Over the past three seasons, much has been made of Ted Lasso’s leadership skills on the eponymous Apple+ TV show. His unassuming, lead-from-behind style has taught us about consistency, caring, and courage. This season, other members of the ensemble cast are demonstrating leadership lessons in abundance. Here’s a quick look at some of the moments that have taught us how to be stronger leaders and better people. (Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
Stand Up for Your Values
Faced with a room full of wealthy men including her ex-husband, who are all owners of fictional football clubs, Rebecca Welton, herself the owner of the fictional club AFC Richmond, summons the strength to question the selfishness of wanting to start a Super League that would make the cost prohibitive for everyday fans to attend games. In a passionate speech that blindly invoked her ex’s own experiences sneaking into games as a child, she turned a room full of men to her thinking by simply asking, “How much more money do any of you really need?” and reminding them they all once loved the game more than money.
In our quest to get ahead, we can face situations where our values are tested. You’re faced with a difficult choice that can make you forget who you are and why you chose this path in the first place. It isn’t always this clear cut or with so much on the line. A former prosecutor once told a group that it’s rarely a big criminal scheme that does a business in; it’s all the little actions along the way that make people forget what’s right and wrong.
Give Direct Feedback and Move On
Rebecca also imparted another lesson when she calls out Coach Roy Kent for not covering a press conference as she requested. While understandably upset about the press conference, she didn’t focus on that and instead addressed the larger issue holding back this key member of her team: “Is that the plan for the rest of your life? You’re just going to walk away from something the moment it isn’t fun or it isn’t easy? What do you want, Roy? What do you really want?”
It’s hard to give critical feedback to a teammate or a colleague or even a friend. Yet the objective assessment, delivered in a way that shows true caring, is often the catalyst we all need to break through our own fog and see what we’ve been missing. It’s also important not to dwell on the message once delivered. Give the person a chance to process what you’ve said and apply it, which leads to Roy’s leadership lesson.
Support Your People Through Mistakes
When Roy finally does lead the next press conference, he is asked to address the unsportsmanlike behavior by team captain Isaac McAdoo, who lunged into the stands after fans screamed slurs at a teammate. While making the point that no one knows what’s going on in each other’s lives, Roy says, “For Isaac to do what he did today, even though it was wrong, I give him love. As for why he did what he did, it’s none of my (expletive) business.”
Now, I’m not sure most of us could get away with that last part, but the scene’s larger lesson is that even your best players are going to make mistakes. And in those moments, it’s important to remember their prior successes and not fixate on today’s error. That kind of support not only engenders lifelong loyalty, but it also provides a clear example of a leader who cares about the members of their team, not just themselves.
Share the Spotlight When It Counts
As Ted Lasso’s characters have developed, possibly no one has changed as dramatically as Jamie Tartt, one of the club’s star players. He started the show a selfish, brash bully and now makes the list for leadership. After being tapped to represent England in a special international game, Jamie takes the No. 24 kit (uniform) in honor of his teammate Sam Obisanya, who was unfairly kept from representing Nigeria in the game. It was Jamie’s way of sending a message to Sam and the world that Sam should’ve also been on the field.
We’ve all been recipients of gratuitous mentions that can feel hollow if we didn’t do much to deserve them, or they don’t feel genuine. It’s when it counts—in the big meetings and moments—that sharing the spotlight truly has the power to elevate all involved.
A Strong number two Is Never Second Best
Coach Beard and Ted have worked together for years. Dramatically different, they can finish each other’s sentences and appear to need the other to succeed. We saw this from the very first episode of the show. As they flew to the U.K. for Ted to take the helm of a football team, it was Beard reading a book about how to play the sport on the flight. Ted is the visionary and Beard executes that vision, an interplay you see across businesses, and that was on full display this season as Beard puts Ted’s “Total Football” strategy into action. In his presentation, he fires up the team, explains the strategy, and helps implement it on the field.
While some may cast this role as secondary, it is essential in many organizations because it requires different skills and approaches than most leaders have. Making the trains run on time is the hardest job in any organization, and most leaders would never attain greatness without a strong deputy they can count on to drive the team to success.
Be Vulnerable
The reason Isaac, the team captain, charged the fans was, in part, because he was upset about finding out by mistake that his friend and teammate, Colin, is gay. He is struggling both with Colin being gay and the fact that Colin didn’t trust him enough to tell him. But he comes out the other side, showing up at Colin’s house to talk. He asks him questions to better understand his friend and is open about his own insecurities.
It’s hard to be vulnerable, admit you’re uncomfortable, and then ask for help working through it. Yet it’s where all the growth happens because, in those moments of uncertainty, we build strength to face whatever the challenge.
Work on Your Story Game
One thing Ted and all the characters on the show do very well is use stories to make their point. Rebecca told the story about her ex-husband as a child. Roy told a story about a former teammate to underscore that people don’t know what’s happening in others’ lives. Beard tells a story about his mom’s vibrator (though that may not have been the most illustrative example!). The point: Stories are memorable. They have the power to move people by tapping into emotions that go beyond what you’re hearing to what you’re feeling.
Some people are natural storytellers, but it’s fine if you’re not. You just need to build a stable of stories that illustrate key points, which you’re likely to need to make: how you or someone you know overcame adversity, how you learned a tough lesson, how you got the big win. Write them out and rehearse them if necessary. Stories have built communities and driven civilizations for centuries, whether carved into a cave wall or shared on social media. Imagine what they could do for you.
Anne Marie Squeo is founder and CEO of Proof Point Communications, a boutique marketing and communications firm, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning business journalist.
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