“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately, so is losing.” – Vince Lombardi

Leader is a title that anyone can claim. With a bit of bravado, anyone can call themselves a leader. But does that make them one? I think we can all agree that true leadership requires demonstrating behaviors and traits that inspire and motivate others.  But sadly, it’s rare for someone to openly admit they’re not a good leader, and the irony is, these are often the best ones.

But here’s the thing: if you are an effective leader, meaning you are inspiring and motivating others, you are also delivering results. You are winning – maybe not every time, but most of the time. Just talking about it and not showing any results is just empty words. Don’t tell me your people love you and follow you anywhere. That’s not the question. The real question is, why? Why are they following you? Is it because you’re throwing money at them – paying more than they’re worth and giving them an easy ride? Is it because they’re not being held accountable and know they won’t last anywhere else? Or is it because they know they’re part of a winning team?