For CEO or coach, change takes time, finesse
Leadership is the science of the blindingly obvious. But it is really hard to do what is obviously right when you are really stressed, as Chip Kelly was in a notoriously unforgiving sports town.
When Chip Kelly lost his job as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the most surprising aspects of the story was the timing: his abrupt exit came one meaningless game before the end of a losing season and a few days before "Black Monday," when NFL coaches who have displeased their bosses are typically shown the door.
Why the big rush?
There has been plenty of speculation about what went wrong. Some have criticized Kelly's high-tech training regimen and high-octane offense. Others have tried to tease out possible personality clashes between the coach and Eagles' owner Jeff Lurie.
We have enjoyed all of the lively discussions, but we think the evidence suggests the main issue may be less about football philosophy and locker room dramas than a basic question that comes up over and over in all kinds of organizations. It is one that strikes us as relevant not only for professional football coaches but also for CEOs, project leaders, school board members, parents, and, basically, anyone who has to collaborate with others:
Why is it so hard to make teams work?
We ask this question all the time in partnering with some of the world's most talented executives at the Wharton School of Business. Three times a year, in the Executive Development Program, we observe dozens of leaders from all over the globe organizing themselves into teams and competing with each other in a highly realistic simulated industry.
Performing in this intense teamwork laboratory, accomplished managers have taught us three important lessons about getting a job done when it requires collaboration, and Kelly's troubled tenure in Philadelphia illustrates why these basics matter.
We like to say leadership is the science of the blindingly obvious. But it is really hard to do what is obviously right when you are really stressed, just as Kelly was in a notoriously unforgiving sports town — and, frankly, just as most of us are, every day, at work. It pays to remind ourselves of the obvious, so that we remember what to do under pressure.
Make the Rules. Our research has shown that culture is the conscious and subconscious rules that people follow in getting their work done together. Good leaders start by creating those rules — in other words, by creating a culture. Score one for Coach Kelly on this point. "Culture wins football," he once said. "Culture will beat scheme every day." Another high-profile coach, former IBM CEO and turn-around artist Lou Gerstner, reached the same conclusion: "Culture isn't just one aspect of the game. It is the game."
Check that Others are On Board. The problem is that people often have trouble following the rules, or cut corners, or simply get tired, or feel the rules are no longer working. At these times, it is important that everybody feel they can honestly assess a team's performance and suggest changes. Did Coach Kelly encourage open dialogue? We have no way of knowing, but we do know that players openly raised questions. "There were times he just didn't talk to people," said Brandon Boykin after being traded to the Steelers. So maybe it was hard for insiders to discuss whether the Eagles' culture, under Kelly's leadership, was taking the team in the right direction. And maybe Kelly became too attached to his own scheme. Let's say he lost some yards here.
Change in Small Steps. All the evidence we have gathered suggests it is hard to change a culture, and that is just what Kelly was trying to do. Successful change in any kind of organization usually happens in small, incremental steps. When leaders make changes too quickly, their people often experience the well-documented phenomenon of culture shock: disengagement, disorientation, even depression. Kelly took over from Andy Reid, who was known as a player's coach — open, warm, supportive, and friendly. From our perspective, Reid's style is neither better nor worse than Kelly's, but it is certainly different. We wonder if the club had time to catch up to Kelly's vision.
Obviously Lurie decided Kelly had run out of time. Commentators will continue piecing together the full story and debating the outcome. We hope that Kelly lands on his feet and that the Eagles finish next season with more wins than losses.
In the meantime, it is worthwhile taking a moment to reflect on the management lessons vividly illustrated by Kelly's dramatic rise and fall. It takes more than a first-class mind to create a high-performing team. If you fail to bring others along with you, even the most brilliant plan will fall short.
Mario Moussa (mmoussa@wharton.upenn.edu) teaches in the Executive Education Programs at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Madeline Boyer (maboy@wharton.upenn.edu) and Derek Newberry (derekn@wharton.upenn.edu) are lecturers in the Wharton undergraduate program.
They are the authors of the forthcoming book, "Committed Teams: Three Steps to Inspiring Passion and Performance" (Wiley, 2016).