The Ted Lasso Playbook for Startup Success
Since we are four weeks into the football season, my mind went to a place where I wanted to come up with a fun combined sports and startup theme for today since it’s chock-full of games.
I find headlines hard to do, but I always start the drafting process by coming-up with a few potential ones to help guide my writing. This time I came up with:
"How to Build a Winning Startup Culture Ted Lasso-Style"
"Optimism, Empathy, and Teamwork: A Ted Lasso Guide for Founders"
"Beyond the Pitch Deck: Channeling Ted Lasso's Leadership as a Startup CEO"
"Kindness and Positivity Win: The Ted Lasso Way for Startup CEOs" and
"Taking the Field with Ted Lasso: Leadership Tips for Startup CEOs."
I decided that "The Ted Lasso Playbook for Startup Success" made the strongest point, as there are many valuable lessons and strategies startup founders and CEOs can take away from the acclaimed Apple+ streaming series Ted Lasso and transform them into a playbook similar to the ones used in football/soccer.
Just like the ever-skeptical world of football that Ted enters, the tech industry is rife with adversity. However, Ted approaches all situations with unwavering optimism and kindness - a mindset startup leaders would be wise to emulate.
Ted seamlessly balances genuine emotional moments with laugh-out-loud humor when communicating, engaging both the heart and mind.
The show explores relatable struggles like imposter syndrome and self-doubt (see my blog post here) that entrepreneurs grapple with.
Ted embraces constant personal growth. He exudes resilience and rallies his team to believe in themselves and in each other. Jason Sudeikis is perfectly cast as the infectiously upbeat Ted, and the stellar supporting cast works collaboratively like a true team. Their chemistry brings the themes of compassion and affirming the best in one another to life.
Like Ted Lasso injecting American football positivity into English football, founders can inject empathy and emotional intelligence into startups no matter the market or technology products.
Ted Lasso provides an uplifting and entertaining reminder that believing in yourself and others has the power to transform challenges into triumph and at the same time, great exits.