Characters We Work With from ‘Ted Lasso’
“As the man once said, the harder you work, the luckier you get!”
Whether you prefer a good Drama, a Mystery, a Thriller, maybe something scary, or you need a good comedy to have a few laughs, the people who make up the cast of our favorite movies and TV shows always strike a chord of familiarity with people we know. And because the good things tend to stay with us longer than the bad, it is most often those feel-good stories that we find comparisons with some of the best stops we’ve made in our career.
Work can be chaotic at times, and if we can’t find ways to decompress, take a break, have a laugh, and reset ourselves, it can quickly become a grind that is difficult to sustain. Working with people who can separate business from life, and work together to care for both work and one another, have found the right formula to keep their sanity, keep their team together, and still get all of the work done.
The hit TV Show ‘Ted Lasso’ has created just such a workplace, not in an office, but on the professional soccer fields of the U.K.. Swap that printer for a soccer ball, and the wingtips for a pair of cleats and we’ll break down just how well the characters of Ted Lasso match up with the Characters We Work With every day.
The “Higgins” Office Right-Hand Man
If you look around the office and can’t tell who is in charge, peer over a few cubicles until you find The Higgins. He is as close as you’ll get to the boss in our department. Often times the real boss is not on your floor or behind closed doors, and they thus have an appointee manning the operation and providing a face to the leadership team.
The Higgins may give an order or two, which you are willing to follow, as much because you know he is translating from above, as you happen to like The Higgins. He is a sweet, kind person tasked with the de facto leader role. The Higgins is simply ‘a good man’. He is supportive and dedicated like a loyal assistant, always there to lend a helping hand and ensure that everything runs smoothly in the workplace. When you need something for which you would normally go to the real boss, you go to the Higgins, knowing he will provide support and resolution more quickly, and accurately. He understands the big boss is aware of his every move, so he will always look to make the best business decision. The fact that he does it with tact and diplomacy makes him the perfect employee to take on the number two role.
The “Nate Shelley” Office Underdog
We all love a good ‘Rocky’ story, where that unsuspecting, unnoticed, person defies the odds, coming out of nowhere to show what they are truly made of. In our place, we call him the Nate Shelley. The Nate is cast in the lead role of the classic Hollywood formula that everyone eats up. He may not be the Italian Stallion, but the Nate is the colleague who has been quietly working hard in the shadows, biding his time until the opportunity arises, believing that his work will pay off with an opportunity to do more and get ahead. Like the determined equipment guy turned coach for AFC Richmond, the Nate in our workplace is eager to learn and grow in his role. His determination and hard work often lead to unexpected moments of brilliance, where you see unexpectedly high confidence, which leads to business success, and the occasional, if not unfortunate, Nate ‘Victory Dance’…And he will ask that you delete any recordings, please.
The “Keeley Jones” Office Socialite
As much as a business exists to do convert sales of their products and services, the people piece of a business is the true driving force, and people are social creatures. Accounting for them, planning to care for that side of the people business is paramount to it’s overall success. Here, we have the Keeley Jones to drive employee engagement, and keep people happy so they work at optimum levels at all times.
As our office socialite, the Keeley brings the charm and social prowess like no other, and makes the effort to know everyone up close and personally, all of whom would swear that they are close friends with the Keeley. It is a gift that is part of her D.N.A.. Those who have come before her, and tried to be the cruise director, that creator of the Party or Fun Committees, have not lasted. People are perceptive enough to know when someone is authentic, or forcing it because they’ve been tasked to do so. Thus, the Keeley is a rare find for this role, but having her makes this career stop a memorable and rewarding one, among the career highlights that we never forget.
The “Roy Kent” Office Protector
If there is a captain for every ship there are other officers able to command just as much respect, who strike fear in the hearts of mortals, and by their mere presence, push people to give their all and do their best work. Welcome in the Roy Kent. The Roy is our seasoned veteran leader, and the ultimate, fierce competitor for our business. He has seen it all, done it all it seems, and is always ready for attack when the competition looks to threaten our business.
The Roy will never sit by and allow team members to mail it in, or to put themselves above the team. There is no “ME” when The Roy is around. You’re either all about team, or you find somewhere else to go. The Roy is completely authentic, possessing the utmost loyalty to the company and his team. He expects everyone’s best, and sets the example that inspires everyone on the team to do likewise. We may not always be in the mood for the fiery Roy, particularly on Mondays. But, we know that he never asks people to do what he will not. The Roy walks the walk, and unlike many who expect numbers to be hit, the Roy only looks for people to give their best effort. It has never let him down, and is a key reason the business continues to thrive.
The “Ted Lasso” Office Optimist
Whether it is a member of the management team or simply one of our colleagues, we find that some people just look at life, and work, differently. We use terms for people like ‘the glass is half full, or half empty’ to sum up how they think. Among those whose glasses are half-full, there are some whose glasses are so far beyond full that they spill over and make a mess of sunshine everywhere they go. Give a fine ‘Howdy-Do’ to our team lead, the ‘Ted Lasso’, the unflappable Office Optimist.
Where The Ted came from, no one knows, but everyone asks. If we could see the same bright side that The Ted seems to be looking at, we’d go blind. It is easy to believe at first that he is disingenuous, that no one could be that nice, that sweet, and that happy all the time. But as much as the Ted gets tested, and many have tried to throw rain on his parade, he is undaunted and impervious to negativity.
It’s easy to compare a workplace to a sports team, each having its leaders, role players, new players we watch grow into their roles, and the fabled Rocky Stories we can never get enough of. Throughout a long career, we spend time with them all, as well as with the socialites, the de factor bosses, the Steady Eddies, and if we’re lucky, that rarest of gems in a leader whose light shines brighter than them all.
Ted Lasso does a great job of mixing in the sport of soccer with the human factor, which is what always makes the difference in winning or losing, in both sports and business. We see time and time again how our favorite TV shows, no matter the setting, the theme, or the genre, contain people who may do different things than we do, but al
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