Soccer, Ted Lasso, and Risk Management Culture

If you know me or have followed me over the years, you know I’m a die-hard soccer fan. But did you know how my soccer enthusiasm took a detour after we traded the Pacific Northwest for Texas? The MLS scene here just doesn’t capture the same electric energy as those Seattle Sounders games. Our lone trip to an FC Dallas game was fun, but it failed to recapture that Sounders magic… the roar of the crowd, the sea of Rave Green… you get it.

But McKinney, where we’ve settled, has a brand-new USL-2 League club: the McKinney Chupacabras. The tryouts were open to anyone with a dream, which I found wonderfully democratic. My husband, bless his practical heart, declined my enthusiastic recruitment efforts. Still, we ended up snagging season tickets — three tickets and jerseys for $280. That’s practically a steal.

They’re playing at a local stadium and have teamed up with a local brewery for their own craft beer. They promise a whole lot of fan engagement. So, the Parkers are officially back in the soccer game, and we’re pretty excited about it.

A “Ted Lasso” Detour 

Recently, I visited the Chupacabras store in town. The vibe was very “Ted Lasso.” I walked in, and “Richmond till we die” played in my head on a loop. They have a ton of Ted Lasso merchandise. My friend, shockingly, had never seen the show. This earned her some good-natured ribbing from the guy behind the counter. Naturally, we rectified that immediately with a binge-watching session. It was my fourth time through, and it’s still pure gold.

For those unfamiliar, “Ted Lasso” features an unwaveringly optimistic American football coach hired to coach a struggling Premier League team in the UK. Beyond the humor and feel-good moments, it’s a show with surprisingly profound themes of leadership, interpersonal relationships, and positive motivation.

And that’s where the connection clicked for me: the thing Ted builds isn’t just performance — it’s culture. Which got me thinking about risk management culture, and what it would look like if we brought that same clarity of purpose to our work.

“Football is life!” and the Missing Ingredient in Risk Work

One of my favorite characters, Dani Rojas, embodies infectious enthusiasm with his mantra: “Football is life!” This got me thinking: What if we brought that level of passion and purpose to risk management?

Ted Lasso demonstrates how passion can drive a team to achieve seemingly impossible feats. He instills belief and shared purpose, even when facing relentless setbacks and negativity. He consistently focuses on the bigger picture — not just the immediate defeat — reminding them of their collective potential.

Similarly, risk management, at its core, serves a vital yet often overlooked purpose: protecting an organization’s mission, enabling strategic growth and innovation, and building unwavering trust with stakeholders. How do we tap into that as our driving force, rather than just viewing ourselves as compliance gatekeepers?

That question is the heartbeat of risk management culture: are we seen as the people who block progress, or the people who help the organization take smart risks on purpose?

Finding Your “Why” in Risk

We often get bogged down in tactical details, regulations, and assessments. But what’s your personal “why”? For me, that question is also tied to the value of risk management, because when we can explain why the work matters, we’re much more likely to build buy-in and ownership.

So how do we get to that passion and sense of ownership?

Here are a few questions I think are worth sitting with:

• How do you connect your daily work to strategic goals? How do we link our granular work to the organization’s long-term vision?

• How do you view risk management as a proactive force? Instead of being a reactive roadblock, how do we enable “good” risk-taking that drives progress?

• How do you build stakeholder confidence? How do we communicate risk effectively, clearly, and proactively to establish credibility?

• How do you measure and celebrate impact? Rather than merely avoiding negative outcomes, how do we highlight achievements, both quantitatively and qualitatively?

If those questions feel a little lofty, good. Culture doesn’t change because we created a new template. It changes because people believe their work matters and they can see how they contribute.

Creating an Engaged Risk Management Culture

So, how do we translate this purpose into tangible action within our teams and organizations?

Lead by example

Leaders at all levels must embody a genuine commitment to risk-aware decision-making and unwavering ethical conduct. Think of Ted’s integrity, even under immense pressure. How do we model ethical behavior, accountability, and a proactive approach to risk?

Foster ownership and empowerment

We need to empower employees at every level to identify, assess, and report risks. Providing the right training, resources, and support is vital. Like Ted’s “Believe” sign, how do we instill confidence in our team’s ability to effectively manage risk?

Recognize and reward proactive behavior

Acknowledge and celebrate effective risk management practices, not just when disasters are averted. Ted’s positive reinforcement is powerful. How do we use recognition and encouragement to motivate teams?

Promote continuous learning and open communication

Cultivating a learning environment where open communication and constructive feedback are the norms is crucial. Ted’s curiosity and willingness to learn, even from painful mistakes, are essential. How do we foster that learning mindset within risk teams and across the organization?

If you’re trying to strengthen risk management culture, this is where a focused risk management approach helps turn “good intentions” into repeatable behaviors.

Cultivate, Inspire, and Build Resilience 

If we can cultivate even a fraction of the passion, purpose, and unwavering belief that Ted Lasso inspires, we can significantly enhance our effectiveness, build stronger teams, and create more resilient organizations. This is what I call “smells like potential!”