We have all said it, “Think Outside The Box.” Usually to promote unique thinking that will result in some great new idea or outcome. The problem is that this phrase is used way more than the results are realized.
I was watching the Oregon Ducks play the Washington Huskies last night and one of the announcers commented the Oregon Coach Chip Kelly often asks “why can’t we do it that way.” Chip Kelly is a guy that produces from his “outside the box” thinking.
It doesn’t matter if you are a fan of the Ducks or not, you can’t argue with the results they achieve on the football field. Yes, he runs a fast paced, west coast offense that we have seen before in both the collegiate and professional levels, but he has taken it a step further. He has added some very unique twists and turns to something that already has succeeded and made it better.
I believe that his success is not just from knowing the game but because he loves the game and is passionate about it. Kelly wants to make it better. Better for the fans, better for the coaches and most importantly, better for the players.
Kelly knows what the box is. The box he thinks outside of is a game that is not only meant to entertain, but to develop. When the Oregon Duck players finish their collegiate career and enter into the real world, I think they will have an advantage in the lessons they have learned under Kelly and will be more successful because of it.
One of my favorite quotes from Kelly:
“I saw the ‘Feel Sorry For Yourself’ train leaving the parking lot & none of our players were on it so that was a good sign.”
My takeaway from this piece of genius … his players understand that no matter what kind of coaching they receive, the final product is up to them – On or Off the field. They know that there is no one responsible for their play on the field except themselves. That in itself, is a pretty good lesson for succeeding in the real world.
I am a fan of Chip Kelly for the excitement his teams provide the state that I live in. I am a bigger fan of Kelly because of the leaders he is developing.
Anyone who has followed the Oregon Duck football program knows that there have been some black marks and the programs integrity has been questioned. I am not here to put anyone on a pedestal or judge their actions. We all have made mistakes and done things that we wish we could take back.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt
Yesterday ended at midnight, so my suggestion, make today a masterpiece!
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Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 10/7/12 photo by author
