(Photo: Rob Carr Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Eagles seemed like they couldn’t do anything right in their first game last weekend, and head coach Chip Kelly heard the fans booing too. The team was losing 17-0 at halftime to Jacksonville, a team that only won four games last year.
Here’s rare honesty: “I was booing myself,” Kelly said after the game.
The final score proved that candor is such an important asset for top motivational speakers. Under Kelly’s leadership—and halftime message of support the Eagles’ double downed on the booing and ended up winning the game easily (34-17; Jacksonville never scored again).
Kelly is one of the most candid coaches in pro sports. His players and the Philly fans like him because he tells it like it is. Likeability, respect, and sincerity work together to effectively carry a motivational message.
Success as a Motivational Speaker
A coach at this level is first and foremost a motivator. Strategy and talent mean little if the team is not motivated. With motivation, a team can overcome almost anything.
Kelly’s career shows this. He arrived after the Eagles won only four games in 2012 and lost 12. He turned that around immediately. In 2013, his first season, the team won 10 games and their division championship, and lost their first playoff game on a last-second field goal.
But that was so last season. Last weekend, Kelly had to motivate the Eagles at halftime against Jacksonville.
“We weren’t throwing chairs or anything during halftime,” he said. “It was just, ‘Hey, settle down.’ ”
The message was simple and powerful. His team had prepared well, but they still had to execute. He reinforced that message by sticking with the starting quarterback, who responded to Kelly’s vote of confidence with a vastly better second half.
Honesty and Humor
Honesty builds credibility; humor brings likeability.
Kelly was brutally honest when asked to grade his coaching performance his first season in Philadelphia. “I give myself a 58.8 percent,” he said, referring to the team winning 10 of 17 games.
When he was a college coach, he was known for clever, memorable insights (Google “Chip Kelly funny quotes” and you’ll get 113,000 results).
After one loss, he said, “I saw the ‘Feel Sorry for Yourself’ train leaving the parking lot and none of our players weren’t on it, so that was a good sign.’”
Finding humor in situations that are full of stress and uncertainty can help your team feel less pressure and see their positives.
The takeaway
When employees, especially your direct reports, perceive you as a straight shooter, they are more likely to respect you—even if they are struggling, and even if what you must tell them is hard to hear.
If you pair that honesty with a sense of humor, you have key traits of a top motivational speaker, as modeled by Chip Kelly:
- He has an inspiring message that uses humor that he is not afraid to aim at himself.
- He uses inspiration and humor to ignite behavioral change.
- He injects his audience with the energy to improve their performance.
Molly Fletcher is an author, consultant and motivational speaker who helps business teams improve relationships. Her book, “A Winner’s Guide to Negotiating: How Conversation Gets Deals Done” (McGraw-Hill), will be published this month and draws on her decades as a sports agent and negotiator on behalf of pro athletes, coaches and broadcasters. Please click here to contact Molly.
