Ted Lasso & the Workplace

I fear I’m far behind the times, but I just recently watched Ted Lasso for the first time. My housemate purchased an Apple TV subscription in order to watch the new season, and I took that as an opportunity to see what all the chatter was about. Trust, I was not disappointed. The characters are unique and loveable, the plotline is interesting, the storyline leaves you feeling optimistic, a relief from much of the media we consume—it is, without a doubt, a compelling show. And I think there are some takeaways in it, too.

In the first few years of postgrad, I—alongside many of you, my fellow twenty-somethings—have spent some good time navigating workplace dynamics and culture, listening to stories from friends in new corporate jobs about the manager that is already much improved from their predecessor, or the executive who everyone would love to see leave. I certainly found myself considering questions about organizational structure, internal communication, leadership styles, transparency, etc. in my last job, and the messiness and potential beauty of it all is fresh on my mind as I’ve recently had a job shift.

Although I thought I was watching Ted Lasso purely for entertainment’s sake, Ted Lasso has a lot of wisdom on the topic. Here are some tidbits I’m walking away with:

 

Knowing the people you work with matters.

At the start of the show, Rebecca Welton, the new owner of AFC Richmond following her public divorce, doesn’t know her people. She doesn’t know the players, barely recognizes her director of football operations, Leslie Higgins, as a real person, and has no desire to get to know her new team manager, Ted Lasso. And the culture is not good, to say the least.

But when Ted steps into his new position, he immediately starts doing what he does best: getting to know his people. Despite Rebecca’s opposition, Ted invests in his relationship with her, both as a colleague and as a person. He does the same with his coaching staff and the team. Over time, he creates opportunities for the team to get to know one another as people. (If you’ve seen the show, you know that the haunted treatment room plays a big role in this.)

The camaraderie that this priority brings to the team and the workplace undoubtedly promotes a culture of empathy, laying the groundwork for a healthy, trusting workplace culture.

 

Appreciate how different strengths complement each other.

Ted is a great leader because he has a talent for noticing other people’s gifts and elevating their strengths. He notices Nate’s gift for seeing gaps and coming up with strategies to address them, and he promotes him from kit man to the coaching staff because of it.

Later, when the team is on a losing streak and Roy, a former star player, has clearly lost his way, Ted welcomes him onto the coaching staff. Even Ted’s other coaching half, Coach Beard, has a completely different skill set from Ted’s. Beard reads books on strategy, while Ted takes a relational approach.

Ted exemplifies this strength, and others follow his lead. Eventually, even Jamie Tartt learns to pass the ball instead of taking the shot himself.

 

Success exists on different scales. Don’t let one loss tear you down.

Obviously, winning is the main goal for AFC Richmond, but it’s not the only measure of success Ted has for the team. And Ted doesn’t let one loss drag them down. In one of the first episodes, he tells the team, “You know what the happiest animal on earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? Got a ten-second memory. Be a goldfish.” And that lesson is one he comes back to. He doesn’t actually mean that we should forget everything from the past, but rather that we should shake off a loss and move forward. And for him, winning isn’t the only measure of success. Relationship-building is important, too. As a former kids’ coach, Ted knows how to prioritize the people behind the performance. I think that’s a simple habit to carry forward into the work world.

 

I would love for everyone who manages a team to watch Ted Lasso. If you do watch it, perhaps it will give you some practical wisdom, or perhaps it will leave you feeling hopeful.