Brenda’s Blog

**You Can’t Make Them Drink… But Can You Make Them Thirsty?**

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.”

Leaders know this well—you can set strategy, provide resources, and outline expectations, but you cannot force engagement.

But as Zig Ziglar put it, “You *can* make them thirsty.”

At the C-Suite level, this is everything. Simply announcing a bold strategy doesn’t create commitment. True leadership is about making people *want* to move toward a goal.

How do you create that thirst?

Tap into personal motivators. Show leaders how the strategy fuels *their* success.

Create ownership, not just buy-in. Involve leaders early so they *own* the outcome.

Show early wins. People get excited when they can *see* momentum.

Great leaders don’t push alignment—they inspire it. When people are thirsty for the vision, strategy turns into action.

How do you create “thirst” in your organization? I’d love to hear!