Leadership – the Ted Lasso way

What will we do now that Ted Lasso has waved its final goodbye? 

Sit sobbing on our sofa every Wednesday evening, watching a blank screen where the likes of Danny Rojas and Sam Obisanya used to be? Rock up in Richmond to take the Ted Lasso tour? Or go back to Season 1, Episode 1, and start all over again?

If you haven’t watched it yet, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Sorry, I mean, you really should give it a go. Especially if you are a leader or manager - it’s far more than a comedy about football; it’s practically CPD.

Know how to flex your style and motivate 

All of the Ted Lasso characters in leadership roles evolve over the three seasons. No more so than Roy Kent. In Season 1, he’s the club's hairdryer-throwing, swearing, all-black-wearing captain. By Season 3, he’s in a coaching position, putting his arm around people, showing his vulnerabilities and knocking about in a tie-dye top - still effing and jeffing for good measure.

As a leader, there are many ways to develop greater self-awareness and understand others better. This helps you to flex your style to get the best out of everyone, including yourself:

• Have 1:1s and actively listen to what people say. If you’re asking what they want from you, it will help to give them thinking time beforehand
• Do a team engagement survey and be open to constructive feedback – sometimes easier said than done!
• Carry out Insights Discovery Profiling, a tool used to help individuals understand their unique personality preferences and communication styles. 

Know what your purpose is and make a plan

Whether you have a crush on Rebecca Welton or want to be her (for me, it’s both), there’s lots to learn from AFC Richmond’s owner. 

Initially, Hannah Waddingham’s character is newly divorced, and, as part of the settlement, she gets the football club, the love of her ex-husband’s life. The thing that she most wants is revenge; hence she appoints Ted Lasso, who she perceives to be a hapless American coach, hoping that he will inadvertently ruin the club.

If you haven’t seen the programme, I’m not going to give too many spoilers. Let’s just say that Rebecca’s purpose changes over time and, by the end of Season 3, isn’t at all related to Rupert the ex – hooray! Instead, it’s about developing the team and making them winners.

As a leader, it’s essential to review why you do what you do regularly. Hopefully, you’re not out to crush others’ hopes and dreams, but you may be driven by being the best in your field. When you recognise this, it’s about making a plan to achieve that goal. That plan could include the following:

• Looking outward more – finding out what others are doing better than you, nationally and globally
• Thinking differently – looking at your team’s entrenched ways of working with a fresh pair of eyes and a growth mindset
• Sharing your purpose and aim with others and thinking creatively and innovatively about how you’re going to get there

Look after your mental health and wellbeing

Ted Lasso is the ultimate good guy, a perennial optimist and a people-pleaser – bringing his freshly baked biscuits in for Rebecca every day (maybe that’s why I want to be her?) But, unfortunately, Ted’s so much of a walking, talking fridge magnet that his wife divorced him for being too cheerful. Ouch!

Underneath though, Ted isn’t without his problems. He’s homesick, misses his son and still loves his ex-wife, and experiences debilitating panic attacks, having to run off the sideline during matches. 

As a leader, you need to look after your own mental health and wellbeing just as much as you support others with theirs. So here are some things to think about:

• Are you being your authentic self? No one wants to listen to an oversharing moaner, but relentless positivity isn't helpful either. How do you create a culture of realistic happiness within your team? 
• Who do you turn to if you’re having a wellbeing wobble? And how would you know if you need professional support? In Season 2, Ted is cynical about the arrival of sports psychologist Dr Sharon Fieldstone. Still, they develop an understanding of each other, and he has a toolkit of self-help strategies by the time she leaves.
• Are you in the right job, in the right place, at the right time? Where are your priorities in terms of work, family and life? 

I’m writing this blog a few days before the final episode of Ted Lasso, so I genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen. But I know that, if I was Ted, I’d take my ball and my biscuit mix and…

If you’d like support to be a bit more Ted Lasso in your workplace, contact our Doug - doug@laughology.co.uk - he won’t give away any spoilers, either.