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Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has become the unquestioned leader of the team as he enters his second season in the NFL. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A few days before Christmas, with the Browns’ long-shot playoff hopes down to 1 percent, Baker Mayfield stood in the locker room at the team’s training facility in Berea and did something that most rookies don’t do.

He gave his teammates an ultimatum.

"We want to win our last two games,'' he told the media that day. "If the guys on this team don't want to do that, then you can get out. That's quite frankly how I feel.

“We have a lot of guys that are playing on their contract year. That also doesn't need to be a distraction. You need to go out and do your job."

At that point, Mayfield had been in the NFL for eight months, been with his teammates for barely five months and been a starter for 11 games.

But he had clearly become a team leader.

Sure, it was an ultimatum that was easy to get behind -- "I love it. I love it. I will back that up,” interim head coach Gregg Williams said at the time. But it's not something that most rookies would have the confidence to lob at their teammates, especially the part about contract years.

It became a highlight of Mayfield’s emergence as the team’s voice in 2018, and he now enters his second NFL season as the Browns’ unquestioned leader.

Why does Mayfield seem to excel at leading? He has been developing his leadership skills for years.

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Mayfield gestures for a first down against the Oakland Raiders during a 2018 game. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

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In 2017, Mayfield wrote an essay for the University of Oklahoma's website, and explained his leadership ability:

“I'm comfortable as a leader because I've learned how to communicate and get my point across. I'm not afraid to share my opinion, and I think that's why I've been able to gain the respect of my teammates very quickly, whether in high school, at Texas Tech or here at OU.”

And now with the Browns, it seems.

But Mayfield’s leadership is about more than communication and opinions. He actually embodies the behaviors necessary to be a leader.

In 1993, Susan D. Glenn and Thelma S. Horn developed a sport leadership behavior inventory as part of their research into female high school athletes. Think of it as a checklist for leadership. Their work was published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology and has been repeatedly cited since in leadership research involving other sports and genders.

Glenn and Horn determined that 11 behaviors were required for a player to be perceived as a good leader by teammates:

confident

consistent

determined

honest

leader

motivated

organized

positive

respected

responsible

skilled

It's not difficult to notice these behaviors in Mayfield.

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CONFIDENT

"I don't think I'm cocky. It's not cocky. It's just confident,” Mayfield said at the 2018 NFL combine. “Everybody has earned their way into that locker room. I'm not going to go in there and act like I have it all figured out.”

And …

“People get maturity confused with me being 100 percent comfortable in my own skin,” he said last season.

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CONSISTENT

This can mean a lot of things. Consistent in play (Mayfield checks that off). Consistent in attitude (Mayfield checks that off).

But we'll also include consistent in message. Mayfield already has a T-shirt with the quote, "If you're not with us in Cleveland, you're against us." It echoes coach Freddie Kitchens' mantra of "If you do not wear brown and orange, you do not matter."

Both those quotes came after the 2018 season ended, but Mayfield was about staying on message during the season as well, like with his late-season ultimatum.

“You have to say it to set the standard," Mayfield said. “You have to say it to make sure we have the exact same team every week. A team that we talk about needs to progress every week, get better every week. Some of those things, there are reasons why I say those things.”

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DETERMINED

It’s hard to imagine Mayfield’s determination ever being questioned. He went from walk-on to starting quarterback at both Texas Tech and Oklahoma. When he got to Cleveland, he kept his sights on the starting job despite beginning behind Tyrod Taylor.

"I would never get my mind right to be a backup,'' Mayfield said during training camp. "That's the second that I would be complacent. That's the second that I'd stop working.

"You've always got to keep working like you're going to be the best, and that's the same thing Tyrod has done his whole life. It doesn't matter the position you're in. If you're not going to work hard, then you're not doing it right."

And this:

"My place here, why they drafted me was to help turn it around, so if I'm not fighting like crazy to be the best version of myself and to help this team, I'm not doing my job. You know, everything happens for a reason. I've just got to be ready for my opportunity."

Williams was impressed with Mayfield’s work ethic, comparing the rookie to what he saw as the Saints defensive coordinator from Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

“He’s worked extremely hard for this success,’’ said Williams. “It’s not something that’s just happened by happenstance. The amount of work that he puts in, doesn’t shock us that he also takes it to the ballgame because he works extremely hard to have an overall understanding of every aspect of the game. That doesn’t come easy.”

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HONEST

“Until you sit down and talk to me directly, you might have an image portrayed within stories or headlines, but I love the game. I'm up front and honest. I let them know exactly what I'm about and I think that's the most important thing,” Mayfield said at the combine when asked about his character. “What you see is what you get. I'm brutally honest and some people don't like that because it's rare nowadays. I go into these meetings and I'm just myself. A team knows exactly what they're getting.''

Then, once in Cleveland, he noted that “I’m not a cookie-cutter quarterback, never have been, never will be.”

