Set.Hut.

Watch one game with Peyton Manning at quarterback, and you will see something very different about him as a quarterback, his team, and the vibes on field.

When you see him you will notice two things in his eyes: 1) He’s prepared. And because he’s prepared 2) He’s calm.

I would not be calm with 300 pound 6 foot 6 inch linemen running at me 100 times in 60 minutes – but Peyton is.

Keep watching him. You will notice he knows the other team better than they know themselves. Behind the line of scrimmage he taps every lineman and tells him who is coming his way and how to block him. He switches his receivers routes through sign language. In the blink of any eye, the play called in the huddle has been changed and leaves the defense lost and soon to be down another 6 points. And when the possession is over he sprints to the sideline, refills with Gatorade, and obsesses over photos from the last possession. Next possession he will be even more prepared. Great for his team – not so great for the other guys.

Off the field he is first to the gym and last to leave. He works one on one with each player, so there is no doubt they will be in rhythm on Sunday. He helps them define and refine their art. Here he’s building trust.

This is leadership at its best.

Leadership is not the opportunity to say “Set! Hut!”. Leadership is the painting/repainting of where YOU want to go in the minds of your followers before “Set! Hut”! Or put another way – being a quarterback has never been about starting the play, its about executing it.

When Peyton gets healthy again and back on the field, I encourage you to  watch. You won’t see a quarterback. You will see the leader of an orchestra, and you will hear the music play.