In a World of George Costanza's, be Ted Lasso.

Building is hard, and there are always 100 reasons to give up for the 1 there is to keep going. I've had this rattling around in my brain for a while as a construct that has helped guide my thinking and my approach to interactions of late. Perhaps it will be helpful to you too. And yes I'm dating myself with the George Costanza reference. But the best line in Sitcom history will forever be "George likes his kung pao spicy." Prove me wrong.

So we all know the George Costanza type — the constant critic, finder of fault and the one that 'knows better.' Long on opinion, short on action. Rarely is this the person that makes things better, solves a problem or unites a team. George would rant about a coworker’s bad parking or Jerry’s dating life to dodge his own flops, like losing another job. It’s all noise, no fix. 

Instead, I say channel your inner Ted Lasso. Look at what Coach Lasso did with AFC Richmond - he came into a divided and horribly underperforming team, owned the challenge, and used positivity, vulnerability and encouragement to unite players like Roy and Jamie and ultimately secure a promotion for the team.

No team, company, or startup ecosystem is perfect and the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. Faced with headwinds, harping on what's wrong certainly highlights what's broken. But in the absence of constructive input or a view on solutions, is not only not helpful, it shuts down trust and stalls progress. 

Leaders like Satya Nadella at Microsoft prove this works—he turned a stale culture around by encouraging ideas over blame, boosting innovation and tripling the company’s value. Or take Simon Sinek, whose “Start With Why” pushes us to solve problems with purpose, not pettiness.

See a problem? Suggest a fix, rally the team, and make it happen. As leaders, we should always want to embody the character and humility that makes Ted Lasso the incredibly endearing and unforgettable character that he is. 

So be a Ted Lasso.