I love the television show “Ted Lasso” for how it emphasizes that leadership is not about technical expertise.
There’s more to leadership than technical expertise.
In the show, Ted is hired as the head coach of football team – in England. His expertise is in American football. He doesn’t actually know the game of soccer.
The person who hired him fully expected him to fail because of his lack of technical expertise. But Ted discovers success.
A leader identifies strengths, motivates, and sets a vision.
Ted focuses on three key aspects of leadership: strengths, motivation, and vision
Strengths: He looks for ways to find what each player uniquely brings to the team. He then can celebrate and elevate those strengths. He can also find more opportunities for those strengths to combine and shine. He looks for who has the presence to rally teammates out of a slump; who has the playfulness to remind his teammates of the joy of the sport; who has the creativity to design new plays.
Motivation: He openly and frequently shares various ways that he gets motivation – including the “Believe” sign over his office door. He also gets to know each player individually, and finds ways to learn more about why they play the game, what makes them proud, and how they gain confidence. Then he connects with each player – perhaps with a book recommendation, a pick-up game, music, or even an intense yell. His wide range of approaches sparks individuals and the team to work hard and work together.
Vision: Ted clearly sets the one year goal for the team at the beginning of each season. He doesn’t prescribe a detailed path to reach the goal – because he knows that there will be ups and downs, and surprises to adapt to along the way. The key is to keep moving generally in the desired direction. As such, his vision remains compelling. Players and staff are gradually able to see the vision in their own way and connect with it. It’s one thing to show up to practice because it’s your job, and another thing to show up because you know it will get you one step closer to your goal.
Notice how much attention and importance you give to technical details
Ted Lasso is an empathic leader who is successful on many levels, in spite of, or perhaps because of, his lack of technical expertise in the field.
Keep this in mind as you face daily choices to spend time on technical details or on team dynamics and visioning skills. Which one will have the greatest impact on your long term goals?
