The Saint Peter's basketball team has captured the hearts of American sports fans over the last two weeks.
In case you are not a sports fan, they were ranked toward the very bottom of the 64-team field heading into the annual college basketball tournament, and are now one of the last 8 teams remaining.
With an enrollment of only about 2,000 students and no significant history of basketball success, this is truly a remarkable story.
A lot of attention has been put on their coach, Shaeen Holloway. People have been incredibly interested in him and what he has done to vault his team to an elite level with minimal resources.
The media wants to put him in the spotlight, but he continually chooses to shine light back on his players.
I have been struck by his grace, class and determination to make this about them and not about him.
If he wanted to, he could use this moment and all of this attention to make himself a star.
If he was driven by selfish reasons, he could take massive advantage of the opportunity.
An example is the press conference after their most recent stunning upset of a highly ranked team where he gave his players the chance to make the opening statement, which is customarily reserved for the head coach.
Because he makes it all about the players, their commitment and loyalty toward him is palpable.
This is the lesson for all of us in leadership roles (and we are all in leadership roles)...
Make it all about them.
Ultimately, what we want from our followers is their buy-in, engagement and commitment.
The only way to get that is to buy into them, engage with them and commit to them.
Make it all about them. It's the only way to lead.