Lou Holtz has made a lifetime of being successful as a coach and he has always preached the philosophy these three questions being the key for him and his teams:
The answers to these questions will determine your success or failure.
1) Can people trust me to do what's right?
2) Am I committed to doing my best?
3) Do I care about other people and show it?
If the answers to these questions are yes, there is no way you can fail.