, Discernment, Thinker, Ideas… The ability to think a few steps ahead.

What is your greatest weakness in leadership?

Sometimes I will have too many ideas workin’. Perception vs. Reality in the areas of Confidence vs. Cockiness.

What is the hardest thing you have to do in leadership?

I don’t know that there is just one thing. I personally believe that different seasons and different teams bring about different challenges.

What is one misconception about your position you think people in your church may have?

I think people believe that I hang out with Craig Groeschel all the time. Although we do talk and get together periodically, people believe that we are BFF’s. That’s not a bad thing, just a misconception. Did I just say BFF? LOL

If you could give one piece of advice to young leaders from what you’ve learned by experience, what would it be?

If you truly care about the growth and development of the person more than the product they produce, you will get a better product. ”Leadership development is rooted in personal development & organizational transformation is rooted in individual transformation.”