Faculty and staff in the college turned to the wisdom of one of television’s most recognizable coaches at a special leadership workshop on Jan. 28.
Guided by the wit and insights from the television show Ted Lasso, Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, leadership coaches and co-authors of the award-winning book Lead It Like Lasso, led this spring’s WE CARE Speaker Series event.
The Lead it Like Lasso book draws from the show’s characters and memorable moments to outline lessons for leadership that the authors hope can be “applied to the board room, the locker room, the classroom, and the living room.”
The workshop was packed. This lecture was the fourth in the ongoing WE CARE Speaker Series, a key action item from the college’s WE CARE strategic plan. Stockman and Coniglio gave a huge shoutout to Dean Kate Mamiseishvili and her strategic plan for being a guiding example of how to create a great culture through quality leadership.
The two coaches helped faculty and staff identify their “leadership spirit animals.” Through a six-question quiz that mirrored a quiz featured in the book, everyone identified which Ted Lasso character their leadership style most closely matched. Based on each character, they identified strengths of that leadership style and areas for improvement.
After discussing leadership styles, the two coaches used clips and examples from the show to demonstrate how to be servant leaders. Ted consistently demonstrates this through empathy, active listening, acts of service and more.
“The most important project you will ever work on is you,” they told faculty and staff throughout the training.
In addition to the workshop, the two leadership coaches met with the college’s Staff Council and faculty in the First-Year Faculty Engagement and Networking program for more intimate leadership sessions throughout the day.
Stockman began her career teaching math to high school students and worked for an EdTech company before taking on the role of CEO of Lifecycle Insights, an organization she founded with co-author Coniglio, who also has extensive experience working in IT. Both authors actively pursue various endeavors relating to their writing and work in technology.
The WE CARE Speaker Series features lectures by prominent scholars with broad appeal in education and health, professional development meetings, and networking opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members.
