“To lead, you have to have a the trust of the players, and to do that you have to find a way to connect with them, to find common ground with every individual,” Messier says. “It’s a people issue, not a sports issue. The way to find that common thread is compassion. The odd threat doesn’t hurt” — Messier throws his head back and laughs a basso laugh — “but with compassion the appeal to the player is much deeper than the old hard-ass line that you’re going to get reprimanded if you don’t play well… We try to build a team, to bond, through the course of a year. And you can do that if you appeal in a compassionate way.”

—Mark Messier, former captain of the New York Rangers
who was well known for his rugged style of play,
on leadership in Sports Illustrated, 2/12/96