I wasn't prepared for how much leadership wisdom was packed into Ted Lasso Season 4, Episode 9.
Two moments have stuck with me, and both hit surprisingly close to home.
The first is Ted's chair.
Maybe the point isn't that Ted is sitting in the wrong seat. Maybe it's that he's sitting in a seat someone else is supposed to occupy.
I recently vacated my own chair as Head of OEM Finance. During my final two years in that role, one of the things I took most seriously was making sure I didn't leave an empty chair behind. I wanted to leave a successor. Not just someone who could cover the responsibilities, but someone who was READY to lead.
That meant intentionally creating opportunities, transferring knowledge, handing over more and more ownership, and making room for someone else to make the decisions. Hardest of all, it meant being willing to step back.
Leadership isn't about making yourself indispensable. It's about making yourself replaceable.
Then there's Mae.
Her death stops everything. Suddenly, the things that felt urgent aren't so urgent anymore.
I recently lived a much less dramatic (but very real) version of that, when an unexpected medical emergency took a friend and supervisor out of the day-to-day. It changed the way I looked at my own day-to-day, too.
What actually needs to happen?
What can wait?
Who needs support?
Where does my attention matter most right now?
It reminded me that leadership isn't just about executing the plan. Sometimes it takes courage to pause the plan and reassess what matters.
So maybe this is what I'm taking from this episode: Know when it's time to give up your seat. Know when it's time to stop worrying about the seating chart altogether.
Because ultimately, leadership isn't about the chair. It's about the people.
Have you ever had to give up your seat, or set the seating chart aside entirely? I'd love to hear what it taught you.