In one sentence, Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, taught an important lesson about success

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a pretty good day last Sunday as he not only helped his team defeat the Los Angeles Chargers, but also became the Chiefs' all-time leader in receptions after catching the ball in the game on Sunday for the 917th time. It was a big change from the first three weeks of the season where he failed to produce the spectacular performance people expect from him.

Needless to say, there was a lot of public commentary, both about his disappointing previous games and his triumphant game against the Chargers. Kelce's dismissive reaction to all this commotion is a great example of emotional intelligence. It's a lesson for anyone running a business, especially when you're in the public eye.

Kelce helped lead his team to a Super Bowl victory this year and is perhaps best known for his relationship with Taylor Swift. Kelce had been unable to accomplish much in the first three games of the season, perhaps because he was particularly targeted by opposing teams. But on Sunday, not only did he break his team's record for receptions, but those receptions were also worth a total of 89 yards.

“Kelce is back!”

Kelce is perhaps the most famous soccer player in the world right now, and everything he does is under intense scrutiny. Although his team won the first three games of this season, his poor performance sparked wild speculation that he might retire, even though he recently renegotiated the term of his contract for the next two years. But then his performance against the Chargers prompted sportscaster Tony Romo to say, “Kelce is back!” His colleague Jim Nantz added, “You'll have to find someone else to troll this week.”

It's a common phenomenon when you're in the public eye. At any given moment, you are either a superhero or a punching bag, or sometimes both at the same time. They can swing from one to the other and back again at dizzying speeds. Luckily for Kelce, he knows better than to let all those public comments get into his head. “Everything outside the building is just noise,” he explained in the latest episode of New heightsthe podcast he co-hosts with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

Everything outside the building is just noise. Kelce uses the term “the building” to refer to the Chiefs organization and the work the team does together. There is a lot of wisdom in this perspective.

Should you worry about what people say?

Yes, you need to care about your reputation, both your company's brand and your personal brand. Kelce takes care of it – he has a powerful communications team that carefully manages his image. This team sprung into action earlier in the season when an alleged separation deal between Kelce and Swift went viral on social media. Additionally, he lets the pros think about what people say about him while he focuses on playing better football.

This is a great example for any business leader. A good public image is a bankable asset, so you need to manage it, either with a team of professionals or with your own attention to social media and content creation. But once that's done, you stop worrying about what people say. This includes reviews, praise and insults on social media, and anything else that doesn't come directly from a customer or colleague.

It's an easy rule to remember. Everything outside the building is just noise. A smart leader knows better than to listen.