There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who love the hit TV show, Ted Lasso, and those who really don’t. I fall into the first category, which if you know me, is probably not surprising based on the show’s style of humor and uplifting spirit. 

Let’s be clear: I’m not here to convince you the show is the best of our generation or anything like that. (Believe me, I’m not an expert in TV.) However, I am here to show you how Ted Lasso’s leadership is an incredible model for us all in a changing, challenging world. 

Here’s are four short, important lessons from the leadership playbook of Ted Lasso (the character):

1. One of the most powerful things you can do for someone is to believe in them.

Leadership is not about a title or accomplishments. Leadership is about your influence on other people in order to make positive change. Sometimes, that change can be for big organizations, and other times, that can be a small touch on someone’s heart. Ted Lasso can do and has done both — he flipped a professional soccer team upside down in addition to impacting the lives of each of the players with a special, small actions.

For example, in a major way, he integrates positivity and hope into the team environment through the way he talks and visual representation (like a poster that says “Believe” hanging in the locker room). And in a smaller way, he reminds players that he cares about them personally, on and off of the field. 

One of my favorite gestures that signified Ted’s true heart as a leader was when he gave Jamie Tartt, a challenging player, a toy soldier as a small representation of Ted’s faith in him, even after Jamie had left Ted’s team in a rough way. Ted did this because he noticed that Jamie’s behavior wasn’t coming from just a place of arrogance (which is sometimes easy to believe with his character), but because he knew Jamie was experiencing heavy personal struggles with his father. And since Jamie felt unsupported by his own dad, Ted showed him that even after a tough game against one another, Ted still cared about him and believed in him. Ted didn’t need to do that…but he did. No one else knew about it but Jamie and Ted. He didn’t get any public glory from it. But Jamie’s trajectory changed after that moment and Ted’s character became clearer and clearer…he was there for his people first, and that was more powerful than any practice the team or a player could have.

2. Emotions are normal in everyday leadership.

At the beginning of the series, Ted is experiencing radical change in his life — moving across the globe without his family, determining if his marriage is failing or not, and starting a new job in a sport that he never had coached before. Each of these events is incredibly heavy, let alone each of them happening at once. 

Several times throughout the first two seasons, Ted is shown either crying or having a breakdown based on everything hitting him at the same time. As someone who has wrestled with anxiety and panic attacks in the past, I know how serious this can be. In the same vein, I also know how little our society talks about leadership being hard on you mentally and emotionally. Many people expect leaders to be “perfect” and “on” at all times, when in reality, being a leader forces you to work hard (and often), constantly put other people first, make hard decisions, and question the direction you’re headed in.

Ted Lasso, the show, does an excellent job at showing what’s going on with Ted on the field and behind the scenes – a view we aren’t always privy to when it comes to leaders in our lives. 

As examples, Ted’s character cries with the sadness from his struggling marriage and he has a panic attack when he carries on for too long acting like everything wasn’t impacting him as heavily as it was. Although I wish for no one to be sad from life events like divorce, and I especially wish for no one to struggle with anxiety or panic attacks, I recognize that this is a part of life for millions of people. I applaud Ted Lasso for showing us that leadership is hard, we can’t always be “okay” at work if we’re not “okay” at home, and that it’s completely normal (and wonderful) to seek help from a professional. It’s more than “okay” to be emotional as a leader. It’s part of the job. But please do yourself a favor and make self-care a part of your weekly (if not daily) routine and reach out to others to seek help. Leadership doesn’t have to be lonely

3. Consistency and little things matter.

Have you ever felt like your boss or someone in leadership was “too good” for you or a task? Or you figured they’d have bigger priorities or not enough time to care about you or something you’re working on? I certainly have, and it feels awful. It’s amazing when a leader pays attention to the small things, makes time for seemingly menial tasks, or goes out of their way to recognize someone simply because they want to. Ted Lasso does this literally every single day.

One of Ted’s signature moves is baking and bringing biscuits for his boss, Rebecca, each morning on his way down to his office. She had mentioned once that she liked them, and then from there, he made it a daily habit to make his own recipe just for her. Sure, it helped build a stronger relationship with his boss, but he could’ve chosen to do a lot of things for that to happen…yet he did something so small and unexpected that Rebecca assumed he must have bought them somewhere for days before she learned he made them himself. 

It’s one thing for Ted to go so out of his way just to bring a smile upon Rebecca’s face, but it’s a huge deal that he does it consistently. This is one of the most underestimated hallmarks of effective leadership. Real changes and impacts are made upon doing things over and over. It wouldn’t be nearly as heartwarming or special if Ted just did this once. Because he chooses to invest in Rebecca every day, Ted proves that his priority is in people and relationships and that he is caring, which allows their relationship to grow in a way she never expected. He builds this brand not just with the biscuits, but in small gestures with the rest of the team and coaching staff, like celebrating birthdays or asking about life beyond work. 

Yes, it is amazing for you to make a positive impact once in a while. But more than that, what behaviors you exhibit and who you choose to be time after time is what builds (or breaks) trust with others, your personal brand, and your legacy. Ted’s legacy is built each and every day because he chooses to put people first always. His is just shown in a unique way – a small pink paper box of biscuits.

4. You don’t have to know everything in order to be good.

Sometimes folks think that leaders are experts in everything they’re doing. The older I get, the more I learn that no one knows what they’re doing and we’re all figuring it out as we go. Leaders are no different. Leaders oftentimes have relatable experience in the field in which they’re leading, meaningful related connections to help them in challenging times, and/or some sort of education or certification in a specific field…And sometimes they don’t.

What is beautiful about the concept of Ted leaving his job in NCAA football to becoming a professional soccer coach is the fact that he had never coached soccer before arriving at his new job across the world. This proves that there is merit in taking big risks, but more so, it proves that we don’t always have to be experts in something to try it out. What’s most important is our willingness to get out of our comfort zone in order to grow into a stronger leader, person, and/or professional. 

Before you tell yourself that you’re not qualified for a position (volunteer, professional, or other), remember that you do have value that you bring to the table. It might not be exactly in that field, but consider all of the other valuable experiences, connections, and resources you may be able to contribute to that role. And truth be told, the environment you’re about to step into could probably use a fresh perspective outside of “We’ve always done it this way”. So give yourself a chance to surprise yourself – take the leap and see what the possibilities are. You’ll never know if you don’t try.

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Although I love to learn from Ted Lasso, I hope that you learn from the people you see in your life (fictional or real-life) about how to be better. I don’t think I’ll ever coach a professional sports team (never say never, though!), but I am grateful to see a perspective of what it’s like to impact a big organization through small changes that Ted integrates into AFC Richmond. 

Consider what you want your legacy to be and how you can help create that legacy – it might not be a “BELIEVE” poster or a box of homemade biscuits, but that’s okay. Your legacy is a blank canvas – what will you write?