Leadership Lessons from Draymond Green and Peyton Manning

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Bennie Fowler, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

The following is adapted from Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the greatest athletes in the world. One quality that the best have in common is that they lead, on and off the field or the court. Two in particular who have had a huge influence on the way I conduct myself are Draymond Green and Peyton Manning.

Draymond and Peyton have their own styles of leadership, but they both find a way to set an example for others to follow. They’re not perfect—none of us are—but they’re always finding a way to contribute to their teams.

At some point in life, we will all be called on to lead. Some leaders are the voices of their organizations. Others quietly do the right thing. I’m not vocal, but I’ve always tried to lead by example. To lead by exhibiting the core values of my team. Training right. Eating right. Behaving respectfully. Caring about my teammates and looking for ways to help them both on and off the field.

We can all learn from the examples Draymond and Peyton set. These lessons are applicable in any field. Leaders make the people around them better. That’s a principle we can all follow. If you want to succeed, lead. Here are a few lessons in leadership from two of the best in the business.

Draymond Green’s Emotional Leadership

Steph Curry was taking questions from the media during a Golden State Warriors’ training camp. It was day four of the camp, and you could hear the fatigue in Curry’s voice. He was tired. And he was talking about leadership.

“He’s like the Energizer Bunny out there, even in practice,” Curry said. “He doesn’t let the intensity and vibe of practice drop. Like today. Day four of training camp, and you’re tempted to back off a little, to let your body recover a little, and you might be a little sluggish. It’s when you feel that way that you feed off the energy of the guys in practice.”

Who was he talking about? Draymond Green, of course. Anyone who’s ever played with Draymond, including me, knows what Steph is talking about.

About a year after Steph’s interview, the Warriors were in the Western Conference finals.

Who did Draymond single out for praise in an interview? One of the team’s superstars? Nope. He talked up the Warriors video coordinator, James Laughlin. Laughlin approached Draymond before the series opener and said Draymond needed to boost the confidence of the Warriors’ bench players. The team would need those backups against the surging Portland Trail Blazers. Draymond said he took that advice to heart and paid particular attention to the Warriors’ bench as a result.

The Warriors swept that series, winning in four games.

Draymond is what his coach, Steve Kerr, calls the team’s “emotional leader.” That’s not because Draymond scores twenty-five a game and flushes theatrical dunks. It’s because he’s constantly looking for what the team needs and delivering it. He’s always the one putting in the effort, urging his teammates forward, and recognizing the efforts of others.

Draymond isn’t the best player skill-wise on the Warriors, but they wouldn’t win without his leadership. Anyone on the court with Draymond—whether it’s Kevin Durant or a rookie from Fordham—knows Draymond is in charge and that Draymond will hold them accountable for doing their job. He’s been that way since we played together on the same team back in our youth.

Peyton Manning Leads through Example

In his final NFL season, a neck injury prevented Peyton from throwing as powerfully as he used to. For once, he wasn’t statistically one of the best quarterbacks in the league. But he never stopped guiding and leading that team. How do I know? I was on the Denver Broncos roster that year. I caught Peyton’s final NFL pass, giving the Broncos a 24-10 lead and making the championship all-but-safe.

Peyton’s leadership style was fearless. He might have been wrong at times, but that didn’t make him tentative. When he made mistakes, he used them to learn and get stronger. Peyton led by example and with his words. The way Peyton went about his business made you want to follow his example.

He would tell people, “I need more energy out here. This practice has got to get better!” You think guys rolled their eyes and faked it when Peyton said these things? No sir. You double down when your leader says things like that. Otherwise, you might find yourself jogging back to the huddle after a sloppy play and have him look you in the eye and say, “What type of shit was that?” Something you never want to hear.

His authority came from years of showing up and delivering, week after week, play after play. His leadership style was very different from Draymond’s, but it sure was effective.

How Will You Lead?

Professional athletes learn about leadership early. When I was a senior at Michigan State, I was expected to lead by example in everything I did—in practice, with the media, in the locker room.

This encouraged many of us to become more vocal but also to more fully live the team’s values and demand the same of the other players. Seniors have a responsibility to lead and bring their teammates together, creating the bonds and relationships that all great teams have. When I think back on that time, it’s no surprise to me that we went 13–1 my senior year. I learned then that we all are public speakers. What you say or do can affect the next decision a person makes or the next move a person makes.

You may not be an athlete, but that doesn’t mean you can escape the responsibility of leadership. You still need to lead in your own life. You still need to lead your own team, your own family.

At some point in your life, you will be called on to lead. It may not come in the form of standing before a group of young people hanging on your every word. Rather, it could be your young son or daughter coming home from school after failing a test.

What will you do when that time comes? How will you lead? What example will you set for the people in your life, with your words and your behavior?

For more advice on leadership, you can find Silver Spoon: The Imperfect Guide to Success on Amazon.

Bennie Fowler is a six-year veteran of the NFL. He began his career as an undrafted free agent signed by the Broncos in 2014. He spent four years with the Broncos and was a member of the Super Bowl 50 championship team in 2016. Bennie played college football at Michigan State University, where he was a member of the 2014 Rose Bowl championship team. Bennie holds the annual Bennie Fowler youth football camp in Detroit, Michigan, is an in-demand speaker trained through the NFL Speakers Bureau, and lives in Denver during the offseason.