Hi Everyone,

Happy Friday! Thanks for spending part of it reading The Lake Street Journal.

This week we’re talking about Tom Brady, the power of explaining why, and must-read biographies. Let's get into it.

A Moment Like That

So much of great leadership comes down to four words: be a good person.

Simply doing right by your people makes everything easier. Simply treating people how you would want to be treated.

Tom Brady was great at this.

As Ian O'Connor wrote in his biography of Belichick, "Scott Farley, an undrafted free agent [and practice squad safety] from Division III Williams, assumed that the super star quarterback had no idea who he was, and had no good reason to care.

One day, Farley was walking near the cafeteria when Brady passed him, said hello, and addressed him by name. Farley was startled and suddenly inspired.

'A moment like that can go a long way for a guy like me,' Farley said. 'I'm a nobody, and I felt wanted, respected, and that I meant as much as anyone else there.'

When a team's most important player is invested in the entire roster...good things happen."

Je'Rod Cherry, a Patriots safety, said Belichick was the same way.

"Bill made everyone, whether you played five plays or a hundred plays, feel like their contribution mattered," Cherry said. "He gets everyone to understand that if you're a practice squad guy or the starting quarterback, your input contributes to the winning. And when you feel empowered like that, you want to give your all."

Last week we talked about taking care of your people. We talked about Navy SEALs begging to stay with their teams, even after being shot, because they knew their teams and their leaders cared for them deeply.

I conceded that SEALs are an extreme example, but this story of Belichick and Brady proves it works in lower stakes situations too.

Calling someone by name or telling them their contribution is important. How easy is that? Easy, yet effective.

It's effective for building a great team or leading a successful project, sure. But I'd argue the real reason to do it is because it's the right thing to do. Like I said before, a lot of being a good leader is simply being a good person.

Seems like a great place to start.

"Because I Said So" Is Not Leadership

Great leaders explain why they're asking you to do something, and they encourage you do to it by aligning incentives properly.

Bad leaders use their authority to demand you do something.

Doesn't take a Harvard MBA to figure out which method works better.

This video is only eight minutes, but it's packed with a bunch of nuggets to improve your leadership.

12 Must Read Biographies

This was a fun video with way more than 12 suggestions of biographies. I haven't read them all, but I've read at least five on the list, and they were all great, so I imagine the rest are pretty good too.

Regardless of your opinion on the person who made this video, the content is awesome. Give it a chance.

And let me know if you've read any of these. Which would you recommend?

Workout of the Week

CrossFit workouts are the opposite of Sour Patch Kids. They start sweet and finish sour.

"Screaming Shoulders"

5 rounds for time:

• 20 push presses (75 lb barbell)

• 20 alternating front rack lunges (with the same barbell)

Holding the front rack after all those push presses is a special type of torture. I did this one in 9:53. Good luck!

Quote of the Week

"The gang polices itself." - Jocko Willink

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Talk soon,

Joe