Chip Kelly & Investors-Impossible To Police Themselves

Chip Kelly & Investors-Impossible To Police Themselves

by: Brendan Magee

As painful as it is to come to grips with, it looks like the Eagle's season is going to go down in flames. I can't see the Eagles putting together a one game winning streak much less a six game winning streak. It's hard to believe we, the fans and head coach Chip Kelly, didn't see this coming. Kelly won twenty games in his first two seasons and seemed as though he was always a step ahead of the opposition. All he needed was to get his players on the roster and success seemed inevitable.

In hindsight, it seems as though this is where the Eagles problems started. In his first two seasons, Kelly worked under a general manager who evaluated the players Kelly would be given to coach. After last year, Kelly became the general manager and coach. He had complete authority to sign and keep the players that would be on the Eagles roster. Chip had all the power with no one to answer to or rebuke any of his decisions. By what we have seen on the field this year, it is pretty easy to see that Kelly's perspective was flawed. What he was seeing and said yes to when he signed free agents and drafted rookies hasn't translated to success on the field. It has been a disaster.

The coach needed a coach. He needed to entrust someone with the task of telling him that what he was seeing in a player, his scheme, or his vision for the roster was flawed. Without his permission what individual would have the gall to question the man in charge of their paycheck?

In order to give that individual the authority to question Chip's perspective, Chip would have needed an extraordinary amount of humility and wisdom. How many of us ever question our perspective? We are seeing things as they are, aren't we?

Whether it's a professional football team we are coaching or a retirement nest egg we are trying to grow, it is all driven by our perspective. Shady McCoy isn't hitting the hole fast enough, cut him. The market's going to crash, sell.

Think about all the noise there is in coaching a professional football team. You have 53 players, reporters, player's wives and girl friends, meetings, injuries, trades, your own life to deal with, etc. How easy would it be do get distracted, not hear something exactly as it was said or intended? How easy would it be to give into hidden biases that have been developed and hard wired over 30 to 40 years of your life? On top of that, you are Chip Kelly one of the best coaches in all of college football. You have never had a losing season in your life. You know football. It's your life.

Now think about investing. Think about all the noise investors have to deal with. The internet, cable television, your spouse, the guys at work, Google, etc. 24, 7, 365, investors are hit with news, information, and opinions as to what they should be doing with their money. Compound that with all the messages you heard about money and investing from parents, uncles, and friends. On top of that remember the 1990's. Your portfolio grew to over a million dollars. You know investing.

 "If I just read a little more, I can find the winning stocks or fund managers again. I know it." A bias can easily take over without an investor knowing it. The wrong decision can look like the right one. How does an investor, on their own, quiet down the noise in their head and focus on what is important?

The answer for Chip and investors is, you don't solve this problem on your own. You need help. Unfortunately, that help will not come until the coach or investor realizes they need help and can't do it on their own. As much as we would like to think we can, we cannot police our selves on our own. Instincts, emotions, perspectives, egos, etc. are just too powerful. A little humility will go a long way for the Eagles and Chip Kelly as it would for investors.


Brendan Magee is the founder and president of Inevitable Wealth Coaching. With questions or comments go to brendan@coachgee.com or call 610-446-4322.