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Douglas Flora

Mar 31, 2025, 08:34

Douglas Flora: What Would Ted Lasso Do? – Leading With Heart, Not Clipboards

Douglas Flora, President-Elect at Association of Cancer Care Centers, shared on LinkedIn:

“What Would Ted Lasso Do? (WWTLD): Leading With Heart, Not Clipboards

In honor of my favorite show coming back for a much anticipated fourth season, I decided to turn my LI account over to Coach Lasso for some Saturday morning wisdom today:

Howdy there, LinkedIn folks! Ted Lasso here, sharing some thoughts on leadership that’s centered on trust rather than control.

Y’know, back in Kansas, my high school coach had a saying: ‘Lasso, you run plays, not people.’ Took me years to figure out what he meant. But that’s what leadership’s about – giving folks direction without telling them exactly how to get there.

There’s this fella named Daniel Pink who talks about what really makes people tick: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose. Now that’s just science catching up to what makes sense: ‘People do better when they want to do better, not when you make them.’

Here’s how I see it:

Give your team the play, then let them run it their way. They might surprise you with solutions you never imagined.
Help them get better at what they already love doing. Continuous improvement comes from passion, not pressure.
Make sure everyone knows we’re not just here for results – we’re here to make each other better.

I trust my team completely. Every day I see how they show up for each other and for our patients. It’s something to behold when people know they’re trusted to do their best work.

My approach is straightforward:

I’ll give you the destination, but you choose the route
My door’s always open when you need guidance
I’m here to clear obstacles, not create them
I know you know your business better than I do – that’s why you’re in that position
We measure success by growth, not just numbers

That believe sign in my office isn’t just decoration. It’s a reminder that if I believe in you, maybe you’ll start believing in yourself too. And that’s when the magic happens.

Taking on a challenge is uncomfortable – and it should be. Leadership isn’t about comfort—it’s about creating the conditions where people can do their best work while growing into their best selves.

So what about you? What’s your leadership approach? And when things get tough, how do you keep believing in your team’s potential?”