Having spent many years in the world of sports, I often find that sports ideas and business ideas are not that different. At a time when I was a coach in a girls’ lacrosse program, I was asked to help a team that had just finished a series of tough games.

Morale was low. My coaching friend and I knew we had to inject energy into it, so we came up with a cheer called the Heart and Hustle chant. It goes like this:

coaches: H-squared!

players: Heart and hustle!

And repeat until everyone is pumped up.

Simple, right? We started this little cheer and all of a sudden these young girls – about 12 years old – went on fire. The team played like I had never seen them play before. The chant stimulated them and they continued.

They won in more ways than one.

Fast forward to today, and that chant is still shared by every team that makes it through that lacrosse program – which has grown to over 400 girls playing in any given year. There’s a Heart and Hustle tournament, Heart and Hustle T-shirts, and my senior year in the program, I got a necklace from a group of players with an H², which stands for – you guessed it – Heart and Hustle. It never ceases to amaze me that a simple cheer grew out of one team and spread throughout the organization.

What does this have to do with business? Everything.

Great ideas run the world. But what makes an idea great? When I think back to that cheer, and then my current career, I think there are three key elements: authentic desire, channeled energy, and receptive people.

Related: Authentic Leadership: What Is It And Why Is It Important?

You can’t fake authenticity

There are false intentions everywhere – and believe me, they don’t stick. We can intuitively feel whether an idea comes from an authentic place.

Holding onto an idea begins with focusing not on holding it, but on fueling an intrinsic desire to be of service. I am convinced that this is why so many successful companies describe themselves as people-oriented or people-oriented and then put those words into action. A team that genuinely wants to make a positive change in the world or truly values ​​the company’s mission will inherently have more of an impact than one that is supported only by thin, half-hearted slogans.

Concentrate on your best

We all know (and love) those happy people who always seem cheerful and optimistic. Maybe you are one of them. But while that kind of positivity can be very helpful in creating a welcoming work environment, it won’t make or break a company.

You create strength and movement when you channel your positive energy into the most beautiful projects with the highest priority. If you spread your motivation across too many projects, each one lacks the momentum it needs to make real impact. This responsibility often rests with management. Your team may have 10 great projects they want to think about, but if you realistically only have time for three projects, you’re doing all 10 projects a disservice by not channeling your energy. Choose your best projects and put everything into them.

Related: How to Hire a Team That Shapes Your Company Culture

Build the best team

It’s often hard to know when a team member just isn’t the right fit. Sometimes it’s a question of skills, but often it’s something beyond a list on a resume.

A team member with average skills who shares your vision will work much more effectively than someone who has exemplary skills but doesn’t care. When you’re building your team, look for prospects who lean toward you when you discuss your company’s mission. These employees pick themselves up after a failed campaign, get back to work and try even harder next time to achieve the common goals. These types of people are often the ones who come up with the ideas that stick.

Related: How to Create the Perfect Recipe for Compelling Storytelling in Your Presentations

There is no recipe

Part of what makes ideas stick is having the perfect mix of circumstances that allow all three of these components to come together – along with other much fuzzier elements like timing, community attitudes and trends – which is part of the reason is why not all ideas stick. . Even good ideas. So what can you do to make sure you get ideas that stick? Focus on the elements you can control and bring them together as often as possible.

There is no perfect step-by-step plan and certainly no manual. But by getting the best people together to share their authentic desires for a shared purpose, with focused focus, your team and your company are in the best possible position to fuel those world-changing ideas. As a leader, that is the most important part of my job: creating the best possible atmosphere and stimulating creativity, spark and a free flow of ideas. That’s heart and hustle to me.