Every business can use a little “Lasso.” Ted Lasso, that is. The Emmy-award-winning and insanely popular comedy series starring co-creator Jason Sudeikis pokes fun at Coach Lasso’s sugary, can-do-and-you-can-too management style. But as the world tiptoes its way out of an emotionally and economically devastating blow, thoughtful yet straightforward gestures like sharing “biscuits with the boss” sound like a welcome recipe for pivoting your organization for renewed success.

Much like Ted Lasso, managers face unfamiliar workplace challenges that test their leadership capabilities, such as communicating with fully remote staff, navigating a hybrid workforce, and adjusting KPIs to measure an evolving workplace’s performance better. How will this change our roles as leaders?

Jason Sudeikis sat down with Dreamforce 2021 guest host Soledad O’Brien to discuss his “Lasso leadership” style with his creative team and why it resonates with the needs of today’s workforce and the future of business. 

With every challenge business leaders face, there’s a Lasso line to bring it all into focus. Inspired by Dreamforce 2021, here are some of our favorites.

 

Success is not about the wins and losses.

The mastermind behind Ted Lasso believes his role as a leader is to create an environment where his team can test their abilities, use their creativity to formulate solutions, and develop skills that help them grow as people and as a team. Studies show that 83 percent of enterprises believe it’s crucial to develop leaders at all levels in a company. A shift to the growth process rather than focusing on the result often leads to unexpectedly excellent outcomes. 

 

They need to believe in themselves. 

Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff kicked off Dreamforce 2021 by calling out for Trustblazers, an evolution of Trailblazers that sees all the crises facing the world and works to address each one. So on a granular level, leadership needs to ensure an environment is conducive for workers to take professional risks and challenge themselves with new roles. That kind of trust, well, it’s game-changing.    

 

Our authentic voice shows through vulnerability. 

Ted Lasso says the things that can come into our lives that make us sad help us get from one place to a better one. Although we hope to shift our focus from measuring wins and losses, it still stings when the results are disappointing. Those are the moments when strong leadership is most impactful by showing its vulnerable side. 

“You can’t hold water in a closed fist,” said Jason. It’s only by opening up and being honest about what the team faces that solutions can surface.  

 

Change can be scary.

You can say that again. But as a digital transformation and consulting company, we see the positive impact new strategies and systems have on organizations who want to do their jobs better. 

“At Simplus, change management is all about honing emotional intelligence skills. Our change managers develop the organizations and teams they work with by listening and empowering individuals with the understanding, training, and direction they need to navigate new processes, foreign technologies, or shifts in day-to-day operations,” says Kevin Melfi, Senior Consultant with our Change Management practice here at Simplus. 

Experts believe that only 14 percent of CEOs are prepared with the leadership skills necessary to help their organizations grow, so the need for adaptable leadership abounds—particularly now.  

As companies restructure their organization to address the changing needs of their leadership, disruptors like Jason Sudeikis show us that while employees are not always physically seen in a traditional workplace, they still want to be heard, valued, and encouraged. Employees want leaders to provide an environment where they can explore and expand their skill set to include their full potential.  

 

Simplus is hiring! To learn more about working with a company that emulates these “can-do” qualities, click here.