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HOUSEKEEPING 📨

I’m not going to lie, I was actually quite nervous to write this post. I put a poll out a few weeks back for our next deep dive—and although we Adam Neumann ahead—the result was Ted Lasso in a landslide. I was really nervous to get in and write about another fictional leader.

LEADER DEEP DIVE 🕵🏻

Ted Lasso - Manager at AFC Richmond

Ted Lasso (/ˈlæsoʊ/ LASS-oh; born 1975) is an American college football coach who gained international recognition for his innovative coaching methods and positive management style during his tenure coaching English soccer team, AFC Richmond.

For those who have been living under a rock, Ted Lasso is fictitious. A made a man. A fugazi. The reason we want to learn from today is that even though he may not walk amongst our mortal souls—a lot can be learnt from him.

Like our deep dive into our fictitious Stark King, this one promises to be a belter. Leadership through empathy: Leadership the Lasso Way.

Early years

A young Coach Lasso, at the time known simply as Theodore, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Kathryn Lasso (née Wendt) and Jeremiah Lasso. He grew up an eager and athletic child, and played college football as a quarterback at Wichita State University.

_{*Wait … this whole section is entirely made up. You know that right? Seriously though—I am mixing Jason Sudeikis, the character of Ted Lasso and my own imagination. Stick with me.}

After sealing their Division II title, Coach Lasso went semi-viral for a ‘Happy Dance’ he shared with his players in the change rooms after the game.

It was this dance that would be the catalyst for a totally new life experience for Ted, after it got the attention of the new owner of the Premier League’s, AFC Richmond, Rebecca Welton.

Career in the Premier League

Although Coach Lasso and ‘The Greyhounds’ didn’t set the world on fire during his 3-year coaching stint in the Premier League, they were able to play with considerable passion and heart, rebounding from a heartbreaking relegation after year 1.

But our study today of Ted and his men is not a study of a dynastic success, played out after years and years. This is not the story of Sir Alex Ferguson and the famed Manchester United. This is the story of a coach would lead his team not to winning—but to growth. In more ways than one.

Let’s dive into Ted’s coaching philosophy, but before we do, we will take a quick stop at his heroes and inspirations.

Coaching heroes

Coach Lasso’s coaching inspirations were numerous, but with a heavy slant to famous coaches from two sports: football (soccer) and basketball. On the basketball side, he cited people from nine-time NBA champion Steve Kerr to his high school coach, Donnie Campbell.

_{*Ok ok, me again. These coaching heroes are actually the heroes of Ted Lasso—or at least the creator of Ted, the actor who played him Jason Sudeikis.}

But his biggest inspiration came from the late, great NCAA coach, John Wooden, who won a record 10 national championships in his time as coach at at the University of California.

Wooden was not only famous for his championships wins but also his philosophy that emphasised character and personal integrity—sounding familiar? Wooden would actually leave his lasting imprint on sport at large, when he developed the ‘Pyramid of Success,’ a conceptual blueprint for personal and team success. The Pyramid—hangs in Ted Lasso’s office at AFC Richmond.

Wooden was famous for his pearls of wisdom over his long career. Here are some of his most famous quotes; "It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen", "Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts" and my personal favourite below.

But it’s not only Wooden and the leaders of thew hardcourt that inspired Ted. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp’s innovative culture building also rubbed off on him. Klopp famously took his club out to karaoke as a team-building exercise in 2018, something that Ted modelled in his time coaching in the Premier League.

Playbook - The Lasso Way

Ted’s playbook of success—The Lasso Way—is well documented. But over the next few paragraphs I will do my best to distil the philosophies into bite sized pieces you can take away with you.

Let me set the stage though, with a quote I love of Coach Lasso’s that focusses on how he thinks about culture inside his teams.

Incredible. If we are to break apart Coach Lasso’s playbook, here is how I’d summarise his successes.

