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Peyton Manning, retired NFL star inspired delegates with his keynote on leadership.
Recently retired, and destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, NFL legend Peyton Manning entertained and inspired delegates on the last day of the NADA 2016 Convention and Expo in Las Vegas, Nev.
It was one of what will likely be many speaking engagements he will embark on as he charts the next path in his career.
During his speech to a jam-packed convention hall of dealers, the former Super Bowl winning quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos said he hadn’t yet determined his post-retirement plans. “I’ve only started plugging my coordinates into my GPS,” said Manning.
He said that when he told his five year-old daughter he was retiring, she asked if they would now be moving into a retirement home. “I am far from dead,” said Manning. “A person’s life is like a road – the driver really doesn’t know how or when it will end until they get to their final destination.”
Manning mixed in some humour, along with some expected sports metaphors about leadership and perseverance, into his presentation.
As a TV pitchman for Papa John’s pizza he joked that the decriminalization of marijuana in the state of Colorado — where he also owns a number of franchises — was “good for the pizza business.” He said they get a surprising number of calls for late night pizza, which drew some hearty laughter from the receptive crowd.
But most of Manning’s talk was about leadership, as he recounted how he had developed his own personal leadership style over the course of his college and NFL career, and how he had to adapt to remain successful.
“Nobody starts out as a leader,” said Manning. “People have to earn the mantle of leadership.”
He described leadership as the ability to influence others. “If you cannot influence your team, you cannot lead your team,” he said.
Leaders must also grow continuously, weather through hardships and setbacks, and be prepared to “pivot” to be nimble at embracing new opportunities.
“The ability to pivot is to change strategy without changing your vision,” said Manning. “Frankly, I don’t pivot that easily.”
But dealers and business leaders must be ready to “mothball” their old ways of thinking and have the courage to adapt to their new realities.
One major adaptation he needed to make came late in his career, when his physical limitations, partly from a series of injuries and four neck surgeries, were preventing him from performing at the same level he had throughout his career.
For the first time in his pro career he found himself relegated to the role of backup quarterback. “As a leader you have to prepare for a wide range of inevitabilities,” he said.
If you cannot influence your team, you cannot lead your team.”
“I was keenly aware of my strengths and my physical limitations,” said Manning.
He said just as dealers love the smell of a new car, he loves the smell of pigskin. He wasn’t ready to walk away from the game he loved. So he persevered and kept preparing for the opportunity to take the field again.
When given the opportunity, he adapted and managed to successfully lead his team to win the Super Bowl in 2016.
Manning asked the dealer crowd to imagine that they could turn back time, and consider what they would have done differently as leaders of their businesses, their communities and their families. “No one seems to be satisfied about where they are,” he said. “Let’s just imagine we go in reverse.”
He said those that work for public glory and seek only rewards could find themselves on the wrong path. “If the rewards are what drives you,” said Manning, “you risk running off the road.”
Manning entered the NFL as the first overall pick and is the only player in NFL history to be named MVP five times. He has made 14 Pro Bowl appearances during his career and won two Super Bowls.
