Taking hard hits and earning respect: Peyton and Archie Manning share leadership lessons

Four years after the end of his storied professional football career, Peyton Manning misses the plane rides with the teams—especially after a win.

“When the flight attendant tells you the plane can’t take off until you’re seated with all cell phones off, it’s not true,” he said. “We were jumping around and FaceTiming relatives and the plane took off just fine.”

Of course they aren’t all wins, and sometimes defeat on the field was the least of his worries. When four surgeries for nerve damage in his neck threatened to prematurely end his career, Manning said he learned the value of adapting, throwing shorter passes and even using his other arm.

“It’s always important to gain a fresh perspective and constantly learn new skills,” he said. “And when you’re going through tough times, don’t go it alone. It’s a test. Keep a good attitude. That helped me get through these injuries, and that’s when you find out what your team is made of.”

Joined on stage by his father Archie, Peyton recalled his formative years and the values that helped him and his siblings succeed. When Peyton attempted to credit his father, the elder Manning wisely deferred to the influence of his wife Olivia.

“My parents helped me to identify and maintain my priorities, and taught us how to make our own decisions,” Peyton said. “Dad said it should always be fun, but in order to be great you have to work at it.”

Some things simply take time, he added, and plenty of patience.

“I call it silent leadership,” Peyton said. “Listening is important. Words have power but so does silence.”

When young Peyton found himself unexpectedly in the huddle as a third-string quarterback in a crucial college game, he leaned on his father’s advice to “be the leader.” His valiant attempt to deliver a pep talk crumbled when a 6’5” 330-pound linebacker said, “Shut the blank up and call the blanking play.”

“I hadn’t earned their respect yet, and it didn’t come until toward the end of the season,” Peyton remembered. “By that time he would have run through a brick wall for me. Leadership is not handed to you with a title. Earn respect before you become that vocal leader.”

His rookie year in the NFL was rough, and the team achieved only three wins and 13 losses. But, having built up his leadership over that time, his earned respect led the team to the exact opposite record the following year.

“Don’t have lunch with the same people every day. The more you know about them, the more you know about their drive and what makes them tick, the better leader you can be,” he said, before quoting legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll: “Pressure is something you feel only when you don’t know what you are doing.”

Preparation is essential, but there will always be a lot of disruption, he added. “But when you get to the playoffs it still comes down to who can run defense and who can run the ball.”

Peyton and his brother and fellow Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning would regularly meet with a coach and mentor between seasons. Learning flexibility and new skills was only a small part of it, and the coach regularly ordered the superstars to drill the fundamentals.

“Why would a 15-year NFL veteran want to work on taking a snap? It’s the little things, and when you lose sight of them, that’s when your team usually starts to slide,” Peyton said. “Be flexible and adaptive while sticking to core fundamentals you believe in.”

Both Mannings agreed it’s richly rewarding to pass on their expertise to the next generation, but a seasoned pro always has more to learn.

“By all means be a mentor and pay it forward,” Peyton encouraged, “but I also believe we should never stop being mentored. A coach can get you to the next level or back on track.”

The qualities of humility and camaraderie are not just a matter of warm, fuzzy feelings. They translate into results.

“We looked for players who were maybe a little slower in the 40-yard dash, but we hired them for high character,” Manning said. “It’s not always about who’s the most talented, but about how they fit in the locker room – or conference room.”

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