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When Michigan State University was looking for a new head football coach, administrators asked the team captains what qualities they felt were most important in choosing a leader. The players felt the person should be:

1. A team builder
2. A coach who commanded their respect
3. Someone with persona

I thought that third component was particularly insightful. What is persona?

To me, it is when an individual enters a room to speak to a group of young men and immediately has their attention. That speaker has what I call "it."

"It" is intangible and not easily defined--you just know when someone possesses it. Donald Trump has "it," and Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has "it."

A recent story I heard from the Steeler football offices concerned a running back who went to Coach Tomlin to discuss what he viewed as a diminished role in the offense. Tomlin told the player that when he came to work each day, he passed five Super Bowl trophies, not five rushing title trophies.

The message was a powerful one, but it didn't end there. At end of that day's practice, Tomlin named the running back a team captain for its upcoming game, which demonstrated that despite the lesson, Tomlin still cared for him. At the end of that season, the Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl trophy.

Part of the persona of being an athletic administrator should be the ability to project success. In Competitive Leadership: Twelve Principles for Success, former Baltimore Ravens Head Coach Brian Billick, wrote that leaders should speak with the expectation of success: "You don't just sound the way you feel, you also think the way you sound."

I try to lift everyone involved with our athletic programs by acknowledging effort--win or lose. This means praising parents who sponsor a stellar senior recognition night and commending our maintenance department for helping us conduct events without any glitches.

Effective leaders also have the ability to "get over yourself." That means being the first to reach out to someone. It also means knowing your clientele.

I never say, "I am not good with names" as an excuse for not acknowledging someone. I might have to ask someone near me for the name of an approaching player or parent, but I am always the first to say hello.

I also try to praise people when others are around to hear. Saying something like, "If it were not for his block on the screen, we would not have won that game," creates positive attention and makes the player feel important.

As part of their leadership roles, athletic administrators know how to build teams. That means working to have all the boosters share the concession areas and not allowing them to play the blame game when an area is not cleaned up.

The art of brokering cooperation between people is something that cannot be overlooked in building and maintaining partnerships. Good leaders are those who get everyone to row in the same direction.

Projecting a positive attitude makes others want to follow your lead. I call it the magnet approach. One of my favorite sayings is, "Your attitude determines your altitude."

I do five positive things before 9 a.m. each day. They can range from a congratulatory phone call or message, a written note of appreciation, an e-mail to the faculty announcing a big victory, or a walk down the hall to compliment someone who had an excellent game the day before.

Leadership can be as simple as winning over one person at a time and as complicated as working behind the scenes to prevent the termination of a coach. No matter what the situation, being a good leader requires commitment and demands a dedicated effort to reach higher than anyone else around you. It embodies the motto, "If it is to be, it is up to me."

Dan Cardone is Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a frequent contributor to Athletic Management.