© APPLE TV
WISDOM FOUND IN UNEXPECTED PLACES
Folks, one thing I actually enjoyed about remote working was my job could not escape me. Certainly, I had my down time, but I am constantly looking for inspiration for today’s top human resources concerns. What started as a “let’s watch a movie together even though sports-themed shows are last on my list (taking one for the team attitude),” quickly turned into a, “so when is the next episode of Ted Lasso airing?” My jaw literally dropped at the brilliance of leadership and team engagement skills Ted (an American football coach) brought to his new job as a “football” coach for a British team (with ZERO knowledge of the sport).
When Ted Lasso dives into his new job, many problems are immediately evident: disjointed relationships between the owner and the team, unhealthy competition and discord among the players, and one big one that the show only reveals to you, the viewer: the team’s owner has purposely hired Ted to fail. Poor Ted has no idea, but we start to cheer him on that his eternal optimism will win over the owner and the teammates alike.
There are so many brilliant examples of inclusive leadership. Ted treats everyone with equal footing (from water boy to team owner). He quickly puts tools in place to let everyone know he is listening. His transparency when facing the unrelenting media shows he is in this to fail forward, and ultimately create a winning organization.
One example of this failing forward/growth mindset is this interchange between Ted and the owner of the team, Rebecca:
REBECCA: “And how was your first, official day?”
TED: (with a smile, and a thick Texan accent): “I’'m not entirely sure what your smallest unit of measurement is over here, but that’s about how much headway I made.“
REBECCA (perplexed): “And yet, ... you seem undeterred.”
Ted puts his whole, imperfect, know-nothing-about-football self into this new arena. He looks at things with fresh eyes, an unbendable optimism, and authentic, loving connection from the start: regardless of how he is received (or not).
In episode 2 of season 1, you will see more than a dozen examples of great leadership, mindset, and vision. Watch it with a Human Resource lens – I promise it will astonish and inspire you!
HERE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES (without any spoilers):
- An anonymous suggestion box is presented to the team, which Ted explains, is because people oftentimes feel more authentic or empowered with anonymity. Let’s just say the box does not get filled with well-wishes, or even many complaints for that matter. But one suggestion (the low water pressure in the showers), does get fixed, and is discovered during a time when a couple of team members need a boost. The result: they feel validated and heard, even though the fix has nothing to do with winning soccer games in their minds, but progress is set in motion.
- Ted creates a morning ritual called, “Biscuits with the Boss,” as a way of connecting to a woman who comes off cold, but is secretly appreciating his kind gesture, no matter how much she denies it on the outside.
- He not only addresses the water boy by name [Nate – which is a first for Nate], but understands what a key source of insight he can be due to his close proximity to the team. Ted treats Nate with respect as an equal, expanding his contribution to the team instead of limiting him to a small role.
And lastly, my favorite Ted quote of the episode. Ted says to a player [Sam] that just got slammed in practice and is feeling defeated:
TED: “Sam, do you know what the happiest animal on earth is?”
SAM: “No”
TED: “Goldfish. Do you know why? ... it’s got a 10 second memory. Be a goldfish, Sam.”
So, check it out. Nominated for 20 Emmy Awards (setting a new record), Season 1 is streaming now on Apple TV+, and new episodes for Season 2 just aired Friday, July 23rd.
