“My job is, as a leader of the football team and the quarterback, to keep everyone grounded and just let my teammates know at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what other people say, it's about what we know in this building about ourselves.”

On Thursday, Apr 27, 2023 C.J. Stroud will head to the National Football League. Widely considered to be one of the top prospects available in this year’s NFL draft class, many believe the 6-foot-3 quarterback from Rancho Cucamonga, California by way of Columbus, Ohio and The Ohio State University could go first overall. 

At the young age of 21 years old, with three years of college football under his belt, it’s incredible to think that he is in a position to lead an NFL franchise in just a short few months. The world of athletics in general, but football especially is full of alpha athletes and alpha leaders. For most of his career on the highest stage of college athletics many have wondered if C.J. Stroud is either an alpha quarterback or an alpha leader?

His unimposing demeanor, soft spoken voice and even his approach to the position he plays has given fodder to talk show hosts and analysts on how to exactly pigeon hole this 21-year old emerging leader. Can he be successful at the next level? Was he truly successful at the college level? From the jump, C.J. Stroud has given a crash course in what makes a leader of his caliber so successful. And while some may have more years and more experience in their respective domains, if we look closely we can learn from the soft-spoken leader and deepen our own roots and understanding about defining authentic success and living the life of an intentionally grounded leader.

Who Is Really an Alpha Leader? A Leader Who Transforms

Alpha leaders are all around us. From school yard playgrounds to executive board rooms. You can spot an alpha leader when you see them. In fact many shy away from stepping into leadership because they don’t perceive themselves to really be an “alpha.” 

Alphas are loud, brash, ever confident, charismatic and at times demanding. They often are called a “natural leader.” While a typical alpha leader may catch our attention in the short term this chararicture can often leave us lacking in finding a true transformational leader.

The reality is a true alpha-transformational leader runs deep over the long haul. They live with a steadiness and a quiet confidence that makes them impenetrable to outside noise. They live in a way that gets more winsome with time. The more you study a true alpha leader, the more you realize there’s a countercultural approach through grounded leadership that is rooted in a deeply developed “core.”

When we look at C.J. Stroud, for the bulk of his football playing career many questioned “Is this really THE guy?”

Not only was his leadership capacity often overlooked, but even now as mock drafts are multiplied on the web, many overlook the physical attributes as well. At every step of his development he has been overlooked.

Growing up in southern California on the outskirts of Los Angeles, C.J. Stroud took a liking to the quarterback position at a young age. Unfortunately in the same area of the country two other esteemed prospects overshadowed C.J. from the start. Bryce Young, eventual Alabama quarterback and D.J. Uiagalelei, eventual Clemson quarterback, was where the scouts went. 

Despite being a highly talented quarterback, C.J. Stroud was an afterthought. While Young and Uiagalelei were garnering national attention in 8th grade, C.J. Stroud was waiting for opportunities. When looking for the alpha, we often look for the most impressive and the loudest personality or skill. 

While these other two quarterbacks made big commitments and looked as if they were sure fire hall-of-famers, Stroud didn’t start until his junior season at Rancho Cucamonga High School. While these other two elite quarterbacks had already committed to the powerhouse programs in the country, C.J. was unproven on the high school stage. 

Heading into his junior season after sitting as a backup for the first two years of high school, Stroud had just attempted 50 passes at the high school level. After a solid junior season, Stroud had one scholarship offer, from Colorado University. Not exactly the same thoroughbred opportunities the other southern California quarterback superstars were experiencing. 

At this point C.J. Stroud begins to deepen roots into one of the supreme attributes of a true leader. 

Resiliency.

An alpha leader isn’t the loudest in the room. They aren’t even the one with the most obvious attributes of leadership sometimes. An alpha leader is the most resilient individual in the scene at any given time.

What has made C.J. Stroud such a compelling leadership case study is at many different times on the journey, others did not recognize who he really was. Overlooked and set aside, meanwhile he was sowing seeds of resiliency through his life experiences. 

Resilience is only developed in difficult situations.

At the age of 13, C.J. Stroud’s father was separated from his family due to an arrest on misdemeanor, robbery, abduction and carjacking accounts. At the age when elite quarterbacks begin to come into their own through private quarterback training and showcase circuits, C.J. Stroud along with his family were sent reeling. 

Financially in distress, C.J. Stroud’s mom got a job working as a manager for a storage facility. As a part of her salary she was able to live in a small apartment above the leasing office of the facility. All the while an 8th grader, C.J. Stroud continued to hone his skills on the football field.

After receiving his lone scholarship offer from the University of Colorado in his junior year, C.J Stroud’s abilities continued to flourish. He began to garner more attention from colleges regionally and nationally. Eventually he would receive scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the country.

It was in the same small apartment above the leasing office that some of the nation’s top coaches would come to visit a young C.J. Stroud and offer scholarship opportunities. Kirby Smart of the University of Georgia, Ryan Day of the Ohio State University.

Out of the difficult circumstances of family life, financial struggle, C.J. Stroud continued to quietly work in the dark. Staying the course in his pursuits of development and maturation.

