Ted Lasso's shadow

Happy Labor Day!

"The culture of an organization is the shadow of its leader." ~Jon Gordon

This Labor Day weekend I did three things I love: one, I rewatched the entire three seasons of Apple TV's Ted Lasso (again); two, I discovered a new leadership quote I love (see above); and three, I made a list (yes, I am one of those list makers...)

Back to this holiday weekend dedicated to Labor, why did I rewatch the entire series of a show I have already seen more than once, or twice? Simple answer is because it makes me happy and I find the show and its lessons around working in, and leading workplaces, incredibly inspiring. And fun. This time around however I found myself making mental notes of many of those lessons from the show, or rather those lessons that are my personal and professional favorites.

• 1st Chances: While many of us have heard of, and are probably familiar with, giving 2nd chances, sometimes the best thing we can do is to actually give a 1st chance. Give someone the benefit of the doubt. Respect them for who they are as an individual and give them the job, the break, the opportunity, give them that first chance to show up and do something incredible, or to just discover what they may want to become.

• The Importance of the Team Around Us: This isn't a new idea but I love the fact that the team around us makes all the difference; and a great coach or leader is constantly making sure that they actually know the team, and are in tune with what is going on with the team. Why lead if we don't really know who it is we're leading.

• Vulnerability: Being vulnerable is how we build trust and trust is how we build a team. Gone are the days of pretending leaders are perfect beings without emotions or troubles or faults. As a leader, showing up as our true self allows our team to show up as theirs, discover their true potential and work harder than anyone has ever worked before. That itself is the foundation for great work cultures and how organizations in turn become great.

• Don't Settle for Fine: As Roy so perfectly tells Rebecca, none of us should settle for "fine" but rather we should all be striving for whomever and whatever sets our soul on fire.

• Do the Right Thing Even if You Lose: Oh this has been said and written many ways, by many others, but isn't it so true. Although at times not always so easy to do.

• The Family We Make Along the Way: To partially quote Leslie's character, "Here's to the family we're born into, and to the family we make along the way!" I love this so much, and I especially love when "along the way" happens at work.

• Branding: The best brand is to be ourself. Only then will we end up on the right path, in the right place, with the right people.

• Don't Overcorrect: Don't overcorrect and play a game that isn't our game. For leaders, that game should be the game of loving what we do and leading that way accordingly. Don't lead with hate or bad intent or even with the hope that your opponent will lose - you can't control that after all, so you can't lead with that - none of that should be our game. Let's be so busy with our own game that we don't have time to play anyone else's. Let's lead with the hope that our team will always win, even if in the very end, and wherever that very end may be.

• Belief: To believe in ourselves, one another, is fundamental to being alive. That line of Ted's is so powerful and always give me goosebumps.

• Don't Give Up: Never stop, no matter how many failures we may experience. Because when we're doing what we're meant to do, we always have to keep trying.

• Freedom: People need freedom. Freedom to follow their hearts.

• Support: People also need support. Support from someone to have our back while following our heart.

• Fight Forward: Sometimes it's best not to fight back, but to fight forward.

• Finding the Right Idea: A lot of times the right idea is just sitting behind a bunch of wrong ones, and we can't find it unless we go through those wrong ones.

• No Such Thing as Sudden Change: Usually what looks like sudden change is years of learning, failing, building trust and relationships, that in turn leads us to a better way of doing things, of working, of living.

• Nothing's Impossible: While not trying to disprove any of the known facts of real science or mathematics, I just love the possibility of trying and knowing that "it" could just be possible.

• Moving Toward Better: We should not be striving for perfection or never failing, but in just moving, and always moving toward better.

• Be Present: Leaders especially need this reminder as so often we live in the future to plan for the future, but truly we don't need to know the future (why play the game if we know what the final score will be?!) we should need and want to be right here, right now. Enjoying the moment, the only moment we have.

• Jobs Save Lives: Jobs can save lives, and should save lives. Jobs and the people who grant them have a tremendous and unique opportunity of showing us who we should be, what we should be working for, and what we should be living for. What an amazing thing.

Wow. Just typing out this list inspires me even more and I hope it will do the same for you, and especially for those in charge of building culture. The wisdom from Ted Lasso the show and the character should inspire lessons that great leaders should love, and want to live by. What a great way to cast a shadow.

"The culture of an organization is the shadow of its leader."

~jon gordon