9 Leadership Quotes About USC QB Matt Barkley: A Loyal Leader During Difficult Times

Are you loyal?  When things get tough at your organization, do you look for other options or do you look for solutions to the current issues?

If anyone would have been justified in leaving a bad situation, it would have been USC sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley.  Barkley was the nation’s #1 high school quarterback in 2009 and started last year as a freshman.  This past summer, USC was placed on probation.  While many players left the program, Barkley stayed.

ESPN’s College Gameday profiled Barkley and uncovered insights that are applicable to all leaders in difficult situations.  All comments are from Barkley unless otherwise noted.

1. “The shine becomes the shadow.  The Trojans are short on horses these days.” – Chris Fowler.  All involved in the Trojan program understand difficult days are ahead because of a lack of depth.  Leaders, does your staff or organization have great depth? 
2. “If our guys just do their job, we’ll be fine. You can only play with 11 at a time.” – USC head coach Lane Kiffin
3. “We’re still Trojan football and it’s not the decline of Troy football.”  Leaders understand the importance of their identity and perform to that level.
4. “Him (Kiffin) being the coach before and this being the place he wants to be is a perfect fit.” – For leaders to be effective in authority, they must first learn to be under authority.
5. “This is a school where I dreamt of going since I was a little kid.” – Leaders are committed to and passionate about their vision.
6. “That would have said a lot about my character if I would have left.” – Leaders know that character is revealed during difficult times and sustains you during times of success.
7. “Thing aren’t perfect but standing here before the team is really important.” – Leaders bring a sense of security and confidence to teams during challenging times.
8. “Coming here I knew this school was one of the best pathways to the NFL.” – Leaders have a clear strategy and make on-going decisions in light of that strategic plan.
9. “To win as many games as I can is setting up a resume for the NFL.” – Leaders know how other leaders think.  Leaders also know that someone is always watching you.

All great teams have leaders like Barkley with high character and who think in this manner.  Here’s the big question – if things became extremely difficult in your organization, do you have team members you can count on and will stand beside you?

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