3:10 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, your team is pinned on your own 8-yard line. As quarterback, you step onto the field, losing Super Bowl XXIII16-13 with 2/3 of the nation tuned in to the game. In this scenario, the greatest clutch quarterback in NFL History, Joe Montana, led his team on an 11 play-92 yard drive ending with a Montana to John Taylor pass in the end zone, winning the game 20-16. Was Joe Montana lucky or was it his leadership traits that guided his team to greatness?Joe Montana grew up in Western Pennsylvania, developing into a two-sport star in high school basketball and football. Montana almost went to North Carolina State University to play both but he accepted a football scholarship to Notre Dame. Montana was not heavily recruited, he was the 7th string quarterback his freshman season. Montana studied game film, practiced hard and eventually led the Fighting Irish in back-to-back comebacks his sophomore season. The rest of Montana's college career was filled of leading teams to victory in high-pressure situations, including the 1977 National Championship. Although he was very successful in college, many NFL scouts doubted Montana's potential ability as an NFL quarterback.
What did NFL scouts miss while evaluating Montana's leadership potential? (He was passed over 81 times before he was selected in the third round by the 49ers.) First, they overestimated his perceived weaknesses: Montana was only 6'2" with average arm strength. Second, they underestimated his leadership skills as a quarterback. The following traits were attributed to Montana through his career: coolness under pressure, tremendous work ethic, great communication with teammates, willingness to share glory and the ability to develop talent in others. With 31 NFL 4th quarter comeback victories, a college national championship and four Super Bowl victories, Montana is an example that successful leadership traits come from not just what we are born with but how we choose to develop them.
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