That honesty made headlines during Browns minicamp in June when Mayfield was asked about Duke Johnson's trade request.

"If we have guys that want to be here, they’ll show that, they’ll voice that," he said. "Obviously he’s going to handle his stuff how he wants, but you’re either on this train or you’re not, it’s moving. You can get out of the way or you can join us. so it is what it is."

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LEADER

Glenn and Horn included leader among their required behaviors because to be perceived as a leader, it helps to be an actual leader. Being a quarterback puts Mayfield in a better position than most to accomplish that.

He has, according to coaches and teammates.

From former Oklahoma receiver Dede Westbrook, as written for The Players Tribune in 2017:

"My first season at OU, I lived almost a half hour from the field and didn't have a car. So Baker Mayfield used to pick me up before practice and drop me off at my apartment afterwards pretty much every single day. We didn't really even know each other at that time, but he did it like it was no big deal. The only thing he cared about was being a teammate and making our group of guys better. He was a leader in our locker room, the leader in our huddle, and probably the hardest working guy at practice."

Kitchens:

“I do not know that you develop a leader. I think you are either a leader or you are not. I think Baker is definitely a leader.”

Browns running back Nick Chubb:

“He is just a great leader, and you know no matter what is going on around us or outside noise just the bad stuff that has not gone well for us, he is going to give us all 100 percent and he is not going to let it affect him. Guys, we like that in our quarterback and our leader, and he is fiercely competitive. He gives 100 percent every play. Just being on the team with him, everyone just likes it and loves him and loves who he is.”

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Baker Mayfield acknowledges Browns fans as he leaves the field following last season's win against the Jets. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

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MOTIVATED

"I think if anybody's going to turn that franchise around it would be me. (The Browns are) close. They're very close. They have the right pieces. I think they just need one guy, a quarterback to make that difference,” Mayfield said at the combine.

Mayfield’s back story as a two-time walk-on in college plays into this behavior, too.

“This is a guy that has earned everything he has ever had from high school to college and now up here. He is a winner. He is competitive,” said Browns GM John Dorsey.

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ORGANIZED

Much like the leader behavior, being organized is a big part of a quarterback’s job, from being on top of the playbook to making sure teammates are doing the correct things on offense.

Mayfield displayed the ability to do that the moment he stepped on the field in Week 3 last season against the Jets.

Getting to that point began shortly after Mayfield was drafted. By the time training camp began, he felt confident in his grasp of offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s playbook.

"This is why I'm very excited about training camp, not only because it means the season's around the corner, but we're not installing new plays,'' he said. "We're kind of reviewing the stuff we've gone over, so it's like doing it a second and third time. So now I cannot try and cram everything into practice and do all of that. I can actually refine it, study it, the little details and that's what makes people different.

"That's the difference between a good quarterback and a great quarterback, it's little details on each play, so that's what I'm trying to take care of right now."

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POSITIVE

When Antonio Callaway fumbled near the goal line against the Texans last season, Mayfield ran up to his fellow rookie, patted him on the head and offered words of encouragement.

"I told him it was a hell of a play to get down there. That's not on him. I can guarantee that he was thinking the entire weight of the game was on his shoulders right there, which is an understandable thought but absolutely not. We have to have the mentality of playing the next play. Gotta have each other's backs. It's absolutely not about that one play. There were so many other things during the game that put us in a position to lose," Mayfield said later.

It wasn’t the only time Mayfield had his teammates’ backs. At Oklahoma, after Westbrook left for the NFL, Mayfield used Twitter to clap back against those questioning the receivers still on the roster.

Once in Cleveland, when his receivers struggled to remain healthy and consistent midway through the season, he again found himself going to bat.

“What we have in this locker room is all we need. We have what we want and what we need and we trust that. We believe in those guys and confidence and the belief in your team and your system goes a long way,” Mayfield said.

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RESPECTED

Mayfield’s toughness has played a role in him gaining respect. When he bounced back up after a helmet-to-helmet hit from a Buccaneers defender last season, teammates took notice.

“It's helmet-to-helmet contact. I felt it. But I got up and let the guy know he's going to have to hit me a lot harder than that if he wants to affect me,” Mayfield said.

When Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap shoved Mayfield out of bounds and then fell on him late in the season, a scuffle ensued and Mayfield’s teammates jumped to his defense.

“That shows how close we are,’’ said Mayfield. “Obviously, it’s a great feeling to have knowing that people have your back. They have that feeling from me, too. I have their back. That is a real team right there. Obviously, extracurricular activity is not necessary, but that just shows what type of bond we have in the locker room.”

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RESPONSIBLE

Mayfield has owned his mistakes with the Browns, taking the blame for interceptions and poor play on offense. It’s something we’re accustomed to seeing quarterbacks do. But not always.

So that’s a characteristic new offensive coordinator Todd Monken has already been happy to see.

