The Ted Lasso Way
Yes, I am referencing the original title of the book from the show that James Lance aka Trent Crimm wrote in the series Ted Lasso… and how I wish every leader would the adopt the TLW.
I kept hearing about the television series, and finally tried to watch it one night and two or three weeks later I had binged watched all three seasons. I laughed, I cried, and most importantly I took notes and perhaps I bought a Ted Lasso mug and keychain. 😉
I even printed a few of the quotes and put it in a frame on my desk.
It is by far in the top 5 of all tv series I have ever watched, and I am sad that it ended. Really sad. I wish I had taken more notes. I wish I had highlighted them in bright yellow. And I wish I had printed it all and wallpapered my home office.
I for years used to use Colin Powell’s Leadership Primer when I taught Leadership classes however with no disrespect to General Powell I’m hereby switching up my syllabus. Pronto.
Ted Lasso showed us the humanity of people, their foibles, their inner struggles, and it showed that leaders, true leaders aren’t what we used to envision or what we need anymore.
Post pandemic we are all still trying to find our footing. We struggle to connect- we feel isolated. We need leaders with vision, compassion, and the ability to be dot connectors. We need to feel a sense of belonging, part of a team that heads towards a work environment that is…well..let’s call it Total Football.
Trent Crimm: Ted. It's going to work.
Ted: Great. What is?
Trent Crimm: Total football.
Ted: Okay. Why?
Trent Crimm: And I'll tell you why. The Lasso way. You haven't switched tactics in a week.
Ted: I haven't?
Trent Crimm: No. You've done this over three seasons.
Ted: I have?
Trent Crimm: Yes. By slowly but surely building a club-wide culture of trust and support through thousands of imperceptible moments, all leading to their inevitable conclusion. Total Football.
Ted: Well, how about that.
In Ted Lasso, we saw a leader who dealt with their own issues (the scene where he has a panic attack and Rebecca consoles him is so well done it should be shown to any of the millions of people dealing with anxiety), had an unwavering positive attitude, and lead with passion, caring and humility. He also had a cadre of witticisms and quotes that were phenomenally pertinent. I even used one in an email to a company that let me know they weren’t going to advance me to the next round of interviews.
I received a polite email; you know the drill.. we enjoyed meeting you but we are moving on with other candidates that fit our needs more closely, blah, blah, blah…. 😊 This was a panel interview and a one on one in one day. In the panel interview there was one guy who was asking extremely detailed questions about analytic programs – I froze- my mind went blank—it happens. I stumbled around the answer, and he finally left to go to a meeting. I knew then, I had bombed.
So, I decided to respond to the decline email with honesty, bravery, and a Ted Lasso quote. I thanked him for reaching out and stated:
I think we can all agree I bombed in the interview!
It happens. You gotta take it in stride and tell yourself Be a Goldfish . (Ted Lasso)
Have a great Friday and weekend!
Kind regards
Kim
And I felt so much better just owning it.
I’m re-watching the series again and this time I am pausing and taking more notes. As a leader I could do a lot worse than emulate Ted Lasso.
As whatnerd.com states “Every TV series can be boiled down to a core value. Friends was about connections. The Sopranos was about family. Seinfeld was about nothing. As for Ted Lasso? Underneath its veneer of comedy, there's hope.”
And more-there’s the core value of encouraging others to share their ideas, saying you don’t know, when you don’t know, and making experiences for those around you inspiring. Ted Lasso never gave up and when faced with failure or adversity …he took it in stride. Sure like any leader, I am sure it was hard but sometimes the best response is “to be a goldfish”.