In the early episodes of Ted Lasso, the Greyhounds are not amused by the presence of Ted Lasso as their coach. Ted recognizes that and embarks on a ‘listening’ tour to understand the issues the team is facing. He picks one simple problem that has not been solved for years. Nice showers with strong water pressure.
Having fixed this issue and shown genuine caring for the team, the ice between him and his team slowly starts to crack. It’s a first step in gaining trust with the team.
Quick wins have long been identified as a critical component of any change strategy. Chip Heath and Dan Heath call them ‘small wins” and “shrinking the change in their book “Switch.” John Kotter has used the term “quick wins’ for decades in his approach to change.
For safety professionals, here are some things you can do based upon Ted’s leadership style:
- Go out and listen to your team. Find out what’s been bothering them.
- To effectively listen, get out of your office and go to where the work is done (Go to Gemba!)
- Find small, quick and visible interventions to improve safety. Don’t shout about it. Let the team do the talking.
- Do it again! You’ll find that quick wins build trust and relationships!
