Lessons in Leadership from Jason Kelce

My wife is an avid Philadelphia sports fan. She listens to WIP, the local sports radio station, practically every day. (She's even been tuning in from Budapest the past couple years!). In particular, she loves the Eagles. I’m not nearly as big a fan as she is, but on Monday we watched Jason Kelce’s retirement announcement together live.

Watching Kelce’s speech, I was surprised by how deeply moved I was by his own raw display of emotions. This burly, 280-pound, tough NFL player openly wept for a full 30 seconds before beginning his speech, and then paused multiple times throughout to gather himself.

It’s conceivable that he could’ve been mocked and ridiculed for this stereotypically “un-masculine” display of emotions. On the contrary, he managed to move an entire city to express their own feelings at the loss of their beloved All-Pro center (https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/jason-kelce-retirement-wip-jon-ritchie-joe-decamara-reaction-speech-20240305.html ).

Jason Kelce was already canonized in Philadelphia sports history for his on-field behavior and his epic speech in 2018. After Monday’s press conference, he is now immortalized in the history of Philadelphia itself - no small feat, considering the city’s already rich history!

Rhetoricians should analyze Kelce’s two iconic speeches: his passionate address after the Super Bowl parade (my wife and I were in attendance that day!), and his retirement announcement on Monday.

The first speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhIFNxEz1qc ) was an inspirational, mountaintop speech about underdogs overcoming seemingly impossible odds, eloquently capturing the essence of what it meant to be a Championship-starved Philly sports fan for decades, and the exultation of a long-deserved victory. The other (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt3bxSFV-Ug ) was a beautiful, sensitive farewell to his chosen profession, his teammates, the Eagles staff, and his family.

Both speeches are - at heart - love letters to Philadelphia. Both are masterpieces. Both offer object lessons in leadership.

These are the things I’ve learned as a leader not only from these two speeches, but from things Kelce has demonstrated during his 13 years as a Philadelphia Eagle:

1. Be vulnerable. Recently, I gave my own team of professionals a motivational speech to encourage them after a particularly challenging year. During that speech, I lost control of my emotions and I openly wept in front of the entire team of 30+ people. If that had happened just a few years ago, I would have been embarrassed and somehow felt like I let them down. Now, with an example like Jason Kelce, I have no reason to feel ashamed. My team didn’t respect me less for displaying my emotions. Quite the contrary - they respected me more, because it tangibly showed them how deeply I care for them. It demonstrated that I’m willing to be vulnerable and take risks for them. And it empowered them to take risks themselves. As leaders, we should be willing to be more vulnerable with the teams that we lead.

2. Thank everyone. EVERYONE. One of the things that struck me about Kelce’s retirement speech was the time and attention he took to express his gratitude to all the people who influenced him or who had an impact on his career. That’s to be expected, of course. However, he also thanked the “support staff, trainers, equipment, cafeteria workers”, going on to say, “you guys have no idea the amount of people in this building it takes to assist our players and me.” People often talk about thanking the little guy, but very few actually do, in my experience. Humility and true gratitude are things that distinguish great leaders.

3. Acknowledge the ups…and downs. In both of his speeches, Kelce discussed not just the good times and successes, but also the tough times and losses. He mentioned a period in his career when he wasn’t playing up to his potential, and even said he would’ve cut himself from the team if he were in the position to make that decision. I’ve worked in environments where the focus is heavily weighted toward putting a positive spin on things, sometimes completely ignoring the reality of a bad situation. At its most extreme, it creates an environment of toxic positivity. I’m only slightly exaggerating when I say that in the past I have heard something to the effect of: “We’re laying off 20% of the team, slashing budgets, and expecting you all to do more with less…but we’re proud to offer yoga on Wednesdays at 5:00pm!” Good leaders acknowledge the good, the bad and the ugly. If things aren’t going well, to pretend otherwise is disingenuous, and people usually see right through it.

4. Understand your team/people. Jason Kelce probably didn’t cement his legendary status in Philadelphia until his victory parade speech. Sure, Eagles fans loved him before that, but with that speech he managed to capture the hearts of an entire city. Even though he’s not a native Philadelphian, he articulated what it was like to be a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan: “And you know who the biggest underdog is? It’s y’all, Philadelphia. For 52 years, y’all have been waiting for this. You want to talk about an underdog? You want to talk about a hungry dog? For 52 years, you’ve been starved of this championship.” Good leaders understand the people they lead. They empathize with them, understanding their pain points and motivations. Even for outsiders coming into a new organization, taking the time to truly connect establishes credibility, and builds trust.

5. Take your shirt off. I don’t necessarily mean literally (as Kelce has been wont to do: https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/01/25/chiefs-jason-kelce-shirtless-warning-wife ), but it’s important to celebrate the wins with your team. Honor their hard work by providing the space for them to cut loose at times. That might mean donning a luchador mask: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM5I_5i-LcY , or an Avalon String Band Mummers outfit (it’s a Philly jawn, people!): https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/ever-wonder-series-how-exactly-did-jason-kelce-end-up-in-his-famous-mummers-suit/340600/ . Vulnerability isn’t just about showing your less-than-positive emotions. It’s also about cutting loose every once in a while, and revealing your playful side.

Jason Kelce and my own experiences in leadership positions have taught me not to suppress my emotions, regardless of how they might be perceived. More and more, I'm learning to express my feelings and let them show, whether they are perceived as positive or negative. My overall advice is to embrace vulnerability as a leader and share what you’re feeling openly and candidly. My guess is most of the people you lead will respect you for it.

If not...to paraphrase Kelce, “you know what I got to say to all those people who don’t: F*ck you!”