Editor’s Note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic’s new desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Peak aims to connect readers to ideas they can implement in their own personal and professional lives. Follow Peak here.

Let me start with the donuts.

When I was an undrafted rookie quarterback with the New Orleans Saints, I showed up in 2009 toward the end of training camp. The two other QBs were Mark Brunell, a veteran at the end of his career, and Drew Brees, the face of the franchise and leader of the team. I was 22 and easily the youngest guy in the room.

Drew took me under his wing right away. I thought I knew how to study film and how to prepare for a football game. But I soon learned that Drew took everything to a whole other level.

Anyway, one day in the lead up to the first game of the season, we were watching film together. Drew asked me what I thought about our red zone offense so I told him. One thing about Drew: He takes feedback. Not all leaders do.

Then Drew said to me: “Hey, also, start bringing me coffee and start bringing donuts on Friday.”

Wait, what?

He was like: “Dude, if my donuts are late, not good.”

He was joking — he still treats me like a little brother to this day — but he was also serious, I think. I know it’s a silly moment, but it really made an impact on me, and I still remember it all these years. Why? Because it made me realize the incredible importance of details. That’s what Drew was really, really good at: the details. I like the saying: How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Drew lived that every day that I was with him for five seasons.

So, yeah, every Friday I brought Drew his donuts and coffee. And every Friday they were on time.

I was fortunate enough to play in the NFL for 14 years. I had hundreds and hundreds of teammates during that time.

But when I was asked recently who the best leader I ever played with was, I knew the answer instantly: Drew Brees, hands down.

I’ve been around lots of different kinds of leaders: Some led by example, some lead by their words. Some are sacrificial leaders and others rally people to a common goal. Drew is one of the only leaders I know who checked every one of those boxes.

He was special.

Drew had a couple of traits that really stood out to me. He treated everyone the same, from his backup to the janitor. He never acted as if he was above anybody, and he made everyone feel special and important.

And Drew loved the grind. I mean, really, really loved it.

Let me give you a couple of examples. You know those chants teams do in the huddle on the field before games? Drew led those for the Saints and was in charge of them. I don’t know how many guys actually care about what was said in those huddles, but I can promise you Drew did.

Every year he’d show up to offseason practices and spend a month figuring out what he should say. Then he would rehearse until he thought it was right. He wanted guys to be on the same page. He wanted guys to take it seriously. And I remember thinking: Man, he really cares about every. single. thing that he does. 

Drew loved the process so much that he made me fall in love with the process. That’s what good leaders do, I think: They set the course, and they make it seem like they love the process. When you see that every day, it’s contagious.

In 2010, the Saints won the Super Bowl. It had been a long season, and if I remember correctly, Sean Payton, our coach, wanted to push the start of the offseason back a little to give guys more time off. Not Drew. He wanted to get back to work as soon as possible.

Sure enough, Drew was out there in the Louisiana humidity, going through conditioning drills that most players didn’t really care about.

It’s a lesson I try to pass along to my own kids. No matter how you feel, no matter what’s going on, show up every day with the same energy, the same attitude and the same work ethic.

That was Drew.

(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Patrick Smith / Getty Images)