The Equity of Leadership

When we hear the word economy, we usually think banks, business, government, and finances. As a leader there is another economy. It's the leadership economy. Similar to the banking world, you consistently make deposits and withdrawals with the people and the teams you lead. The decisions you make, the actions you take, and the words you speak can be used in a powerful way to build equity as a leader.

And if there is one word to describe how you build leadership equity it's this: TRUST.

Trust is the currency of leadership equity. If you build trust with the people you lead and the people who lead you, you'll quickly realize that you're building equity in your leadership.  And trust is a difficult currency to work with. Because it takes time and consistency to develop, but it can be destroyed in a single moment.

So how do we build trust? Here's four ways to build trust with the people you lead and with the people who lead you.

1. Honor your word. If you say you'll do something, do it. Plain and simple. 
2. Take care of business. If the people you lead can't trust you with simple tasks or a small amount of responsibility, you're not likely to be given more leadership and responsibility. Likewise, if the people you lead don't trust you to get the job done, they're likely not going to follow you for long.
3. Be present. Leadership, at the end of the day, is all about relationships. And you build trust in relationships by being present and investing in people's lives. When you show you care, people realize they can trust you.
4. Exhibit integrity. Always have integrity in your speech. Refuse to gossip. Refuse to complain Refuse to be negative. Remember this principle: If people will talk about someone else to you, they'll talk about you to someone else. And no one trusts that kind of person. 

Understand this: Building trust takes time, consistency, and hard work. But it's the most important investment you'll make as a leader. Why? Because building trust = building leadership equity.

Timber Ridge V.O.W. - August 25th

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of the week is Landon Salyer. Landon serves as our Parking Team leader and every Sunday you can find him helping guests find parking spots and welcoming them to our campus. Landon plays a big part in helping our guests feel welcomed and at home each week as they attend Timber Ridge. Thank you Landon for all that you do to serve and make a difference!

Pastor Nic & Landon

If you attend Timber Ridge and would like to get connected to serve on a ministry team, you can get more info and sign up to serve by clicking here.

The Leadership Ladder

Leading in an organization or within a group of people has its ups and downs. There are times when it is exhilarating and fun. There are times when it is difficult. And at times, leadership can be downright daunting.

But regardless of whether you are a part of a church, business, team, or other institution there are some ways you can increase your leadership skills. There are certain behaviors, attitudes, and skills you can adopt that will help you move up the leadership ladder.

If you'd like to improve your leadership, try one of these three things:

#1: Contribute more than you criticize. Move beyond being a problem spotter, to becoming a problem solver. Leadership math is very simple - it's basically this formula: Contribute > Complain. In the end, leaders are people who contribute more than they criticize.

#2: Increase your commitment and decrease your agenda. Leaders of an organization are people who are more concerned with the mission and vision of the organization than they are with their own personal agenda. If you want to lead, it means more commitment, more time, and more sacrifice for the mission...and more death to your own agenda.

#3: Realize relational equity trumps positional equity. It's been said that people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. That statement has never been more true than when it comes to leadership in our current culture. A position doesn't necessarily make people follow you anymore. And titles certainly won't magically make you a person worth following. People who are willing to invest in others and add value to a team build relational equity that allow them to lead in ways that no title or position ever could.

Regardless of where you find yourself today within your organization, you can move up the leadership ladder. You can make a difference. You can be a person worth following.

Timber Ridge V.O.W. - August 18th

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week is Terrye Nickels. Terrye has served on our Guest Services team since the beginning of our church. Each week she serves as a greeter warmly welcoming people and helping them to feel comfortable and at home in our worship services. Thank you Terrye for all you do to consistently serve and help people connect with Jesus!

Terrye & Pastor Nic

If you attend Timber Ridge regularly and are interested in serving on a Ministry Team, click here for more details.

Timber Ridge V.O.W.

This week's Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week (VOW) is Emily Miller. Emily is one of the student in our Student Ministry who consistently and faithfully uses her time, talent, and energy to make a difference here at Timber Ridge Church. Emily can be found each week loving on kids and helping to make our Timber Ridge Kids ministry an exciting and fun place for kids to learn about Jesus. She's also one of the first people to tackle an extra task, whether it's filling water balloons for a youth event or cleaning the bathrooms for Sunday services.  Emily, YOU ROCK!!! Thanks for all you do to help people connect with Jesus at Timber Ridge!

Pastor Nic & Emily

(If you attend Timber Ridge and are interested in serving on a ministry team, you can get more info here.)

Timber Ridge V.O.W. - July 28th

Congrats to Christy Jenkins as our Timber Ridge Volunteer of the Week for the week of July 28th! Christy serves double duty most Sunday's working in our Guest Services team in the cafe and also serving with our Timber Ridge Kids team as a nursery worker. Thank you Christy for keeping the coffee hot & the kids loved!  We appreciate all you do...YOU ROCK!

Pastor Nic & Christy 

If you would like more info about serving on a ministry team at Timber Ridge, click here.