I have new favorite show. Ted Lasso, on AppleTV, tells the story of an American football coach who goes to England to coach a soccer (also football, everywhere but the US) club. It’s surprisingly funny and heart-warming, and it’s shockingly smart. So smart that, as I watched episodes the first time through, I found myself thinking repeatedly about how I wanted to be more like Ted Lasso in my role as a high school principal. Every episode contains lessons that leaders can use in probably any work environment to help them support and therefore get the most out of their team members, and I’ve already begun to draw on these lessons in my professional practice. So, I did what I almost never do; I watched the series again. This time I took notes, and what will follow here and for the next few posts are my notes and thoughts about the leadership lessons of Ted Lasso and other characters from the show.
SPOILER ALERT: From this point forward, I will be writing about specific scenes and quotes from the show. Please make sure to watch the episode in question before reading on; it’s worth it. This post will include content from Episode 2: Biscuits and Episode 3: Ted Crimm, The Independent.
CONTENT ALERT: Ted Lasso is written for adults. They use language I would never use in school or a work environment and there are sexual references in many episodes. None of it personally bothers me, but it might bother some viewers.
So, without further ado…
EPISODE TWO: BISCUITS
Biscuits with the Boss
Episode 2 begins with Ted bringing biscuits (English for cookies) to his new boss, Rebecca. This may seem like nothing more than a plot convenience, or cynically like an attempt to artificially ingratiate himself with his new employer, but there’s actually an important leadership lesson here. Ted knows that his boss, even though she hired him and brought him to the club, isn’t yet on board with his vision and methods. Ted also knows that to build a culture of collegiality and support, everyone must be included. And, even though this kind of culture cannot be simply imposed from the top down, it does need to be modeled at the top. So, “biscuits with the boss” is Ted’s way of including Rebecca, of bringing her into the fold, and of modeling his vision for a culture of support and collegiality that will (Ted hopes) work its way throughout the organization.
The Suggestion Box
Later in the episode, Ted announces to the team that he won’t be making any major changes to the game plan going into their first game together. This again is an important leadership lesson; he’s taking his time to learn the players and the organization so that he can better understand their needs and the best way to move forward in enacting change and building towards his vision. But then, he does something really special: he asks the players what changes they want to see. In doing so, he democratizes the process and creates ownership among the players. The changes suggested are their changes. Now, this is a comedy television show so what’s included in the suggestions is hopefully not what an organizational leader might find if they did the same in real life. But there is one honest request included in the box: the water pressure in the showers is horrible. And here again in an important leadership lesson: Ted fixes the problem. Leaders should care about the details. Leaders should democratize leadership when possible and give voice to individual team members. And, when presented with a solvable problem by members of the team, leaders should keep their word and address the issue. This is actually a big win for Ted; we see immediately that he is earning the respect of Roy, the most influential player on the team. More about him later.
EPISODE 3: TRENT CRIMM – THE INDEPENDENT
The Gifts
A lot happens in Episode 3, starting with Ted giving each player on the team a gift. The lesson we learn when the gifts are unwrapped: Ted recognizes that each member of the team has individual strengths and therefore, individual needs. By giving each a gift that is specifically geared towards their individual needs and potential contributions, he’s actually building a stronger team of players. We focus on Roy, and it’s quickly apparent why Ted has chosen this particular gift for him, but the message applies to each member of AFC Richmond and to leaders everywhere. Leaders must identify team members’ strengths and needs, as well as their roles and potential contributions to the betterment of the whole, in order to leverage each individuals’ and the team’s full potential.
The Interview
Of course, what this episode is really about is Ted’s interview with Trent Crimm, a smart, contentious reporter. Everything about this interview is a lesson in leadership. First, Ted doesn’t shy away from the challenge. He knows that Trent is on a mission to find fault in Ted, both as a person and in his ability to fulfill his role of coach. Ted doesn’t hide or hedge; instead, he is transparent and honest with the reporter about his background, knowledge, and plan. He is both transparent and vulnerable with Trent, just as he is with everyone else. Transparency and vulnerability are fundamental skills that strong leaders must master in order to be successful. And they are skills, not attributes. They must be practiced; no one I’ve ever met has been inherently comfortable opening up to strangers about their weaknesses or insecurities. What we learn by the end of the episode though is that what seems like weakness is actually strength: vulnerability is a mirage. By leading with transparency and vulnerability, Ted actually is showing the strength of conviction, and in doing so he draws people in and helps them to believe in his vision for themselves.
The Vision
Ted’s vision (or “why” if you’re also a fan of Simon Sinek) is neatly summed up when he tells Trent, “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.” This is probably why I just can’t get enough of Ted Lasso…my “why” is so similar: to help others be and become their best selves. In my role as a high school principal this means mentoring my fellow administrators, providing appropriate and individualized professional development to teachers that is aligned to institutional and individual goals, and creating programs and procedures designed to support the success of our students now and with an eye towards their future. Ted recognizes that wins aren’t the goal; they are a means of measuring the achievement of the actual goal of personal and team growth. Schools are the same: grades are NOT the goal. Grades (like wins in sports) are one measure used to quantify the achievement of the actual goal, which is the growth (academic and otherwise) of our students. This may be the most misunderstood aspect of a quality education and the most common cause of educational malpractice. Focusing on grades means that when a student struggles they are left believing that they are a failure. They are not. They have struggled, stumbled, and maybe failed to learn certain information or to complete a task, but they are not a failure. We all struggle; we all fail. We are NOT all failures. Ted gets this, and I think by the end of the episode Trent does too.
Please Come to the Principal’s Office 