This article was taken from the 2009 November issue of Texas Coach and was written by Steve Collazo of Beaumont Kelly High School.

Everything rises and falls on leadership, whether it is a nation, a company, a basketball team, a church or a family. Leadership is influence pure and simple; nothing more, nothing less because if you are leading and no one is following, you are just going for a walk.

Here is something else to consider: You are not a leader by virtue of your position; you are a leader by virtue of your performance.

As coaches, here is the true test of leadership: Leadership is not what you do. You can have the greatest offenses and defenses in the world. However, if your team is not buying into them, executing them and believing in them, then it is useless.

Here are seven things you can do to get the people you lead to buy in to your system and accomplish things they never thought they could do.

The first one is Enlist. That means you have to recruit.

Next is Equip. You have to provide the skills, knowledge and motivation to be successful.

The third thing is

Encouragement. This may be the most important because it will enhance the other six. They have to have confidence.

The fourth quality follows closely with encouragement, and that is Environment. Someone once said leaders are not thermometers but thermostats. Well, leaders have a “greenhouse effect” on players so that they grow not only as athletes but also as people.

Fifth is Empowerment. This is where you have to “turn them loose.” You have to give them the freedom to use what you have taught them and succeed and fail on their own.

Sixth is Enthusiasm, which is to me just a fancy word for “excitement.” This is where the leader conveys passion and energy not just by his words but also by his actions and body language.

Finally, there is Execution. This is the most important part, but it is useless without the other six. The proper foundation must be in place before one can execute successfully. Execution is all about the Nike slogan “Just Do It!” This is where the talk, motivation, practice and drills end and the performance begins.

That is why leadership is everything!

Joey McQueen is the Lampasas High School athletic director and the Badgers’ head football coach.