Courtesy of the American Football Coaches Association®, the article appears in the 2012 AFCA Summer Manual.

Developing Leadership Qualities in a Quarterback, By David Needs

     When we evaluate what makes a Quarterback (QB) great we often rank arm strength, foot speed, intelligence, release and other qualities very high on the list of essentials.  To me one that is often over looked is leadership.  Coaches will have detailed plans in practice about how we can throw better or make better reads but we often neglect in our planning how develop our QB's leadership skills.  We often assume that they will happen as a matter of fact or with gained experience.  My assertion is that unless leadership is developed with a plan of action, a QB will never become quite the leader he could be.  I believe that a quarterback coach must start from day one with a development plan of leadership.  To be a great leader I believe a player must possess two essential values:  Character and Courage.  Some leaders have the "courage" to speak and be heard but what comes out their mouth and heart does not have the "character" to lead the team in the right direction.  Some leaders have character with the right heart and head to lead but are too intimidated or lack the courage to stand and be counted on. A great leader has these two essential values that we can build with, by picking the right qualities to lead our team. Working with great coaches like Ken Sparks our head coach and Mike Turner our offensive coordinator, we develop the leadership qualities and skills we need to be successful at Carson Newman College. 

Set expectations by defining leadership

     In the very first position meeting, in August we share with our QB's what it will take to be a successful Carson Newman quarterback.  High on the importance list is a willingness to stand out front and lead with character and courage.  Too often these days the code is to do your own thing and as long as you don't affect any one else it's cool.  You do your thing and I will do mine and we will have no problems.  That is not the way our leaders will be at Carson-Newman.   In a team game where the focus or purpose in singular; multiple approaches do not work or provide cohesion.  Great leaders are willing to stand out front and be willing to hold themselves and their teammates accountable.  This does not always win popularity contests but it is essential to having leadership skills.  QB's must know how to lead from the front.  Being a former officer in the US army, one of the qualities the US Army requires of its officers is to not ask an enlisted man to do anything you aren't willing to do yourself; thus a great leader shares in every hardship and difficulty.   We also ask our leaders to sacrifice.  A leader leads not with just their mouth but even more so by their actions and where there heart is.  A great leader shows a selflessness that forces others to follow because they will out work every one else and can be an encourager.  We as a position will set 10 leadership qualities that we will define ourselves by.  Each year that will change based on what the group chooses. 

Show examples of what a great leader looks like

     Being a former history major, one of the things I like to do is share with my Quarterbacks is show someone through out history inside and outside of football, who have exemplified great qualities of leadership.   The trap for some is we want to see great leadership and we address it in our meeting but we give the players no real tangible picture of what it looks like.  The player is left scratching his head wondering what we really are looking for.  We can teach courage in the face of insurmountable odds by sharing Winston Churchill's "Never give in."  We can show calmness under pressure by watching Joe Montana execute a game winning drive in the Super Bowl.  If we can educate our players as to what we are looking for and then what it looks like it is much like teaching them a play from the play book and then showing them video to let see the perfect picture. 

Pick a trait to work on each day

At Carson-Newman we do a short devotion every meeting so that our quarterbacks can focus on being better leaders inside and out.  This devotion maybe from their FCA bible, it may be from their Eagle-Way note book or it may be something I read or have been sent by email.  We will isolate one of our 10 leadership traits like: courage, character, passion, dedication, or enthusiasm and ask them how that can be shown in practice or off the field in a way that will best help our football team.  The players and I then formulate a plan to put this into action. 

Put them in leadership situations

     My grandfather worked in a steel mill all of his life.  His job was to judge the quality of the steel that came out the furnace.  He told me that as he looked into the furnace as the heat rose the impurities would burn away and finally when it was at its hottest he was able to judge the quality of the steel.  As a football coach this approach works.  Coaches who micromanage practice and don't allow their players to assume leadership roles often keep their team from developing quality leadership.  Players must be given opportunities to develop a voice as a leader and then use that voice.  Here a couple examples of what I try to do.  In position meetings, I match an older QB with a young one.  They are responsible for each others learning and development.  They are to study together, work after practice together when needed, study in the dorm, watch film together; essentially they are a team.  When we as a position will watch film, or get on the board, we assess push-ups for wrong answers. That team is given pushups for wrong answers, so the responsibility for educating and providing leadership is the older player.   I jokingly tell the older players that they will be the best leader or the strongest one because they will be doing a lot of push-ups.

      Another leadership situation is we expect the players to do a drill where we put them in the toughest situation.  We ask the offense to move the ball using one play.  We go 7 versus 9 in drills.  We throw versus dime coverage.  We go half line where it is obvious which side we will be attacking.  We give the hardest read on plays so that in these pressure situations they can lead there team mates.  Lastly as much as possible the coach should stay out of the huddle, which is a prime place for the QB to develop a voice for leadership, let him lead where he will lead on Friday/Saturday, that place is in front of the huddle or the line of scrimmage.   

Evaluate leadership qualities

     As I evaluate each QB we measure a number of essentials; like throwing ability, execution of the offense, knowledge, but also we evaluate those 10 qualities of leadership to see where they stand.  To have a complete quarterback that can be counted on, his leadership qualities need to be evaluated, trying to be as specific as possible so that they know what they are doing well and what they can do better.  I try to meet as often as possible individually with my quarterbacks and share where they succeeding and where they need work and this includes leadership qualities.  As a position group we share where we are and where we need work, this also includes our leadership qualities as a group.   

     Knowing that the quarterback position is so vital to a team's success, if we don't give the same care and attention to his inner development as his outer development, we face problems down the road.  By having a plan for development and then working that plan we build a QB that will take the team where we need it to be.