I recognize that I am extraordinarily late to the party, but I recently started watching the television show “Ted Lasso” with my husband.

This is not a pop culture column, so I promise to get to my point quickly, but if you haven’t watched it, do it. It’s a happiness salve filled with incredible nuggets of wisdom on leadership, friendship and life.

On the surface, it’s a show about a soccer team (sorry, football team), but I promise you — it’s not.

Hear me out. I won’t dwell on Ted and his team for too long.

In a recent episode, Coach Alice returns to Richmond and, on the advice of a podcaster, resolves to say “yes” more often in hopes of improving her reputation with the team. As a perpetual “no” person, it’s a challenge, but she gives it a try.

The thing is, she quickly realizes that saying yes to everything doesn’t work — it’s making her a doormat, not the trusted coach and adviser she’s striving to be.

So, Coach Lasso and Coach Beard introduce the “yes, and” mantra of improvisational comedy — and that’s where I want to focus today. While it was a minor scene in an episode aired several weeks ago, it resonated, making me think precisely about how we support our community at the CCEDC.

The concept is simple: “yes” accepts what’s offered. “Yes, and” accepts it, then adds something to move it forward.

At the Chamber, we see ourselves as servant leaders. We want to help, but being helpful doesn’t mean saying yes to everything, although that may be our nature. Sometimes the “and” means taking action ourselves. Other times, it means making a connection, amplifying someone else’s efforts, pointing someone toward a better resource, or recognizing that someone else is already doing the job well.

That mindset makes us a stronger resource for the community we serve.

We have a lot of “yes, and” moments at the Chamber. When someone has an idea, our response is often, “Yes, and how can we help?”

An entrepreneur wants to open a business? Yes, and let’s connect you with the Small Business Development Center and available funding.

A municipality wants to improve its downtown? Yes, and let’s figure out what resources exist.

A nonprofit sees a need in the community? Yes, and let’s see who else should be at the table to get that work done.

Sometimes the best “and” is simply supporting good work already happening. We don’t need to stray into someone else’s lane, but we can partner, promote, connect — or even stay out of the way when appropriate. We love cheering from the sidelines, too!

The thing I see every day is that Carbon County has so many people willing to say yes. Volunteers run nonprofits, youth sports and booster clubs, volunteer fire departments, downtown groups and community initiatives. Across the county, we see people say yes every day to making their corner of our community better.

But thriving communities also need people willing to add the “and.”

It’s not, “Yes, someone should do something about that,” but “Yes, and here’s how I can help.” Not, “Yes, we need more activities for young people,” but “Yes, and I can do some shifts in the snack stand.” Not, “Yes, our downtown could use a little love,” but “Yes, and let’s organize a cleanup day.”

Coach Alice’s podcast may be onto something. “Yes” is easy. It agrees. It acknowledges. It may even encourage. But Lasso and Beard’s advice gave that “yes” legs. The “and” asks something of us, empowers us, and gives us action.

For me, the work we do here is personal. When I say, “Yes, this community matters to me — and here’s what I’m willing to do about it,” I mean it.

At the Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation, we’re about the “and.” And we hope you are, too.

Kylie Adams-Weiss is senior vice president of the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development.