Few things are as satisfying as when you select someone for a leadership position and then they not only succeed, but thrive in the role. When this happens, not only does it relieve stress but your organization has sustainability in that area of responsibility and is something you can build around.
4 People Competing For One Leadership Position
Houston Texans rookie quarterback CJ Stroud is tearing up the NFL right now so I think it is a good time to revisit how he earned his starting position while at Ohio State.
The competition for the starting quarterback job during the summer of 2021 was stiff. The Ohio State quarterback room featured highly recruited Jack Miller, five-star recruit Kyle McCord, and five-star recruit Stroud. If competition was not strong enough already, Quinn Ewers, the #1 ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class reclassified and was now on campus as well.
But Stroud beat them all out.
So how did he do it and what can we learn which will make us a more attractive candidate for future leadership roles?
In this article from The Athletic, we learn eight things you must do to be picked for leadership positions over others from CJ Stroud:
1. Recognize the Opportunity
When making the announcement of the starting quarterback to the media, head coach Ryan Day pointed out, “It’s not an accomplishment. It’s an opportunity.” In other words, Stroud being named quarterback was not a coronation. There was work to do and if he was unsuccessful, quality options were still available.
When you are selected for a leadership position, be proud. It is quite an accomplishment but it comes with quite a responsibility as well. The selection is only an opportunity for you to serve others with excellence by doing the following:
2. Make Good Decisions
Your ability to have sound judgement, particularly in stressful situations will set you apart as someone worthy to be chosen for a leadership position. Coach Day continued, “He separated himself with his decision-making, his leadership skills, his accuracy.”
Accuracy for a quarterback is an important trait. It allows you to eliminate unnecessary mistakes. As a potential leader, you want to avoid unnecessary mistakes as well.
3. Correct Mistakes
No one expects a leader to be perfect but people do expect their leader to correct and learn from those mistakes. Stroud was not perfect that summer but quickly bounced back from mistakes. This was probably due to the next point.
4. Be Prepared
Leaders either prepare or repair. When Stroud was in high school, he would often show up to Monday game planning meetings more prepared than the staff. This habit of watching more film than his coaches carried over to college.
