Peyton Manning Leadership

Peyton Manning, one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, is also one of the greatest sports role models and great example of a leader.  Peyton Manning has the respect of fans, teammates, coaches, opponents, opponent-fans, sport-fans, commentators, non-sports fans, and others.  He is not only a great quarterback, but also a great leader for his team on and off the field.  There is great trust in him among his coaches and teammates.  Below are some of the key traits that make him a great leader. 
Vision: he has great vision for what his goals for the himself and the team, and how he is going to achieve those goals
Focus: he has tremendous focus on his team, and football is his life during the time from pre-season to post-season.
Shows passion for making his team better and winning.
Communication: Peyton is in constant communication with his teammates and coaches during every play of every game as well as during practices and meetings.  He is always making sure everyone is on the same page.
High Expectations: Peyton expects his team to win and does not make excuses. Even the Denver Broncos head coach John Fox has stated that Peyton's high expectations has made him a better coach (North).  High expectations leads to higher performance.  His attitude develops a culture of accountability and attention to results.
Does not dwell on past, but learns from past: he always seems to move on quickly from his mistakes and learns from them, and he makes sure to practice whatever things that caused him to make those mistakes.
Asks for help: Peyton has had coaches and players that are younger than him with less success than him, but he takes in information and teachings from others in order to improve himself and his team
Takes responsibility: after every loss he is always first to blame himself for the loss and his performance, he never publicly attacks another teammate for their mistakes, but lets them know of their mistakes and low performance, and creates action plans for them.
Acknowledge and rewards performance: A team needs to know that their work is appreciated and valued.  Great leaders both praise and reward their team.  Peyton Manning always acknowledges his teammates and coaches for their hard work, dedication, and performance.  Peyton Manning buys expensive watches, custom suits and various other gifts for his offensive linemen to show his appreciation for their blocking abilities (Fletcher).  It does not matter how good a quarterback is, if the offensive line does not give him protection, then he is in trouble.

Peyton Manning's leadership can and should be studied on how to become a great leader.


Fletcher, Molly. "Team Leadership Tips from Peyton Manning." Exerpt from "The Business of Being the Best: Inside the World of Go-Getters and Game Changers."  Wiley, 2012.  Exerpt from Monster.com
http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/workforce-management/employee-performance-
management/team-leadership.aspx
Marot, Michael.  "Colts teammates respect Manning's leadership style." bleacher report. 2009 Dec.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/305745-colts-teammates-respect-mannings-leadership-style
Ferguson, Christine.  "Leadership and Life Lessons from Peyton Manning." 2011 Jan.

http://christinenferguson.com/leadership-and-life-lessons-from-peyton-manning/
North, TC  "Nine Great Peyton Manning Traits" Colorado Biz. 2013 Oct.

http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/nine-great-peyton-manning-traits