Believe: Lessons From Ted Lasso for Oncology Pharmacy Practice

As October arrives, many of us are balancing the intensity of patient care with the rhythm of fall conferences, research deadlines, and year-end planning. Amid these demands, I’ve been reflecting on lessons from an unlikely but timely source of wisdom: Ted Lasso, one of my favorite shows. It’s more than just a story about soccer—it’s about leadership, resilience, and the belief that people matter more than scoreboards. These lessons feel especially relevant to pharmacists in cancer care, who navigate the complexities of science, operations, and humanity daily.

Ted’s locker room mantra—the yellow sign with a single word, “BELIEVE”—reminds us of the power of culture. In pharmacy, our believe is the trust that our expertise changes outcomes for patients and families facing life-threatening diagnoses. While productivity metrics and documentation requirements often dominate our professional narrative, the true impact of oncology pharmacists cannot always be measured on a spreadsheet. Believing in the art of our work—the clinical insight, the compassionate counseling, the steady presence in moments of crisis—is what defines our profession.

I often hear from colleagues, and feel it myself, that “all questions seem to end in pharmacy.” Every discrepancy, unclear order, drug shortage, and urgent crisis lands on our desk. Some days, it feels like our primary role is firefighting: racing from one blaze to the next, always being the “police” monitoring orders and enforcing safety. This relentless demand can be exhausting, and it risks overshadowing the deeper value of our contributions. Ted Lasso offers perspective. Faced with constant skepticism, Ted reframes challenges as chances to connect, teach, and build trust. Pharmacists can do the same. While the fires will always come, our success should not be measured solely by how many we extinguish. The more meaningful metric is how often we prevent those fires from starting, through thoughtful protocols, anticipatory planning, education, and system design. Prevention may not appear in dashboards, yet it is where our expertise truly changes lives.

Ted’s famous advice—“Be curious, not judgmental”—also resonates. In oncology pharmacy, curiosity drives us to refine treatment decisions, to be personalized and evidence based, and to design algorithms to anticipate toxicities. Curiosity shifts us from reactive firefighters to proactive innovators, ensuring patients receive the safest and most effective care possible.

Just as important is humility. Ted never pretends to have every answer; he empowers others to contribute their strengths. Cancer care pharmacists’ model this when we mentor trainees, collaborate on projects, and guide multidisciplinary teams through new therapies. Our leadership lies not in control but in creating environments where others feel heard, supported, and capable.

And, finally, Ted reminds us to hold on to joy. The constant firefighting can wear us down, but every time we help a patient access a lifesaving therapy, prevent a severe toxicity, or offer calm in a hard moment, we are reminded of our purpose. Joy is not frivolous—it is fuel for resilience.

So this October, I invite you to bring a little more Lasso into your practice:

• Believe in the transformative impact of hematology/oncology pharmacy.

• Be curious, not judgmental, and let curiosity fuel innovation and prevention.

• Lead with humility and empower those around you.

• Redefine the metric not by how many fires you put out but by how many you prevent.

• Hold on to joy because what you do matters.

If Ted Lasso could inspire a struggling soccer team to achieve the improbable, then surely pharmacists, with their expertise, vision, and humanity, can continue to push boundaries and redefine what’s possible for patients.

Believe. Always.