The Ted Lasso Effect
Five lessons in leadership from football’s most unlikely coach — and why kindness, courage and belief still win the day.
Season four of Ted Lasso has finished, and once again we were given the chance to see a great leader in action. There are leaders in history that provide us with character to aspire to. These leaders present ways of engaging that can shift paradigms or leadership norms.
But the leaders that inspire us don’t have to be real. Like Ted Lasso, they can be a symbol of a different way of doing it. They can represent the values and behaviours of what we think great leadership could be. These are some of the reasons why Ted Lasso is that symbol of great leadership.
Kindness is King
Ted Lasso teaches us that kindness is an essential trait of strong leadership. When sitting with his Diamond Dogs, he suggests that leaders need to “be curious, not judgmental.” It is the ability to believe in someone, and to appreciate what makes them unique that is a quality of great leadership.
Being curious about who a person is, helps build understanding, which then leads to appreciation and trust. In DDI’s 2026 Trends report, they suggest that “humanity” is the next leadership edge. It is a leader’s ability to be human — to be authentic and trustworthy, to be kind — that sets them apart.
“Be curious, not judgmental.”
The Courage to Be You
The reason Ted Lasso is so endearing is because he is unapologetically himself. Even when he found himself in a situation that was engineered for him to fail — asked to lead a new team in an environment he didn’t understand — he stayed true to himself.
It was this self-awareness, and his comfort in being his own self, that created the deep connections leading to his and others’ success. This courage to be yourself, like any good leadership trait, was echoed by one of his players, Jamie Tartt, who says, “Coach, I’m me. Why would I want to be anything else?” Being courageously you is part of what makes a leader great.
Vulnerability as a Strength
One of Ted’s biggest critics turned biggest advocates was Trent Crimm, from The Independent. In his story about Ted, Trent says, “In a business that celebrates ego, Ted reins his in.” Ted presents himself so authentically that others immediately feel comfortable and at ease.
He uses his vulnerability as a strength and invites those he leads to know him at a much deeper level. This allows him to be truly empathetic and strive for real connection. In a report by Catalyst on empathetic leadership, their study of 900 employees revealed that employees with highly empathic senior leaders report higher levels of creativity and engagement than those with less empathic senior leaders.
Being vulnerable as a leader builds connections and generates incredible team results.
- Creativity
- 61%vs 13%
- Engagement
- 76%vs 32%
Highly empathic senior leaders vs. less empathic senior leaders. Source: Catalyst.
Being a vulnerable leader builds connections and generates incredible team results.
Fun Feeds Performance
Leadership is serious, but leaders shouldn’t take themselves too seriously. Ted Lasso leads with fun. He is quick to tell a joke or a funny story that creates a space for people to feel comfortable. He uses fun and enjoyment as values to support people to do their best. In the show it unnerves people and helps break down barriers.
Having fun makes work fun to do. A leader has the ability to lead with fun and to create an environment that supports joy. In Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace results, they say that “when employees enjoy their work, feel it improves others’ lives and believe they have choices in what they do, they report stronger wellbeing and higher workplace engagement.” Simply said — fun feeds performance.
Movement Through Belief in the Potential of What’s Unknown
The most iconic image from Ted Lasso isn’t his mustache, but the sign with the word “believe” he haphazardly tapes to the wall in the Richmond changeroom. It means so much more than just believing. What he’s asking his team to do is to move forward with belief.
It’s not just about believing in why they are there and what they need to accomplish, but rather acknowledging that the endpoint is unknown — to “believe” that the team will get there. This belief is intuition; it’s the dream, the potential.
Ted asks his team to follow him, even though he can’t see around every corner. He promises that if they believe in him, and believe in each other, they can move towards that shared success. They can move towards belief.
As we wait, hopeful for another season of Ted Lasso, we have a chance to bring some of his best leadership behaviours to life. To be kind, vulnerable, unapologetically us, move towards what we believe is right — and to make sure we have a little fun while doing it.