Passion or Anger?

The scene of Travis Kelce coming in hard on Andy Reid, screaming at him, has so many people up in arms today. The two themes I'm seeing in the comments are: 1) red flag for Taylor, and 2) I would never get away with that with my boss. I can't speak for Taylor, but as a boss, my take is this: I'd kill for that kind of passion.

Let me explain my rationale: First, you have to dissect what happened, and there are several things to consider that we as outsiders don't know: What is their accepted relationship language? What was Kelce's intent? What was he saying? Did he mean to push him? Most importantly: how does Andy Reid feel about it?

My guess is this is not the first time that either of them has spoken that way to one another. I also believe if you think Andy Reid is always the calm, collected coach you see on the sideline (T-Swift new football fans listen up) you're crazy. Head coaches typically don't get massive men to do their bidding by sweetly saying please. Every team has a culture and we don't know theirs. Everyone sees it through their own paradigm, and I guess I'm happy for all y'all who seem to have very nice workplaces. What I see is a hugely passionate playmaker wanting to be in the game to help win it. He clearly says, "put me in the game!" It's well-known that Kelce and Reid are tight; my guess is he accidentally caught him off guard like Reid said in the after-game presser. Reid also didn't seem rattled on the sideline, rather unrattled. Either way, that's for him to decide. He's the coach.

I'd kill for members of my team to have that kind of passion. To be screaming at me: put me in, I can win! The work culture is changing and it is rapidly becoming harder and harder to find people whose passion rivals yours. People who want to win at all costs. People who care that much and get so fired up about it. I have some people like this, and I protect them with everything I've got.

I caught Landry Locker , our midday host on Sportsradio 610 discussing it on-air today. One thing he mentioned that caught my ear was: stars get treated differently. You bet they do. Fair isn't equal. One of the first things you learn in management is that everyone needs to be managed differently, according to their needs, their motivations, and how they react to coaching. No one is the same. Superstars get a lot more rope because if I'm going to put up with it, you better be worth it. It's all ROI. When the ROI is high, you're willing to put up with a lot more (and for those of you wondering, yes, Landry is a star).

Look, I'm not prescribing you all get in your boss' face but what I am saying is as a boss I see your passion, or your lack thereof. I know if you want it, how bad you want it, and how hard you're willing to work for it. And if you are a killer (or killa), I know you, and know it's passion, not anger. And I love you for it.