Spoiler alert: this post talks about Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1. If you haven't watched yet, bookmark this for later and come back!
Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 1 gave me a lot to sit with, but one moment stuck: Ted's mom telling him it's important for a son to see his father feel passionate about something. That's it. That's the whole nudge she gives him to take the coach job. Not advice, really. Just naming what he already knew.
Can we talk about how time appropriate that passion theme was for me? Are you watching me, Jason Sudeikis? I have been in People and Culture less than a week and I am already SO energized and passionate about the new work I'm doing. I am also grateful that my son, who was a P&C intern for a semester and knows my coworkers, gets to see how freaking stoked I am to go to work every day.
Because that's really what leadership is, isn't it? Not telling people what to do, but helping them see what they already know is true.
I've been thinking about this all week because I got to teach Communicating for Results to a group of emerging leaders, and something happened in that room that I haven't stopped thinking about. We were talking about how to bring people through change well, and the conversation turned honest fast. This group named, out loud, several moments where our own organization has fumbled communication through big transitions.
Here's the part that got me energized instead of discouraged: they didn't stay stuck in the critique. They turned it inward. How do I do this better for my people? That question, asked honestly, is where real leadership starts.
Ted could have handled that kid stealing from the store in a dozen harsher ways. He didn't. He took the blame instead. He stayed servant hearted even when he had every right and every bit of authority not to. That's not weakness. That's a choice, made over and over, to lead like the person you actually want to be.
I moved into People and Culture because I want to help my organization become who it says it is. Not just the mission and values on a slide, but the lived experience of the people doing the work. That gap between what we say and what we do is where trust breaks down, and closing it is not somebody else's job. It starts with the people willing to ask, honestly, are my actions in line with my words.
So here's my question for you: where in your leadership have you been talking about change without actually walking people through it? And what would it look like to close that gap, just for tomorrow?
This is not a show about soccer.