Our favorite quote this week is from Lou Holtz, one of the truly great football coaches and a true leader.

“You’ve got to make a sincere attempt to have the right goals to begin with, then go after them with appropriate effort, and remember that you can’t really achieve anything great without the help of others.”

Lou has it all right. Look at how his statement maps back to our principles of leadership. Do the right thing, (Lead with Purpose), give it your best effort (Lead by example, and pursue the goal with tenacity), and show people that you care (empathy…influencing people by shared purpose and shared values).

Leadership is influence, and it’s impossible for a leader to influence his followership if they do not believe in the leader’s sincerity of purpose, character, and relationship with the team. Lead this week with a double dose of empathy, and see how your team reacts.