Who is an Alpha leader? A leader who transforms.

An Alpha Leader Defines Success for Themselves

After transforming into one of the top quarterback prospects in the country, C.J. Stroud arrived at the Ohio State University in the fall of 2020. He would serve as the backup quarterback to highly touted NFL prospect, Justin Fields. After Fields departure to the NFL, the battle for who would serve as the new leader of the team was underway.

While one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects, the answer wasn’t immediately clear. C.J. Stroud would battle with other high-end talented prospects like five-star quarterback Kyle McCord and arguably the most high profile quarterback recruit in decades in five-star prospect Quinn Ewers.

Quinn Ewers provided an interesting contrast to the style of C.J. Stroud as a leadership figure. While Stroud appeared mild-mannered and quiet, Ewers appeared the opposite. Showcasing a wide smile and a loud mullet style haircut, Ewers arrived at Ohio State on the heels of signing a $1 million dollar endorsement deal for his personal brand. Many pundits in the national media wondered if Ewers would go right into replacing the leadership and quarterback void caused by the departure of Justin Fields to the NFL.

Instead it would be C.J. Stroud. Stroud was named the starter ahead of the beginning of the season, and while he had big shoes to fill, he also had to win over a contingent of deeply passionate fans. His first few games were statistically fine, but left an underwhelming sense in the eyes of many. Replacing a Heisman candidate and first round pick, with the allure of a loud and sensational personal brand on his heels in Quinn Ewers, all while not exactly excelling out of the gate in his tenure as the starting quarterback, it’s here we see another distinguishing characteristic of a true alpha leader.

C.J. Stroud did not let anyone define success for him. 

While everything around him seemed to be shaky and unstable. Stroud remained who he was. He continued to approach his craft in his unique way. He continued to lead the team in his unique way. An inexperienced leader may fall victim to the temptation of changing who they are when the heat is on. It’s a common experience to feel as if we’re not enough as we show up to the important leadership pursuits. Success is showing up authentically who you are.

For Stroud, he continued to be authentically himself. And over time with more of a sample size he continued to prove he was the correct choice for the quarterback position and leader of the team. As others began to recognize the truth, it only affirmed what he knew all along. 

In any given situation an alpha leader decides to determine what success looks like for them. They don’t delegate to someone else the supremely important task of determining what success looks like. 

For C.J. Stroud had he caved, it would have been catastrophic. He would have been tempted to alter his style and approach to his craft to cater to the demands of outside voices and outside pressure. It’s an easy thing to do and one of drift’s most timeless tactics in taking a leader off course.

An alpha leader does not delegate the deep work of determining intrinsic success.

An Alpha Leader is Grounded So They Can Ground Others

Being the top quarterback and leader of an elite program and organization like the Ohio State University football team is no small task. The demands placed on a role like this would be enough to crush the minds and souls of many elite leaders.

Consider for a moment every decision you make being under the spotlight of millions of passionate fans. And with the rise of accolades comes the rise of expectations and ruthless demands. 

In the two years that C.J. Stroud was the leader of the Buckeye football team, there were a series of ups and downs. Not too dissimilar from some of the ups and downs all leaders face. High highs and low lows. Exhilarating breakthroughs and devastating defeats. It takes a seasoned leader who finds the ability to ground themselves throughout the ups and downs of life and leadership. 

It’s one thing to enjoy being in the position when things are going well. It’s an entirely different thing to enjoy being in the position when the storm clouds roll in and the waves begin crashing. 

The experience of groundedness is a hallmark sign of an alpha leader. Leaders who are false alphas may have the charisma or other attributes but I know of no true alpha leader who lacks groundedness.

Here’s what I mean by groundedness. The development of a strong core. A mental, emotional, and spiritual strength characterized by poise and resiliency. A sign of groundedness is presence over audible sounds. Quiet confidence. (Emphasis on quiet.)

It’s the roots and the rings of a strong oak tree. Deep roots providing a sense of stability, round rings providing a firmness of foundation.

At the young age of 21, C.J. Stroud exhibits a strong sense of groundedness. Deeply reliant on his faith and his approach to life, C.J. leads like a leader wise beyond his years. 

Throughout the ups and downs of leading at Ohio State, in the face of adversity, disappointment, and extreme criticism, C.J. Stroud never blinked. Never blamed or defended. Freely spoke of the disappointment in times of loss. Freely distributed credit in times of success.

That is what a grounded leader can do. They lean into a consistency of life that comes with a deep inner life. And in doing so they stand taller in the face of adversity, ever deepening their resilience and poise.

A grounded leader says less with their words. It’s actually their silence that provides the most comfort to the team around them. It’s the choice of words that creates an alpha leader, not the count of words used. 

Consider for a moment the strongest alpha predators in the wild. The fiercest alphas use their booming roars the least. It’s as if they and all the others know their presence is what makes them distinguished, not the barking, or the roaring or the posturing. 

A lion doesn’t need to roar.

An alpha leader doesn’t need to win every argument, submit every opinion, weigh in on every situation, their grounded presence speaks volumes beyond the sound of their roar.