Dr. Nic Williams, lead pastor of South Shore Community Church in Sarasota, Florida, has released a new book, Lead Different: Who You Become Matters More Than What You Build. The book, aimed at business leaders, pastors, and anyone entrusted with a team, explores how humility, integrity, and service shape the way leaders make decisions, handle pressure, and develop the people around them.
Williams, who has more than 20 years of ministry experience, says the book grew out of what he has learned leading people and teams over those years. “I’ve seen how easy it is to measure leadership by what we accomplish while giving very little attention to who we’re becoming along the way,” he said. “I wrote the book to help leaders bring their faith into the everyday decisions that shape their character and affect the people they lead.”
Before becoming a lead pastor, Williams served in youth and worship ministry. Writing, he says, grew out of the same desire that drew him to ministry: helping people understand what the Bible says and live it out in the situations they face every day. As a lead pastor, he has had to put the biblical principles he teaches into practice while leading a staff, navigating change, and making hard decisions that affect real people. That experience, he says, shapes how he writes.
In Lead Different, Williams asks a question leaders rarely get asked when things are going well: Who are you becoming while you build? He uses Scripture and stories from ministry to help leaders follow Jesus in the everyday moments that shape their character, such as how they respond to criticism, use their influence, and care for people when the pressure is on.
The book is intended for a wide audience. “My readers are people who want their faith to shape how they lead,” Williams said. “For Lead Different, that includes business owners, executives, team managers, pastors, ministry leaders, and people stepping into leadership for the first time. They’re looking for practical, biblical guidance on how to make decisions under pressure, care for the people they lead, and stay grounded as their responsibilities grow.” The book is also designed for teams that want to read and discuss it together.
Williams is the lead pastor of South Shore Community Church in Sarasota, Florida, and an author. Through preaching, writing, and leadership development, he helps people put biblical principles into practice at work, at home, and in their communities. More information about his work and the book is available at biblical leadership development.
“Who you become matters more than what you build. I wrote Lead Different because following Jesus changes the way we lead, especially in the moments nobody puts on a résumé: how we respond to criticism, how we treat people under pressure, and whether we’re willing to serve when someone else gets the credit.”
. Dr. Nic Williams, Lead Pastor of South Shore Community Church and author of Lead Different
Williams brings more than 20 years of ministry experience to the conversation about leadership. As a lead pastor, he has had to put the biblical principles he teaches into practice while leading a staff, navigating change, and making hard decisions that affect real people. That experience shapes how he writes.
Lead Different: Who You Become Matters More Than What You Build is available now.