A Simple Leadership Mantra (I Stole from Tom Cruise)

Originals: Essay

I’m bestselling indie writer Teague de La Plaine. This is my weekly newsletter, where I talk about writing and self-publishing in addition to my own life. I keep the newsletter free, because I prefer you spend your money on my books.

I don’t usually look to Hollywood for leadership advice.

But every now and then, something cuts through the noise.

Tom Cruise recently accepted an honorary Oscar. First one, somehow. In the speech, he didn’t talk much about himself. He didn’t pontificate. He didn’t turn it into a victory lap.

He just…thanked people.

Over and over. By name. Crews. Collaborators. People who never get a statue.

And it landed.

Not because it was clever. Because it was human.

Watching it, I realized there’s a leadership lesson here so simple it almost feels insulting to write down. But simple doesn’t mean easy—and most leaders don’t do it.

Here it is:

Thank your team every morning.
Expect excellence from them and give them courage to match it.
And know their names.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing. Let me unpack why this matters.

Thank Your Team Every Morning

Not in a Slack blast.

Not once a year at an awards banquet.

Not when morale is already in the toilet.

Daily.

Gratitude isn’t a performance. It’s a practice.

Most people don’t need pizza parties or inspirational posters. They need to know their effort is seen. And not abstractly—specifically.

“Hey. I saw what you did yesterday. Thank you.”

That sentence does more for morale than most leadership seminars.

And no—you don’t cheapen gratitude by using it often. You cheapen it by only using it strategically.

Expect Excellence—and Give Them Courage to Match It

This is where leaders get uncomfortable.

Expecting excellence sounds demanding. But not expecting it is worse. People rise—or shrink—to what you signal you believe they’re capable of.

The catch is this: You can’t demand excellence and then punish people for trying.

Courage is the missing ingredient.

If you want high standards, you have to create psychological cover for effort, learning, and failure. Otherwise, you don’t get excellence—you get compliance.

Great leaders don’t just set the bar. They stand next to their people while they reach for it.

Photo by Tobias Mrzyk on Unsplash

Know Their Names

This sounds trivial. It isn’t.

Knowing someone’s name—and using it—is a declaration: You are not interchangeable.

In every organization, there are people doing essential work who feel invisible. Leaders who can quote metrics but can’t remember names are telling on themselves.

Cruise knew the names.

Not because he’s nice. Because he understands something fundamental: People will run through walls for leaders who see them as people.

Why This Matters

We’re drowning in leadership frameworks, acronyms, and LinkedIn-grade inspiration.

Meanwhile, the basics are neglected.

You don’t need a new model.
You don’t need a reorg.
You don’t need a consultant.

You need presence. Consistency. And respect, expressed daily.

So here’s the test:

Tomorrow morning, thank someone by name. Tell them you expect great things—and that you’ve got their back. Mean it.

Do that long enough, and you won’t have to talk much about leadership.

Your team will do it for you.

If you’ve read all my books and shared them with all your friends, you can still upgrade to a paid subscription if you’d like to support me even more.