Looking for Leadership Inspiration? Watch Ted Lasso.
If you haven’t seen Ted Lasso yet, go watch it right now. Yes, right this minute. Both seasons. Then, come back to this piece so we can have a real conversation.
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If you have seen Ted Lasso, let’s get into it. Because as far as I know, the character of Coach Ted Lasso is the most inspirational leader I’ve been introduced to in a long time — in media or in real life. The honesty and humility of his character is the reason why a few of my clients are now rewatching the show for a second time, to glean even more wisdom.
I was about two or three episodes in when it occurred to me: This show is all about leadership.
It’s about purpose and possibility. And of course, it’s about coaching, which hits me personally. But more than anything, Ted Lasso is about the humility of the title character, and the bravery of stepping into a role that’s completely foreign. Yes, Ted had coached before, but not soccer — er, football. He knows literally nothing about it.
As a leader (and human), I imagine you can relate.
When people step into leadership roles, they don’t necessarily always know what they’re doing. Especially in uncertain times (see 2020, 2021…), leaders tend to follow someone else’s lead. But the thing is, nobody has the answers. No one. Others might presume that leaders know what they’re doing, but they don’t. For generations, leaders have been taught to believe they’ve got to know everything — or pretend to — to lead effectively. Which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Take Ted Lasso. The idea of wearing your ignorance on your sleeve is such a beautiful Ted Lasso teaching moment.
“For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.” — Ted Lasso
He doesn’t walk into his job with AFC Richmond pretending like he knows what he’s doing. Instead, he shows up on the field with what he has: his personal toolbox of talent and skills — notably, soft skills. He never once makes his coaching and mentoring about him. He doesn’t walk around puffing up his chest to try to make up for what he doesn’t know. Instead, he focuses his work as a leader on how he can see and acknowledge his team, and bring out the best in each player.
That, right there. Ask yourself right now:
As a leader, how comfortable are you with acknowledging what you don’t know?
Moreover, do you try to make concessions for your ignorance, or are you comfortable with stating it as fact? Looking under the leadership hood, there’s something there: a coach that partners with the members of their teams in a brutally honest, unapologetic way. Working within a system of honesty, business gets a lot more creative, rewarding, and ultimately successful when everyone can speak plainly about their strengths and faults.
Another huge part of Lasso-style Leadership? Humor.
How much are we missing out on the opportunity to relieve tension and imbue our business with laughter? The ability to laugh and bring play into the competitive workplace is actually cutting edge.
“Our goal is to go out like Willie Nelson — on a high!” – Ted Lasso
As leaders, when you’re able to have fun and relax, you’re creating space for others to show up and bring their own fun and play. What’s more, laughter is scientifically proven to release tension. I recently completed my Certification in the Foundations of Neuroleadership. One of my biggest takeaways in regulating emotions is that the release of tension through laughter (aka, cortisol in the brain) changes the people with which you’re in conversation: it opens them up so that they can really hear you.
The benefits of being openly honest and playful extend to parent company relationships, as well. In Ted Lasso, the higher-ups are represented by Rebecca aka “The Boss.” Ted brings her an offering every morning — his famous biscuits — with zero pretense. This is simply Ted’s style of relationship-building: doing something nice for someone that he knows they’ll enjoy — no strings attached.
So, what’s the equivalent in your company structure? In terms of your board or parent company, what “biscuits” are you offering every day?
It’s a brilliant concept not just for leaders, but for humanity: making a habit of doing something kind, just because.
Kind is the key word. Ted Lasso is nothing if not kind. Sadly, it’s such a rare quality that it’s a little off putting at first viewing. Jason Sudeikis acknowledged this irony during his SNL opening monologue: “It somehow became a hit…I mean, it’s truly shocking to me because it’s built around two things Americans hate: soccer and kindness.”
But once we become accustomed to watching a nice guy in action, we start to crave more of it. It’s partly why the show is so rewarding. Watching someone move through their world in a position of kindness and service to others, with a goal of getting teams to a position of success, is truly enjoyable — especially when we’re offered glimpses of our hero’s faults, too.
Ted Lasso is human, after all.
It’s his humanity and vulnerability that drives Season Two, when coach psychologist Dr. Sharon enters the picture. As Ted reminds us, behind the scenes, leaders are incredibly vulnerable. Historically, they’ve been charged with putting on a happy face to keep everyone else focused. But that doesn’t work anymore. It’s 2021. We’ve survived a pandemic — and it’s not over yet. We’ve been put through the ringer personally and professionally. And it’s time to focus on mental health.
“I promise you there is something worse out there than being sad, and that’s being alone and being sad. Ain’t no one in this room alone.” – Ted Lasso
Personally, I’m counting the days until this country’s corporations begin to get on the mental health bandwagon. Many offer gym or health club packages to bolster physical health. Around the proverbial water cooler, it’s perfectly acceptable to share recipes for protein shakes and recommend our go-to chiropractors. But when it comes to mental health, there’s still a stigma.
Mental health is just another part of our human makeup that needs nurturing.
Therapy, coaching, psychiatry, medication…whatever it is that we need to operate at the level of pressure of someone like Ted Lasso — running a team in the public eye with numerous stakeholders — we deserve it.
When I think about the mental/emotional pressure that people are under, and then that person is put into a CEO position with zero mental and emotional support, it’s no wonder more leaders don’t have more breakdowns. It’s time to acknowledge the pressure, and delegate resources. It’s time to put in the support structures so that leaders can show up balanced, mindful, healthy and human.
I’m hopeful that Ted Lasso is normalizing leadership with humanity and humility.
Like so many leaders, Ted Lasso was at first reluctant to the idea of fostering mental health. But eventually, he got the support he needed to carry the weight of his role as a leader. A lot of Ted Lasso’s experience reflects our own: having to lead when we don’t know everything, when we are simultaneously facing personal challenges (babies/kids, a divorce, COVID), when our team is struggling.
Appointing a team psychologist like Dr. Sharon is one way to go about it. Hiring a leadership and executive coach like me is another. There are plenty of other options, too, all of which directly affect your team culture and performance. If that wasn’t obvious until you watched Ted Lasso, then let this be your reminder: healthy leaders foster healthy teams which fosters successful business results. Leaders who show up with humility empower teams to step up as their best selves.
On the show, Ted’s kindness, blatant honesty and humility inspire a winning team. Just imagine how your own vulnerability might inspire your team to more wins.
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