“The one thing from what I hear about Baker that is similar to Jameis (Winston) is Jameis is a tremendous young man. He loves football. He is very intelligent. He is passionate about it. He owns it,” Monken said. “Those are all of the things that I hear about Baker – a guy that loves football, that loves to compete, that loves to be around the building and owns his mistakes, which is a great start.”

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SKILLED

This category is easy for Mayfield to check off the list. He was runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year, set the NFL record for most touchdown passes by a rookie, and helped resurrect excitement around the Browns.

But there’s more to skill when it comes to Mayfield. It can also include how he leads in the locker room and on the sideline. In his 2017 essay, Mayfield noted how transferring from Texas Tech to Oklahoma exposed him to different environments and different people with different backgrounds, all learning tools for his growth as a leader.

“One thing I think I've gotten really good at is reading people. I can tell if you're telling the truth or not being honest with me,” Mayfield wrote. “That's allowed me to learn when to put my arm around someone and encourage them, or when to get under their skin and light a fire under them in an effort to make them work a little harder. You can be sure that my actions almost always have intentions behind them.”

Mayfield notes knowing when a player needs trash talking or a joke can be tricky. “I think you play your best when you're relaxed and having fun, and when you have a clear mind when it comes to doing your job,” he wrote.

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Mayfield (6) congratulates receiver Jarvis Landry (80) after catching a touchdown pass against the Raiders in 2018. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

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Those 11 behaviors cover a lot of ground, but there are some things they don’t touch.

While at Oklahoma Mayfield was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and fleeing police during a 2017 incident. Later that year he was stripped of his captaincy and not allowed to start a game after unsportsmanlike behavior against Kansas. With the Browns, he used social media to call fired Browns coach Hue Jackson “fake,” was fined for a sideline gesture, and had a prolonged stare down with Jackson in a late-season game. There is also an evolving feud with Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd.

Do Mayfield's coaches and teammates see those incidents as questionable character? It's hard to tell. None of the Browns publicly questioned Mayfield's words and actions aimed at Jackson last season (although Mayfield's remarks this spring about Duke Johnson's trade request reportedly brought a private response from some team veterans). When asked about Mayfield being unhappy that Jackson went to Cincinnati after being fired, Kitchens, then the team's offensive coordinator, defended his quarterback.

“I promise you this, Baker is not going to blow smoke up anybody’s ass,” Kitchens said. “If he said it, that is what he feels, and I am standing behind Baker Mayfield. I do not care about anyone who does not work in this building and what they think about what he said. That is what I stand behind is him and the players in this locker room.”

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Which brings us to influence, another aspect of leadership not in the 11 behaviors. It’s easy to see the influence Mayfield has over his teammates and coaches. That might be the biggest aspect of his leadership.

In 2013, Kevin Kruse, a bestselling author of numerous leadership and management books, and a Forbes contributor, set out to define leadership. Of course, he could’ve just opened a dictionary, but most would agree that there’s more to the term than “the action of leading a group of people or an organization.” Kruse examined quotes from successful business leaders and scholars.

“The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.” – Peter Drucker.

“Leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.” – John Mazwell.

“As we look ahead to the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates.

But Kruse found those definitions lacking. One can gain followers by default due to a position of authority. A robber can have influence over a victim. Empowering others is too open-ended.

So Kruse defined it thusly:

Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.

The key is the inclusion of social influence instead of authority or power, and also achievement of a goal instead of influence without an intended outcome.

“I guess technically a leader could use social influence to just organize the efforts of others, but I think leadership is about maximizing the effort,” Kruse wrote. “It’s not, ‘Hey everyone, let’s line up and get to the top of that hill someday.’ But rather, ‘Hey, see that hill? Let’s see how fast we can get to the top … and I’ll buy the first round for anyone who can beat me up there.’”

Mayfield gave a version of this during the Cleveland Sports Awards: "It shouldn't be that the whole town goes crazy over one win on a Thursday. It should be the expectation that we need to be competing in the playoffs every year.”

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No matter how you define it. No matter how Mayfield displays it. He has become the leader of the Browns.

It’s something he has aimed for since arriving in Cleveland.

“I’ve got to continue my strengths. Leadership is one of them,” Mayfield said during training camp last season. “When you talk about that, it’s earning the respect from the veterans in the locker room. The guys that have been doing it for a while, I have to earn their respect."

This is an ongoing process for Mayfield. The locker room gets new faces every season. But unlike his rookie year, when he didn't have the immediate vocal leadership he enjoyed at Oklahoma, Mayfield is in charge now.

“This is the time that I looked forward to, being that guy,” Mayfield said during minicamp. “I’ve got to earn that respect from everybody. We’re going to have new faces in that locker room, and I’ve got to continue to work every day. It’s not like I’m just that guy now. I’ve got to continue to work every day and to show people that I have that same mindset.”

And that he’s leading the way.

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