🎤 Quotable quotes: “I do love another school year. Smells like potential."
— Ted Lasso-ish
It's that time of year again.
Across the country, backpacks are being packed, dorm rooms are being assembled, schedules are being finalized, and parents are discovering that somehow a trip to Target for "a few things for school" still costs $347.
Some students are starting high school. Others are heading off to college. And plenty are entering their final year, with graduation suddenly much closer than it used to be.
Which has us thinking about something we talk about quite a bit:
Finished does not equal ready.
Our education system is very good at telling students when they're finished. There are credits, requirements, exams, diplomas, degrees, and eventually a very expensive piece of paper suitable for framing.
But ready?
That's a different question.
🏟 Ted Never Coached Just for the Final Whistle
That's one of the things we've always loved about Ted Lasso. Ted certainly wanted Richmond to win, but from the beginning he made it clear that his real job was bigger than the scoreboard. He wanted his players to become the best versions of themselves, on and off the pitch.
Think about Jamie. Ted wasn't just trying to make him a better footballer. Jamie already had plenty of talent. He needed to understand how he affected other people, how to become a teammate, and eventually, how to lead.
Roy's playing career ended, but Roy wasn't finished. He had to figure out who he was without footballer attached to his name. Nate learned that being given authority didn't automatically make him a leader. Sam faced decisions about his future that required him to understand what mattered to him, not simply what opportunity looked best on paper.
Again and again, Richmond reminds us of the same thing:
Being qualified for what's next and being ready for what's next are two very different things.
🎒 The Class That Isn't on the Schedule
So as another school year begins, we'd encourage students to absolutely do the work. Learn calculus. Write the paper. Pass biology. Get the internship. Earn the degree.
But we'd also suggest spending some time on the one subject that probably isn't on the schedule:
You.
What are your values? What are you unusually good at? What drains you? What kind of people bring out your best? What experiences have shaped you? What have you learned from getting something spectacularly wrong?
Can you tell your story beyond a GPA, major, or list of activities? Can you walk into a room, introduce yourself, ask good questions, and actually listen to the answers? Can you explain what you bring to a team? Can you adapt when Plan A disappears?
Those things don't usually appear on a transcript.
Funny enough, they tend to matter quite a bit once you leave school.
👪 Parents, We Have Homework Too
For those of us with young people in our lives, it's tempting to spend these years focused on getting them to the next finish line.
Did you finish your homework? Did you submit the application? Did you get the internship? What did you get on the test? Did you pick a major yet?
Those questions matter. But maybe this school year we add a few different ones to the rotation.
What are you learning about yourself?
What's something you're getting better at that isn't taught in a classroom?
Who are you becoming?
That last question feels particularly Richmond-ish. Because eventually our kids will finish school. The diploma will arrive, the graduation pictures will be taken, and someone will inevitably wear a cap that doesn't fit properly.
Our job isn't simply to help them get finished.
It's to help them get ready.
⚽ And Right on Cue...
The timing feels particularly appropriate because Ted Lasso is back for Season 4.
We get another season with a coach whose greatest contribution was never really teaching people how to play football. It was helping them understand themselves, recognize what they were capable of, and grow into people who were ready for whatever came next.
Maybe that's a pretty good assignment for a new school year.
There are classes to take and grades to earn. But there's also a person to build.
And unlike calculus, there won't be a final exam.
🏁 Final Thought
Schools have finish lines. Life doesn't.
There will always be another job, another change, another opportunity, another setback, and another version of ourselves waiting to be built.
So this school year, absolutely work toward finishing. Finish the class, the semester, the application, the degree.
Just don't confuse finishing with being ready.
Do the homework on yourself, too.
After all...
Another school year smells like potential.
— Nick & Marnie
Your tea sipping, potential spotting, homework assigning friends
More leadership musings
🍪 Biscuits with the Boss:
Back-to-school question:
Think about a young person in your life. If they graduated tomorrow, what's one thing you'd want them to know how to do that won't appear anywhere on their transcript?
Then comes the harder question:
Are we actually helping them learn it?
🌎 This week in Here - There - Every F’ing where
Speaking of end of summer and target(s) :). End of summer party included axe throwing which also had Marnie questioning if she was a two-hand thrower, a one-armed winger or a throwing star kind of person. Always take the time to learn more about your personal operating system. (One-armed winger fwiw)
Are you caught up on Season 4? If so, don't forget you can listen to our rewatch podcast all the places where podcasts are found. Here's the link to Apple Podcasts.
Believe!
Nick & Marnie
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