There's a change in perspective that only loss can bring. I saw it when my dad died. I felt it again when my brother and then my brother-in-law both died within a year of each other. All of a sudden, the things that had been important were no longer important, and the things I'd been putting off were the only things that mattered.
Ted Lasso spent the end of Season 4 in that place after losing Mae. He caught himself lying to Henry about how his dad died, and Beard told him something that stuck with me: sometimes we lie to our kids, but never just to spare ourselves the discomfort. So he went back and told the truth.
Then, Ted kept reprioritizing and took an even bigger step back. He became the team's assistant manager so Alice could lead and he could focus more on Henry.
Here's the thing. That only worked because Ted had spent the WHOLE season getting Alice ready.
I believe one of the most overlooked parts of leadership is making yourself redundant. The meetings, the reports, the day-to-day management all matter, but they aren't the job. The job is growing your people.
I say people, not teams, on purpose. A team can easily be a faceless, shapeless entity. Growing people happens one person at a time: helping someone figure out what they want, then seeing how that fits with the team they're on or the one they want to join. It's a big puzzle, and it's my favorite one to put together. It's also a big part of why I fell in love with coaching.
In my experience, it takes a couple of years to really develop someone. Even then, nobody steps into leadership feeling 100% ready. Alice certainly didn't. Readiness isn't about feeling it. It's about having the tools: understanding the importance of communication, knowing how to build trust, and grasping what coaching your people looks like, even if you aren't there yet. You grow into the rest.
Loss shows you what's important. For Ted and for me, it's people.
I can't believe this is my last Ted Lasso post of the season! Writing these has been SO much fun, and a huge thank you to Travis for walking (and talking) through every episode with me.
Who grew you into a leader before you felt ready? Who are you growing right now?