Experience, Inc.

CHAPTER 6I Value You: Belief, Recognition, Appreciation

When I think of the most inspirational leaders, talent developers, productivity drivers, people capable of creating a sustainable future for organizations, the name that comes to mind is not Warren Buffett. It's not Bill Gates. It's not Sheryl Sandberg or Peter Drucker.

It's Ted Lasso.

The fictional character, played by Jason Sudeikis in the Apple TV+ show of the same name, is an American championship college football coach whose social media-fueled exuberance leads him to be hired by the English owner of a Premier League team to coach soccer, a sport he knows almost nothing about. But Ted is a beacon in a world where cynicism, wariness, and self-involvement threaten to dull his light. He doesn't know the intricacies (and barely even the rules) of his new sport, but he does know about people and how to see each and every person as valuable in their own right. By doing so, he brings together the men in his charge as a genuine team, playing together and supporting each other in a way that makes them successful, and that is deeply satisfying and inspiring to their end users: the fans.

It is no surprise that the show struck a nerve, winning a slew of Emmy Awards, and becoming must-see TV even among people who neither know nor care about soccer. It's an oasis of upbeat in a sea of dystopian and escapist dramas. The world needs a major dose of Ted Lasso. Ted appreciates everyone around him, and tells them so. Often. Even those ...