• Treat everyone with the same respect. In his first days at Richmond, Coach Lasso meets Nate, a kit man, one of the lowest ranking jobs in a football club. Instead of brushing him off as an underling, he makes note of introducing himself and showing him respect. And learning his name. Something that is incredibly powerful in relationship building.

• Work hard to build relationships. Ted also worked incredibly hard to build relationships that matter at the club once he joined. He began a habit of brining biscuits to the new owner Rebecca every time they meet. Nothing crazy—but a small gesture that goes a long way.

• Realise you are not always the smartest person in the room. Ted is not someone who thinks that his decisions making ability trumps others. Yes, Ted is self-aware of the fact that he doesn’t know European football but he also just has a habit of allowing the best idea to win. Take when Nate has an idea for a new strategy. Ted could pre-judge that idea based on Nate's youth and inexperience. Instead, he backs him in and it leads to the teams’ success. This is something Ray Dalio would refer to as an Idea Meritocracy.

• Put the team above the individual. Jamie Tartt, AFC Richmond’s most skilled player, was benched by Coach Lasso for not playing team football. This was to the detriment of the team in the short term but the right decision for the long term health of the organisation. No one person should be put above the team.

• Foster a growth mindset. Ted, his staff, his players and the club, all faced turmoil at some point during his tenure at AFC Richmond. They were always able to eventually overcome this by adopting a growth mindset—focusing on continuous improvement and learning from failures.

• Build a team that compliments you. Coach Lasso knew he didn’t have what it took to coach this side on his own. He needed everyone that he put around him. Coach Beard, Roy Kent, Nate and more, were those that Ted would lean on when he needed them.

• Lead by example, show vulnerability. Ted was always able to lead by example within his organisation. He would show vulnerability when necessary, and make tough decision when the time required it as well. This allowed him to foster trust with his team.

• Build the culture above all else. Coach Lasso’s combined strength of all of the points above culminates in one thing—a strong culture. Whether it’s a non-profit, tech company or sporting club, the culture that you build radiates through all of those around you. Choose how you behave with this fact in mind.

Ted was by no means perfect—no one is. But he was someone who strived to be better each and every day. Because of this, his team were drawn in, and couldn’t help but to follow his example.

Some favourite Tedisms

Future

Ok, joke is over, breaking the forth wall again here. Yes—Ted Lasso is fictional—but also yes, Ted Lasso is a leader we should all model ourselves on. A kind, empathetic leader who cares about people and often puts others first. That’s the kind of leader we should all aspire to be.

And if we can’t be like Ted today, we should all be working to be just that little bit more like Ted tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day after that. Because, as Coach Lasso says; “Every day is a chance to be better than we were the day before.”

Fun facts

• Ted Lasso started as a set of commercials. Years before the series Ted Lasso started as a set of commercials for NBC Sports. See them here and here.

• NBA coaches learn from Lasso. Ex-Utah Jazz, and current Atlanta Hawaks coach Quin Snyder says lessons in Ted Lasso are “required viewing” for all coaches. Ted replied in kind.

• Richmond AFC could exist. The Richmond from the show is actually Richmond Park, or rather the Crown Estate of Richmond Park, located in the county of Surrey, 45 minutes away from London.

Extra reading & listening

• 10 Leadership Lessons From Ted Lasso - August, 2021

• Amazing Leadership Lessons From Ted Lasso - October, 2021

• Leadership Lessons from Season One of Ted Lasso - November, 2021

And that’s it! You can watch the entire Ted Lasso series on Apple TV+ here.

TWEET OF THE WEEK 🐣

Great look behind the curtain into beehiiv competitor ConvertKit and their metrics. Love some building in public.

BRAIN FOOD 🧠 

I have been fascinating with the idea of ‘happiness’ for a very long time. This conversation between Prof G and Arthur Brooks was one of the better deep dives on the topic I have ever heard. The TL;DR is that happiness = love and love = happiness according to the data. Have a listen—you’ll enjoy it.

You can also check it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts if that’s more your jam.

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