Go-To Plays to be a Successful Leader

SAN DIEGO—During the opening session at Monday’s MBA CREF/Multifamily Housing Convention and Expo 2019, Peyton Manning, two-time Super Bowl-Winning Quarterback and five-time NFL MVP, talked about the real world leadership advice he picked up on the football field as a two-time Super Bowl Champion and how MBA attendees could translate it to their own business.

According to Manning, the world and technology is changing minute by minute and the bar for success continues to be pushed higher and higher. “When playing a team sport, you realize the power of ‘you’ is the power of ‘all of you.’ Everyone contributes, and you need to surround yourself with the right people,” he said.

But is it only the fierce competitors who focus on the win who will come out on top, he said. “You must develop a winning mindset,” he said, adding that you have to work the plan and execute the plan. “The job starts with knowing better but it has to end with doing better. Leaders have to distinguish between all the noise and act accordingly.”

To score big you have to face new opportunities, new perspectives, and new places, he added, noting that one of the keys to success is to be fast, flexible and be fluid. “Success today requires learning how to handle volatility,” he explained.

He explained that as a quarterback, he also learned what everyone else on the field was doing as well, noting that in his first year in the NFL, he only won three games but what he learned was key. “I reviewed my performance and broke it down. I learned how to have aggressive discipline that you only learn when you are in that behind spot. “When you are there, you have to play smart and not scared. And the way you do that is through relentless preparation.”

Preparation, he said, is one way he felt he had an edge on the competition. “I couldn’t out throw any one or out run any one, but I could out-prepare anyone,” he said. “I was always looking for the little things that might make a difference.”

He encouraged the audience to ask themselves what they are willing to do to become more successful and become a better company. “If you are humble enough to admit that you don’t have all the answers, and you would be willing to change directions, you will be successful,” he said.

And when he was playing football and his team was down in the fourth quarter, working against the clock, he was always motivated to turn that game around at the crucial point. “Don’t ever let up until that final play is over,” he said.

Disruption is also part of growth, Manning explained. “At a minimum, today’s leaders are embracing disruption, and are, often times, leading it. No organization is exempt from the hyper-fast changes around us. I don’t know what the next game changer is in your business, but one way or another, disruption changes the way people think and causes industries to change the way they do things.”

Another key to being a successful leader, according to Manning, is to be resilient and learn to pilot. “Quarterbacks are frustrated an awful lot, especially after a bad play or interception, but you have to get back to level zero and erase it from your mind,” he said. “You cannot let setbacks paralyze you. Get beyond that excruciating mindset and come back with a vengeance.”

He also noted that you can’t allow competitor moves to block your success. “To lead, you have to be prepared to pilot and change strategy without changing your vision. The goal line is still the goal line. When you are competitive, it feeds your desires and directs your actions. You will encounter those setbacks, and pretend that obstacles don’t exist or you can overcome them. Have the guts to face them and dig deep enough to get the best out of yourself.”

Check back with GlobeSt.com for more coverage from MBA’s CREF/Multifamily Housing Convention and Expo 2019.