Written by: Paul A Cicchini, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I have a new favorite TV show, and it’s not a guilty pleasure at all. I am truly proud to say I am a fan of “Ted Lasso,” and it’s because of the message it provides in every episode. Some may say that the mood of the show is unabashedly Capra-esque in its almost naive, unwavering belief in human nature. However, the real genius of the show is that we as 21st-century cynics want to sneer at Ted’s incurable optimism, but we wind up falling head-over heels for his folksy charm and we find ourselves rejecting our pessimism and rooting for him to succeed.
If you’ve really bought into the show (as I have), you realize that Ted’s sunny attitude is not just admirable, but a real advantage and a blueprint for success in so many areas of life and business, including self-motivation, teamwork, and optimizing interpersonal relationships.
“Ted Lasso” is a comedy that on the surface, seems like it’s built on a simple premise: the classic “fish out of water” theme, but it is so much more. Ted is a successful small-college American football coach. He is lured away from that life by a rich London divorcee who hires Ted to coach the English Premier League Soccer Team that she just got custody of in her divorce settlement. Even if you know nothing about sports, you still probably understand that English Football (Soccer) is nothing at all like American Football, and Ted knows nothing about soccer. Here’s the plot twist: the owner hires Ted not because she believes in him, but because she expects him to fail in the hopes of ruining the team to get back at her cheating ex-husband. Ted, however, doesn’t know this, and he has never backed down from a challenge in his life. So, despite starting from a great disadvantage, he blithely sets out to win over the dysfunctional team, the angry fans, the cynical press, and even the malevolent owner.
Besides decorating the locker room with a simple sign, “BELIEVE,” Ted uses so many other methods to coax out his intended results of tapping into your emotions, getting you to like yourself, building group cohesion, getting you to trust others, and reaching your full potential. He does that with analogies, self-deprecating humor, and a little thing we psychologists like to call Social Stories. When he is done spinning his yarns, you like him just a bit more, you feel like you matter just a smidge more, and you buy into his message of hope, just a skosh more. In essence, he touches everyone around him. It doesn’t matter if it’s the owner, the petulant star player or the locker room attendant, he makes a lasting impact on them, and ultimately isn’t that the goal of every coach, teacher, or leader? To make a connection?
As a writer, I really dig the rapid-fire dialogue on the show. It’s sharply clever but wrapped up in that wit are the true gems of the show: the secrets to being a successful, well, a successful person.
Ted; “Hey, Ollie, this is my friend, Trent. Trent, this is my buddy, Ollie. Congrats; you both just met a cool person.”
What’s the lesson here? It costs nothing to make another person feel good about themselves. In one fell swoop, he made two people think, “Hey, at least one person on this planet thinks I’m cool.” Cast that bread upon the waters, and you will start to feel good about yourself, I guarantee it.
Ted: “You could fill two internets with what I don’t know.”
Lesson: Be humble. Self-deprecating, even. Good leaders don’t have to sell the world on how great they are. Also, admit your shortcomings because someone else is bound to point them out sooner or later. Hey, sometimes you can even turn those shortcomings into advantages.
Trent: “Did you draw up that trick play, coach?’
Ted: “Me? Nah, our own Nate the Great created that one.”
Lesson: Don’t hog all the glory. Give other people credit. It makes them feel good, appreciated, and they will know that you are trustworthy.
Ted: “I do love a locker room. It smells like potential.”
Lesson: Try not to see things (or people) just for what they are on the surface (a smelly locker room), but for what they could be (an environment for winning).
Ted: “I shouldn’t bring an umbrella to a brainstorm.”
Lesson: Be open to new ideas no matter where they come from. Real leaders look for genius everywhere. They value the opinions of other co-workers, wherever they fall on the organizational flow chart.
Ted: “Do you know what the happiest animal is? It's a goldfish. You know why? It's got a 10-second memory.”
Lesson: Don't dwell on defeats. Have a short memory when it comes to mistakes. Own them, recognize them, learn from them, and then move on. Don't keep beating yourself up over lost opportunities. You'll miss the new ones coming over the horizon.
Ted: “Guys have underestimated me my whole life…it used to really bother me. But then one day, I was driving my little boy to school, and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman, and it was painted on the wall there. It said, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ I liked that.”
Lesson: You hate when people judge you, right? Well, then don’t be that person yourself. Keep an open mind about others. Don’t be quick to write off a person because of their attitudes or behavior. Find out why they are like that. Don’t sell anyone short. Be curious about whether they can be more than what they present to be.
As a result of my fandom, one of my favorite pastimes now is to come up with my own Ted Lasso-isms. Some of them are corny, perhaps downright silly, and for my own entertainment, like:
“That story you’re peddlin’? It’s like Doctor Who flyin’ around the time-space continuum in a Port-o-Potty instead of a Police Box. Just doesn’t smell right.”
Others are only slightly more serious but reflect my sincere ambitions to put all these new, valuable lessons to good use in my own career:
“If you’re doing your job as a leader, you should hear more folks shoutin’, ‘I’m a believer’ than the front row of a Monkees concert.”
In any case, thanks to this show, I’m energized, and excited to try new ways to make connections and to make a real impact. In other words:
“I’m ready for more change than the wardrobe master at a Sir Elton John concert.”
Paul A Cicchini, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sir Paul Cicchini M.Ed., Ed.S., NCSP is a nationally certified school psychologist. He specializes in character education and is the only school psychologist on the East Coast to be certified in the new field of Social Emotional Learning (SEL)/Character Ed (Rutgers Univ. 2016). He is the owner of One Knight Publishing, LLC
Sir Paul aspires to be a well-rounded Renaissance man. His list of personal accomplishments includes cable television host (Cars Weekly Video Magazine-Philadelphia), AP credentialed sports journalist, humorist, adjunct professor, martial artist, fencer, semi-pro football player, high school football coach, collegiate football scout. His title of "Sir" comes from his rank of Knights Commander with the Templar Knights SMOTJ.
His second novel, YOUNG CYRANO, is the fictionalized account of the teenage life of Cyrano de Bergerac. It received a rating from the respected Readers’ Favorite website (click a link to read their five-star review). Paul’s most recent novel, THE ESSENTIALZ is about a team of teenage superheroes that undergo the same challenges as modern teens.
