Leadership of Ted Lasso

What Can We Learn From the Leadership of Ted Lasso

I was at a hockey game not too long ago and a friend of mine ended up sitting right behind me with his family.  In between periods I met his daughter and wife and we were soon chatting about sports.  They asked what other sports I enjoyed -- and mentioned soccer.  Immediately they all mentioned, have you watched Ted Lasso?   He mentioned there are two people in this world, those people who love the show, and those people who haven't seen it yet.

It didn't take long for me to begin watching the series ... if you haven't seen it yet, its great a feel-good series about a kind and humorous soccer coach in the UK.  I've captured some of Ted Lasso's quotes in a separate post.  

Ted's relaxed leadership style creates a likable person who people want to listen to.

Ted Lasso's Leadership Lessons

Its not the typical leadership you see on television -- we often see the driven, high-intensity leaders who are direct, driven, and somewhat intolerant.   But in real life that type of leadership may not work as well ... we all respond differently to different types of leadership and the best leaders can modify their style to both motivate and engage their team members.  A high intensity may rarely be needed, but stable, level headed leaders demonstrate constraint, control and high emotional intelligence.

Ted's leadership is down to earth, friendly and with high emotional intelligence.  As INC magazine said, "Ted Lasso is reinventing leadership and proving nice leaders can (and should) finish first".  They go on to a few key points, "Great leaders are willing to be vulnerable" and in one episode he was willing to point out some of his misgivings to help prove a point.  "Great leaders focus on others' intentions, not their actions alone" where Ted had seen on numerous occasions see someone who did something he didn't like.  Instead of focusing on the action, he tried to understand the motivation .. why did the person do it.  Most people want to do the right thing.  Be curious and not judgmental.

Ted Lasso's Focus on Growth

Ted arrived into the UK and didn't really know much about soccer (he was an American football coach) and at the onset was roasted by the media.  (it continues on throughout the series).  But Ted doesn't let this bother him.  He doesn't let things bother him personally but focuses on the end goal -- growth of the team.

Along those lines, Ted Lasso also doesn't believe that anyone is bigger or better than the team -- but all players are part of the team that make it who it is.  No egos.  This focus on building the bonds of the players and focusing on the outcomes of training, coordination between players, and leading to a better team (and teamwork) is a crucial leadership skill.

Admit When You Are Wrong

Have you ever been wrong?  or incorrect?  (of course you have) But at work, many people could fear for being labeled as always wrong, or incorrect, or untrustworthy.  So it seems like in the work setting this may not happen as much as it should.

Leadership is about the Long Game

Ted Lasso joins the soccer team not knowing the first thing about how to play the game.  But knows how to build great teams.  Foundation is paramount and he initially focuses on that -- with the end goal being a winning team.  He focuses on building and coaching each of the players individually, building teamwork within, all the while thinking how this foundation would bring a future of winning.

What other ideas have you seen about the leadership of Ted Lasso?