How Do You Select A Great Leader? Here Are 39 Tips.

Each year 32 different organizations, each worth over a billion dollars, spend tens of millions of dollars, dedicate dozens of staff, and combine thousands of hours of strategic thinking to finding the perfect leader to add to their team.

These 32 billion-dollar organizations make up the National Football League and here is what these teams know – Great leaders do not grow on trees.  You cannot just walk out into the yard and pick one.  They are in short supply.  You have some good hires and some bad hires.  So how do you find them?  First, you must know what you are looking for.

The following are 39 Lessons from the April 28th ESPN coverage of first round of the NFL Draft:

1. Leaders Are In Short Supply And Desperately Needed – “Quarterbacks are over-drafted.” – Mel Kiper
2. The Difference Between Successful And Unsuccessful Leaders Is Poise And Performance Under Pressure – “You will not find a man who plays with more poise under pressure than (Deshaun) Watson.” – Jon Gruden
3. Missing Out On Great Leaders Causes Your Organization Great Harm – “The Cleveland Browns are where they are (worst record in the NFL) because of not taking Carson Wentz last year.” – Kiper
4. Great Leaders Have Great Consistency – “It’s always about consistency.  Consistency of effort.  Consistency of preparation.  Consistency of love for the game.” – Louis Riddick
5. Smart Organizations Pay Whatever Price Is Needed To Get A Great Leader – The Chicago Bears traded their 2017 1st, 3rd and 4th round picks as well as their 2018 3rd pick to move up one spot to draft QB Mitchell Trubisky.
6. Organizations Are Looking For Leaders Who Can Provide Immediate Solutions – “This is a guy (San Francisco 49ers Solomon Thomas pick #3) who can play multiple positions…They needs guys in the front seven who can stop the bleeding.” – Riddick
7. Great Leaders Are The Difference Between Winning And Losing – In the Jacksonville Jaguars first eight years when Tom Coughlin was the team’s coach, they had a .531 winning percentage.  In the last 14 years, the team has had a .388 winning percentage.  During this same time, Coughlin won two Super Bowls as head coach of the New York Giants.
8. Leaders Need A Great Team Around Them To Be Successful – “They (Jaguars) need to address the offensive line because he’s (#4 pick Leonard Fournette) not a guy who cannot prevent negative runs on his own.” – Riddick
9. Great Leaders Have Great Concentration – “He (Tennessee Titans #5 pick Corey Davis) does have some lapses in concentration…He’s got to be more consistent.” – Gruden
10. Great Leaders Bring Your People Great Calm – “You better get somebody at the Command And Control Center who can calm things down.  He can calm things down.” – Riddick on the New York Jets #6 pick Jamal Adams
11. Great Leaders Care About Their Profession – “He (Adams) cares.  He cares deeply about the game of football.” – Riddck
12. Smart Leaders Desire Dominance Over Balance – Does the Los Angeles Chargers select stud defensive lineman Jonathan Allen to go along with Joey Bosa and create a dominant front four?  Or do they get quarterback Phillip Rivers some help and select wide receiver Mike Williams?  They selected Williams potentially foregoing a dominant front seven.
13. Leaders Value Team Members With Versatility – Christian McCaffrey only took snaps as a wide receiver on his pro day.  Scouts knew his running back skills.  He wanted to show his versatility.  The Carolina Panthers took him with the 8th pick.
14. A Leader’s Most Important Ability Is Availability – “The only issue with this kid is durability.” – Kiper on the Cincinnati Bengals pick at #9, Washington WR John Ross
15. Once Again, Pay Any Price Necessary To Get A Great Leader – The Kansas City Chiefs gave up their first round pick #27, 2017 3rd pick #91, and 2018 first round pick to move up 17 spots to draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech.
16. Great Leaders Do Not Come Around Often – Quoting Cheifs head coach Andy Reid, Riddick said about quarterbacks, “You find one you take one.”
17. Smart Leaders Never Confuse Exposure With Experience – “He’s got a long way to go because of inexperience.” – Gruden on the New Orleans Saints pick of Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
18. For The Third Time, Pay Any Price Necessary To Get A Great Leader – There is a supply and demand element to the NFL Draft.  There are only some many top prospects at quarterback in the draft and a lot of demand.  The Houston Texans gave up their first round pick #25 and 2018 first round pick to move up 13 spots to draft Deshaun Watson from Clemson.  Riddick said, “You’re not moving up to draft this kid and put him on the bench.”
19. Great Leaders Have Great Decision-Making Skills – Kiper said of Watson, “He’s got to be more accurate in the pocket.  He’s got to be more precise…He struggled with bad decisions and bad interceptions which should not have been thrown.”
