Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was just selected to be the Oregon Ducks quarterback for the upcoming season. What made this story so unique is Adams earned the position after only being with the team for two weeks.
USA Today writer George Schroeder chronicled the story in a recent article you can read by clicking here. How Adams did it provides a template for all leaders you would want leading your team.
The following are 12 Practices Of Leaders You Want Leading Your Team:
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Are Willing To Pay A Higher Price – Adams arrived at practice everyday at 6:15 AM and stayed late to fast track his integration onto the team.
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Are Willing To Find A Mentor – Humbleness is a quality of successful leaders. You must be willing to ask for help. Adams worked each morning with offensive coordinator Scott Frost.
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Have A Proven Track Record Of Success – Adams spent the previous three years leading Eastern Washington University. While there he defeated the PAC 12 team Oregon State Beavers in 2013 and had great success against the Washington Huskies in 2014.
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Have Overcome Adversity – Adams had to retake a math class before his transfer could be finalized.
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Can Deal With High Expectations – The learning curve is steep. The expectations for the 2015 Oregon Ducks is a national championship.
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Still Need A Quality Team Around Them To Be Successful – Adams is not alone in his integration into the Ducks’s offense. Center Matt Hegarty just transferred in from Notre Dame. They have to rely on each other.
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Are Quick Learners – Coach Frost says, “I’ve been extremely impressed in their desire to learn and their ability to pick it (the offense) up quickly.” He goes on, “I’ve been blown away by how fast he can memorize this stuff and understand it.”
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Know Their Limitations – A leader cannot be someone else. They can only be themselves. Frost continues, “They’re coming into a tough situation, following a guy (Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota) that was the best player in college football. If you make a bad throw or have a mediocre game, people aren’t used to seeing that from the kid that played last year. But you’ve got to block all that out and be the best player you can be.”
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Have Passion – Oregon receivers coach Matt Lubick says, “I think he sleeps with his playbook.” Teammate Jeff Lockie adds, “He’s proved he loves this game and he loves learning, and he’s willing to put in the work to learn.
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Leave A Lasting Impression On Others – While at Eastern Washington, Adams caught the attention of Oregon’s head coach Mark Helfrich. He said, “All of us were going, ‘Man, this kid is pretty good.’”
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Bring Security And Comfort To Their Teammates – Lockie says, “I always knew he was a guy who could come in and definitely play…That’s reassuring for everyone in the quarterback room.”
- Leaders You Want Leading Your Team Are Charismatic – Coach Helfrich says, “He’s got a natural presence about him, whether it’s his own charisma or his experience or that little ‘X-factor. You can tell he’s played and been successful.”
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