Leaders hate being surprised. They hate being blindsided. Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, was recently reminded of this during the recruitment of Peyton Manning.
In the April 2nd edition of Sports Illustrated, the wonderful Peter King (my favorite sports writer) does an incredibly thorough job of chronicling Peyton Manning’s free agent experience. This included the detailed account of his travels and meetings with various team officials across the league.
While meeting with Washington Redskin head coach Mike Shanahan in Denver (he owns a home there), King tells of Manning receiving an unscheduled phone call from Carroll. Though Carroll’s message to Manning was that he would do whatever it took to secure his services, Manning does not like to be surprised.
Carroll was told “No thanks” and unceremoniously flew back home.
While leaders hate being surprised, leaders love familiarity. This is especially true when it comes to relationships.  With King’s assistance, let’s take a look at the teams who made Manning’s final cut:
- Denver Broncos – John Elway won two Super Bowls after the age of 36, Manning’s current age. One of Manning’s best friends, Brandon Stokely, lives in Denver. Manning is also very comfortable with head coach John Fox who did not pressure him, and owner Pat Bowlen.
- Tennessee Titans - Manning was familiar with that region of the country as he attended college at Tennessee. His wife is also from the state and they own a home in the Chattanooga area. Manning’s father Archie also played with head coach Mike Munchak.
- Arizona Cardinals – Manning plays golf with head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt also has coached Manning in the Pro Bowl.
- San Francisco 49ers – Head coach Jim Harbaugh preceded Manning as the Colts quarterback.
Notice all four point men for these teams were former players. Leaders follow other leaders who understand and have taken their journey.
Now, the teams that did not make the final piece of the selection process:
- Washington Redskins – They made a trade which will likely result in the drafting of Robert Griffin III removing them from consideration.
- Kansas City Chiefs – No relationships.
- New York Jets – No relationships and his brother Eli is also in that market.
- Miami Dolphins – Though he has a home in South Florida, he does not have strong relationships on the team.
A good friend recently sent me an email stating that 85% of job hires were the result of networking. Peyton Manning would agree.
Leaders hate surprises. Leaders love familiarity, particularly in relationships. Can you relate?
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