After his incredible performance against the Baylor Bears, West Virginia Mountaineer QB Geno Smith is the early leader in the Heisman Trophy race. Many people were previously unfamiliar with Smith. To them he is somewhat of an overnight success. But this is far from the truth as Smith has been very good for a long time.
As a senior at Miramar (Fl.) High School, Smith was the 6A Player Of The Year and came in 2nd in the Mr. Florida competition. After playing back-up as a freshman, Smith completed 241 of 372 passes for 2,763 yards and 24 touchdowns while throwing only 7 interceptions as a sophomore. Twice he won Big East Player of the Week honors. As a junior, he increased his numbers by completing 345 of 525 passes for 4,379 yards and 31 touchdowns.
A few thoughts about becoming an “overnight success”:
- People who experience “overnight success” have consistently delivered excellent performance for a long period of time.
- People who experience “overnight success” continually improve. Smith’s statistics have improved each year as a quarterback.
- People who experience “overnight success” do not seek the limelight. Christian leaders can relate to Joseph who was placed into prison and presumably forgotten. Many who experience overnight success were previously “hidden” from large-scale notoriety.
- People who were summoned and then experienced “overnight success” can have confidence. Joseph was summoned by the king. Being summoned presupposes that God brought the task to you (not the other way around) because He felt you were ready.
- People are always watching you and noticing your efforts whether you realize it or not. The NFL scouts and Big East fans have known about Smith’s talent for several years.
Geno Smith is teaching leaders much about the subject of sudden fame. I look forward to watching him throughout the remainder of this season and then becoming one of the top picks in next year’s NFL Draft.
Smith was also the subject of this site’s most read post during the month of September. For a complete list of the Top 10, see below:
- 11 Quotes On Faith And Leadership From West Virginia QB Geno Smith And WR Stedman Bailey
- 10 Practices Of Highly Ineffective Leaders
- The Top 10 Leadership Posts I Read The Week Of September 3rd
- 8 Reasons Why Leaders Succeed Or Fail
- The One Question Pastors Need To Be Asking
- 11 Qualities Of A Highly Indispensible Leader
- The Secret To Successfully Serving Church Leaders
- The 10 Step Downward Spiral Of Incompetent Leadership
- 10 Things That Currently Frustrate Me As A Leader
- 3 Lessons Every Pastor And Church Leader Should Know About Evangelizing Senior Adults
The following are two additional favorites that did not make the Top 10. I hope you enjoy them the 2nd time around.
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