20. Count What Counts.  Production Matters. – The Arizona Cardinals drafted Haason Reddick, outside linebacker from Temple, with the 13th pick.  During his senior season, Reddick had 22.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.
21. You Never Have To Recover From a Good Start – Kiper said of the Philadelphia Eagles 1st round pick #14 overall, “He (Derek Barnett) can close despite having only 4.88 speed at the combine.”  Gruden added, “The strength of his game is his quick get-off.”
22. Successful Leaders Must Overcome Great Adversity – The Indianapolis Colts’s 1st round pick #15 overall, Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, dedicated his 2016 season to two cousins who passed away – Victor Ward who was shot and killed, and Delonte Search who passed away in a car accident.
23. Great Leaders Make The Dreams Of Others Come True – Nice moment with the 16th pick.  The Make A Wish Foundation partnered with the NFL to allow TJ Onwuanibe, a teenage cancer survivor, to make the announcement of the Baltimore Ravens selection Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey.
24. Smart Leaders Don’t Overthink Things – Jonathan Allen, who Kiper had rated the 2nd best player in the draft, fell inexplicably to the Washington Redskins with 17th pick.  Riddick noted, “The Redskins have to be giddy he fell to them…It’s A+.  It’s a slam dunk pick for them.”  Gruden added, “I’m shocked he’s there at 17.”
25. Successful Leaders Recover Quickly From Mistakes They Have Made – Adoree Jackson, the Tennessee Titans’s 18th pick, showed great recovery speed as a cornerback at USC.
26. Great Leaders Develop Talent – The Alabama Crimson Tide, under head coach Nick Saban, has had 21 first round picks since 2010.  10 more than anyone else.
27. Smart Leaders Address Needs And Provide Solutions – The Denver Broncos averaged 1.99 yards per rush before contact in 2016.  The team addressed this issue with the 20th pick tackle Garett Bolles of Utah.
28. Character Counts – The Detroit Lions selected Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis linebacker with the 21st pick.  The team was looking for high character players.
29. Smart Leaders Develop A Marketable Skill – While he may be weak against the run, the Miami Dolphins selected Missouri Tigers defensive end Charles Harris with the 22nd pick because of his incredible spin-move rushing the quarterback.
30. Leaders Need To Exercise Patience Giving Themselves Time To Mature – Evan Engram, tight end from Ole Miss, stayed for his senior season and was drafted by the New York Giants with the 23rd selection.  Had he come out last year he was projected as a 2nd or 3rd round selection.
31. Great Leaders Want To Be On Teams And Units With Other Great Leaders.  Like Attracts Like. – The Ohio State Buckeyes became the second time in the draft era to have three defensive backs drafted in the first round.
32. The Most Talented People Usually Play A Specific Role In Their Organizations – With their second pick in the first round, the Cleveland Browns selected Michigan all-everything player Jabrill Peppers with the 25th pick.  Kiper said, “He has to find a position.”  However, Gruden noted, “Michigan lined him up where he could impact the game.”
33. Great Leaders Are In Authority And Also Under Authority – Atlanta Falcons first round pic at #26, UCLA outside linebacker Takkarist McKinley, famously honored his grandmother who raised him.
34. Great Leaders Make Things Happen. – The Buffalo Bills selected Tre’Davious White, cornerback of LSU, with the 27th pck.  Trey Wingo said, “He makes plays all day long.”
35. Smart Leaders Finish Strong Because Last Impressions Last – Michigan Wolverines defensive end Taco Charlton, the 28th pick of the Dallas Cowboys, made his mark at the end of the year with 2.5 sacks against Ohio State and a sack against Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
36. Smart Leaders Are Accumulators Of Talent – The Cleveland Browns traded up to the 29th pick to select Miami Hurricanes tight end David Njoku.  They became the first team in four years to have three first round picks.
37. Great Leaders Leave A Great Legacy – The owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ambassador Dan Rooney, passed away two weeks prior to the draft.  Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “He was one of the best men I’ve ever known.”
38. When Looking For A Leader Do Not Pick Who Is Available.  Go Get Who You Want. – With arguably one of the top five players in the draft still available with the 31st pick, the 49ers traded their fourth round pick (#111) to move up three positions and select Alabama stud linebacker Reuben Foster.
39. Successful Leaders Protect Your Organization’s Most Valuable Resources – With the final pick of the first round, the New Orleans Saints selected Ryan Ramczyk, tackle from Wisconsin, to protect star quarterback Drew Brees.

What is one thing you learned from the first round of this year’s NFL Draft which can help you in finding a leader?

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