Curiosity for the Win: A Leadership Lesson from Ted Lasso

If you haven't encountered "Ted Lasso," you've missed one of the most insightful leadership case studies in recent entertainment. This Apple TV+ series, which ran from 2020-2023 and won multiple Emmy Awards, became a cultural phenomenon not for its sports storylines, but for its authentic portrayal of transformational leadership.

"Ted Lasso" follows an American football coach hired to manage an English soccer team despite having zero soccer experience. What makes the show compelling for business leaders isn't the sports—it's Ted's unconventional leadership approach. He prioritizes people development and organizational culture over short-term wins. Through authentic emotional intelligence and genuine care, he transforms both individual performance and team dynamics while navigating his own leadership challenges.

There's a pivotal scene that offers profound insights for business leadership. Ted challenges Rupert, the arrogant former owner, to a high-stakes game of darts. The wager: if Rupert wins, he controls team selection for crucial games. If Ted wins, Rupert loses access to decision-making influence.

With surgical precision, Ted delivers two triple 20's and a bullseye for the win.

Strategic Wisdom from an Unexpected Source

Ted shares what he attributes to Walt Whitman: "Be curious, not judgmental." He reveals how everyone who underestimated him throughout his career shared one characteristic—their rush to judgement prevented them from truly understanding the circumstances and making the best possible decisions.

Guys have underestimated me my entire life and for years I never understood why – it used to really bother me.

But then one day I was driving my little boy to school and I saw a quote by Walt Whitman, it was painted on the wall and it said, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ I like that.

So I get back in my car and I’m driving to work and all of the sudden it hits me – all them fellas that used to belittle me, not a single one of them was curious. You know, they thought they had everything figured out so they judged everything and they judged everyone. And I realized that their underestimating me – who I was had nothing to do with it. Because if they were curious they would have asked questions.

Questions like, ‘Have you played a lot of darts, Ted?’ . To which I would have answered, “Yes sir. Every Sunday afternoon at a sports bar with my father from aged 10 until I was 16 when he passed away.

—- Ted Lasso, Season 1, Episode 8, titled "The Diamond Dogs"

In this case, Rupert's snap judgment prevented him from discovering Ted's extensive dart experience.

This principle aligns with Matthew 7:1-5, where Jesus warns against judgment: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" 

Symptoms of Snap-Judgement Culture

Do you tend to draw conclusions (and assign blame) quickly, rather than fully considering the root cause of a surprise success or failure?

Have you ever discovered relevant context well after making a critical business decision? Do you find yourself saying "I should have known..." or "Why didn't anyone tell me..." because you made judgments without gathering complete information?

Has one of your best employees left the business or been reluctant to engage you in problem solving because they feel judged rather than heard? 

If you answered any of these questions with a “yes”, read on … 

ROI of Curiosity in Business

Consider your last major business conflict or challenging customer relationship. How different might the outcome have been if you'd approached it with strategic curiosity instead of defensive judgment? Curiosity unlocks value that snap judgment destroys. 

Operationally, this means transforming "That approach never works..." into "What data supports that strategy?" Replace "They don't understand our business..." with "Help me understand their perspective on this challenge."

Jesus demonstrated this approach in John 4 when He engaged the Samaritan woman. Rather than judging based on cultural prejudices and reputation, He asked questions and listened. His curiosity broke through social and business barriers, ultimately transforming an entire community. 

Organizational Impact and Scalability

In practice: Replace "That department always..." with "What challenges are they facing?" Transform "This strategy failed before..." into "What business conditions have changed since the last time we tried that?"

When leaders approach a challenge with curiosity, the decision making process is more likely to surface the best possible solution that snap judgment based cultures tend to suppress.

The Bible illustrates this in 1 Samuel 16:7: "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Like investors who underestimate disruptive startups based on conventional metrics, leaders often judge talent and opportunities by superficial indicators instead of investigating underlying potential.

Competitive Advantage Through Curiosity

Ted Lasso demonstrates how others' assumptions and lack of strategic curiosity create competitive vulnerabilities. The most significant business breakthroughs often come not from complex strategies but from fundamental shifts in how leaders gather information and assess opportunities.

The business question isn't whether you'll face market disruption and organizational challenges—it's whether you'll meet them with defensive judgment or strategic curiosity. As James 1:19 advises, "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." When leaders prioritize curiosity, they consistently discover that the people, markets, and opportunities they might have judged too quickly hold the keys to sustainable competitive advantage.

Like Ted's hidden dart expertise, your organization's greatest assets are often beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered by leaders curious enough to ask the right strategic questions.