5 Things Aaron Rodgers Did Right As A Leader

Millions of us watched the Super Bowl yesterday, and as seems to be the case lately, it was a fantastic game. Leadership on the football field and on the sidelines always plays a crucial role in close games. With all due respect to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have a first-class organization and long winning tradition, the Green Bay Packers were the better-led team in the big game. While I am indeed a fan of the Head Coach and General Manager of the Packers, I want to focus this blog on the quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

I could write a much larger piece on Aaron’s overall leadership talents and recent history with the organization, but I prefer to focus on the Super Bowl game and the two weeks leading up to it.

Here are five things I felt he did exceptionally well:

1) He always kept the focus on the team and the end objective, avoiding attempts to make it about himself. You can sense an overall humility about the man and that there is little misplaced ego.

2) He was very well prepared and didn’t seem confused by much of what the Steelers defense had to throw at him. This is something that not many quarterbacks can say in this league. The chaos surrounding the game’s spectacle could have easily distracted him, but he remained focused.

3) When a mistake occurred, he didn’t criticise himself or his teammates. Many dropped balls would have made a lesser leader crumble under this type of pressure. Instead, he would instinctively go back to the player who made the gaffe and give that teammate a chance to redeem himself.

4) He remained confident and kept his emotions under control. You never once got the sense that he was anxious or overly nervous about what he had to do. He just went out and did it. He was one cool customer and led by example.

5) He was technically sound and didn’t do anything to beat his own team or put them in an adverse situation. He took the plays the defense gave him and managed the associated risks effectively. His peer, who was quarterbacking the opposing team, proved that this is much harder to do in big games when so much is at stake.

I know many people get tired of sports metaphors for business and life, but they can still ring true sometimes. Everything Aaron did well is applicable in our personal and professional lives. As a neutral fan, I had no personal stake in this outcome. I just wanted to see a good game, and my expectations were exceeded. We also observed one of the best leadership performances I can remember witnessing in a long time on a football field (and during the two weeks leading up to the game). It was both subtle and impressive to watch. My congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for their well-deserved win. I also want to thank Aaron Rodgers for giving me the chance to show my kids what true leadership looks like in professional sports today.

Related articles

• “Aaron Rodgers Reminisces On The Super Bowl” and related posts (baltimorebeatdown.com)
• Aaron Rodgers is concerned for Green Bay (aol.sportingnews.com)
• Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay Packers QB Is the NFL’s Anti-Superstar (bleacherreport.com)