Ted Lasso this, Ted Lasso that, it doesn’t take much effort to find articles or podcasts on management based on Ted Lasso. So, I won’t write about him and will only provide some of my favorite Ted Lasso quotes at the end (those suitable for a family publication).
Those who read this memo regularly know I pull a lot of my content from the headlines so when I saw the Wall Street Journal’sAugust 16, 2021 Journal Report on The New Workplace it felt like a cornucopia of content. Hard to pass up a front-page headline of “Employees Are Back. Bosses, Don’t Blow It. Plus the other article headlines:
- Don’t Kid Yourself: The Fear Is Here For a While
- What Bosses Can Do to Reduce Anxiety for Returning Workers
- Here Comes The Two-Tier Workplace
- Ways to Bridge the Hybrid Communications Gap
On the same day I got an email from the Puget Sound Business Journal containing links to these articles:
- Employer sentiments shifting on vaccine mandates
- The tables have turned: How Covid changed the ideal job listing
- What employers can do when workers refuse to get vaccinated
- Delta variant has many companies rethinking their return
Pretty enlightening, isn’t it? For business operators, buyers, and sellers the labor market is, or should be, the number one issue. And maybe issues two, three, and four. In the last few weeks I’ve talked to business owners in the following industries about the labor shortage: restaurant, auto supplies distribution, food production, supplements, metal manufacturing, and many more. These shortages, and supply chain issues, many caused by labor shortages up the chain, are affecting all of us.
My pressure washer hose broke and it’s tough finding a replacement. Where I bought it has no parts and no new washers. Starbucks has had signs about limited food choices due to supplier issues. An owner told me in order to hire an inexperienced 18-year-old he had to pay her more than his current people and therefore their wages went up so they can make more than the new person. Yikes!
It goes back to one of my four rules for business owners/sellers: be able to attract and retain good people.
When asked how he takes his tea: “Well, usually I take it right back to the counter, because someone’s made a horrible mistake.” Ted Lasso (this is one of my favorites, especially for my tea loving friends).
“That right there, that’s a scone, OK? It’s like a muffin, except it sucks all of the spit out of your mouth.” Ted Lasso
“Be honest with me. It’s a prank, right? The tea? Like when us tourist folks aren’t around, y’all know it tastes like garbage?”
