5 Things / Ted Lasso
This week I watched the episode of Ted Lasso “Man City”.
If you've ever been curious about how to build "psychological safety" on your team and reap the benefits revealed in the Google study of its internal teams, the episode provides a mini masterclass in how to start. (SPOILER) Dr. Sharon starts by telling Coach Lasso about being scared. Coach then tells his staff that he experienced panic attacks, and the rest then shared their own struggles and mistakes.
So much good can happen when we’re willing to share our challenges and mistakes, although it's certainly easier said than done. But the sooner we realize and admit that none of us get it right all the time, the farther we'll go together.
While the episode showed a sped-up version of the process, creating psychologically safe teams is not necessarily quick, definitely not a one-and-done, and is instead a habit to build.
I’m thrilled so many people are watching Ted Lasso and get to see this type of vulnerability on display.
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Here are some other good vibes I found this week:
We don't hear a lot about DEI efforts in restaurant chains, but Denny's has been quietly doing great work for years. One of the things that most impressed me is that more than half of the corporate board and more than half of restaurant managers are BIPOC. This matters because Denny's commitment to systemic, equitable change has a direct impact on local communities.
Facebook will pay $100 million in unpaid invoices of 30k+ businesses owned by women, LGBTQ people, and BIPOC. The way this works is that businesses can upload unpaid customer invoices to Facebook, which will then pay the business quickly (improving cash flow). The customers then pay Facebook instead of the small business. While I'm not a huge fan of Facebook, as a business owner, I can attest that cash flow matters A LOT--and this initiative can truly help companies to keep growing.
Upwork is one of my favorite companies to watch and Dr. Erin Thomas, its head of DEI is a brilliant leader to follow. This week I learned that Upwork launched GlowUP, a cohort for their leaders of color. Read the full thread for more details and why this matters, but in part because "it is through each other — through quality time, through thoughtful interactions, through the magic and power of coming together — that we figure out what we believe."
In response to Texas's new abortion law, SalesForce has offered to pay relocation expenses for any employee who now wants to move out of the state because of concerns over reproductive rights. This matters because it lets employees know that they matter and the company has their backs.
Image by Hannah Busing