It’s time to tune into Emmy Award winning series Ted Lasso!
We admit it, we’ve had our fair share of binge watching in recent times. And one of our personal faves is a comedy series called Ted Lasso (on Apple TV+).
Without giving too much away, it goes something like this… a kind, well-intentioned American football coach is brought in to rescue a fictitious English Premier League soccer team. Little does Ted know that the club owner has intentionally hired him, so the team will fail. Ouch!
Ted’s unconventional style and utter lack of soccer knowledge sets up a bunch of hilarious ‘culture clash’ scenarios – but behind the laughs there are some valuable leadership lessons we’d love to share.
Great leaders are willing to be vulnerable.
Ted struggles with insecurities. During one game he suffers a panic attack, and feeling embarrassed, he lies about it. But when the truth comes out, he doesn’t get defensive, but opens up to the team about his mental health issues and apologises for not being more honest with them. His transparency build trust and understanding.
Watch a video clip here >
Great leaders are comfortable being “the bad guy”.
Most leaders want to be liked. But when ‘being liked’ affects the decisions a leader makes, things can go wrong. Ted takes a different tack. His decisions are made for the good of the team, even when they frustrate others. In one episode, the team’s ‘star player’ won’t pass the ball – Ted takes him off the field – much to the disgust of angry hometown fans. But Ted believes it’s best for the club.
Watch a video clip here >
Great leaders look after themselves too.
When a sport psychologist is brought in, Ted refuses to engage. But as the pressure mounts and his anxiety worsens, he eventually turns for help. Ted learns a valuable lesson – to take care of others, he needs to take care of himself first.
Watch a video clip here >
We could go on, but we’re probably best to let you watch yourself. But we will leave you one of Ted’s many quotes.
“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.”
Enjoy!
