The Impression Ted Lasso Left on Me as a Coach and Human

With the announcement of Season 4 coming out this August I am currently going through another rewatch of Ted Lasso, one of my all-time favorite series.  It was such an important show for me as someone who had just started my Running Coaching journey when it came out and I was looking for someone who helped put in action and words the style of coach I so wanted to be.  As someone who was still figuring out his coaching style and looking for others who modeled the type of coach he wanted to be this show came at the perfect time.  A show that continued to always push the envelope of what one person can really do for a community around them, while also never making it about themselves.

I remember the time I first put this show on, I sat and watched the first 3 episodes while I was home with my oldest daughter while she was sick.  As I watched I remember thinking at times about the way Ted approaches everything and everyone, it really showed me how I wanted to be.  To truly see the good in others, but not only that but to truly try and find the greatness in others even when they don’t treat you with respect back.  As I finished the 3^rd episode, I remember sending a message to my Coach at the time telling him how he would absolutely love this show and how much the words that he had been writing in my training log the last few years were so much like Ted Lasso.  I loved these episodes so much I was hooked.  I especially loved the opening title scene where Ted sits down and a bunch of chairs all around him change color and it reminded me so much of the impact that just being kind and looking for the best in others can make in your world around you.

It’s the 3^rd episode of Ted Lasso that always solidifies in me what it means to be a Coach of others.  It’s one of my favorite lines in the whole show “For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It's about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field” that Ted tells to Trent Crimm.  Or it’s the way Ted finds books to give all the players to help them find their best or secret talents.  Or even the offhanded line about how some people have never had someone who believes in them and what a difference that can make.  It’s ALL OF THE LITTLE things that constantly get glossed over when people think of great coaches.   Because somewhere along the way the ego of A Coach started to outweigh the impact they had on their players.  The Coach caring more about their wins and losses, or the results of the athletes and less about the human being that they are impacting EVERY SINGLE DAY with their words and actions.  That at the end of the day the single greatest thing you can do for another human being is give them the confidence to believe in themselves.  That you can fight through all the noise and barriers in their lives and help them to truly believe in themselves.  There is no other greater gift a Coach can give, and the results at that point whether they come or don’t doesn’t truly matter.  Because you have literally given someone a super power.

Coaching humans is something I care so deeply about.  Being selfless and giving my all so others can achieve their potential has always felt like something that I was meant for.  Having a high level of empathy and also being able to understand what athletes need at a human level and being able to support them in the moments before they even knew they needed it has always felt like something that has helped me so much to support their journeys.  But as someone who grew up with little confidence in himself until I found my way to running and a coach who truly thought I could do anything.  Well that’s when I realized that the greatest gift a coach can give someone else is the confidence that they can achieve something they never thought was possible.  They need to do the hard work too obviously, but I have found most athletes are willing to work hard.  What they struggle with is believing that their hard work means something and can get them to their big goal.  And as a coach that’s why you can’t just believe that hard work is all someone needs to reach their greatness, you need to also be able to connect with your athletes on a human level and help them believe in themselves as much as you believe in them.  That’s the power of coaching and where coaching greatness is achieved.  I am so glad a show like Ted Lasso helped shine the light on a different kind of coach, not built on Wins and Losses, but on the change one person can have to the people around them and I hope one day I can have that same impact with my coaching.

If you find yourself looking for a Run Coach, look no further than Running Explained as all of our coaches currently have openings and can provide this level of support to your running. Head on over to our coaching page and book a discovery call today!

Written by Nick Klastava