🎯 Have you played a lot of darts, Ted?

Curiosity: Your Key to Understanding Millennials Better

“…and I realized that they were underestimating me, who I was had nothing to do with it.
If they were curious, they would have asked questions, questions like…”
—Ted Lasso

Why did Ted Lasso ❤️
win over our hearts?

In 2020, the world was reeling—and then Ted Lasso appeared.

It felt like a much-needed burst of laughter, camaraderie, and hope. For a moment, we were all rooting for the same team. That felt nice, didn’t it?

If you’ve seen Ted Lasso, you know the darts scene. 🎯

It sneaks up on you. You think it’s about winning a game, but—bam!—it turns into a life lesson. Ted sums it up perfectly:

“Be curious, not judgmental.”

This is just one of Ted’s many life hacks, but it’s also a value that explains why we’re all a little obsessed with him—and why it resonates with the times we’re living in today.

There was something undeniably alluring
about Ted’s way of moving through life.

Even his coaching style feels fresh and distinctive.

Ted Lasso isn’t your typical coach. He doesn’t yell, demand perfection, or act like winning is the only thing that matters. His secret weapon? Empathy and adaptability—two traits that are becoming hallmarks of Millennial culture.

If we’re curious about… Why did Ted Lasso ❤️ win over our hearts?
Well, we might begin by looking at things on a continuum,
a continuum like this one.

(BTW, I made this continuum up. You can make your own continuums too!)

Around the time Ted and Rupert meet in the pub for a confrontation—er, I mean dart challenge—this spectrum becomes clearer. That moment isn’t just about darts; it’s a symbolic showdown of contrasting styles.

So I asked myself, where are they at on a continuum?

Ted’s curiosity naturally places him on one end, closer to openness and infinite play. Rupert? His win-at-all-costs mentality stakes out the opposite end.
This continuum reflects leadership styles that aren’t fixed but fluid,
with shifts that occur as characters learn and grow.

Do you agree? (Don’t worry—we’re not documenting this for research, lol.)

As Ted’s influence on the team grows, they inevitably face a defining loss to Manchester City. In response, Coach Beard spirals—drifting through the night in what looks like chaos but might actually be a deep dive into his own thoughts. Maybe this was Beard’s personal journey along a continuum of perceptions, as he struggles to make sense of where the team stands and what it all means.

After a long night of soul-searching (and maybe a few questionable choices), Beard decides it’s time to speak up—and, naturally, he does it in the pub. His raw, honest reflection impacts Ted in unexpected ways, prompting him to reconsider his coaching approach.

Just as Millennials have learned to pivot from outdated systems, Beard’s experience reveals the power of reassessing priorities and embracing uncertainty—a crucial skill in navigating today’s fast-changing world.

A Shift in Style

Beard’s influence nudges Ted toward a more collaborative approach, sparking a subtle but meaningful shift along the continuum. Ted’s leadership isn’t static—it evolves with time, experience, and reflection.

At this point in the story, Ted moves closer to the middle—balancing openness with responsibility. It’s a reminder that leadership, like life, is fluid.

To envision the continuum at this point, I’d see it as this:

Notice, Ted has shifted towards a Transformative Coaching style.

Ted’s coaching style isn’t just refreshing—it’s a reflection of Millennial values taking hold in our culture.

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One of the easiest ways to begin being curious is to view situations—or even people—on a continuum. Start with where you know you are. For example, think of yourself as somewhere between introverted and extroverted. Now, instead of labeling someone as “introverted” or “extroverted,” place them somewhere along that spectrum, knowing they may shift based on mood, environment, or energy levels.

Different, not better or worse.

Let curiosity guide you further.

Here are some more ways that I find benefit in this kind of perception.

Almost anything can be thought of as a part of a spectrum, continuum, or even as polarities. For example, risk-averse ↔ risk-taker, routine-loving ↔ spontaneous, or direct ↔ diplomatic.

Seeing yourself within these spectrums—even though they are fluid—helps you feel more grounded and aware of your position among the dynamics around you.

Curiosity, after all, is an expression of empathy—seeking to understand someone else’s point of view. When you embrace this mindset, it becomes easier to make your own shifts and explore new ways of being.

• What would happen if you imagined that the person who baffles you isn’t stuck, but simply on a different part of their own continuum?

• What part of a continuum might someone else see you on that you didn’t notice yourself?

• Can you envision a continuum that you are standing on right now? What changes if you shift your position—just a little?

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Like Ted, I too feel that I’ve been “underestimated my whole life” in certain areas and one of those areas is actually curiosity. LOL.

In my formative years, curiosity wasn’t exactly encouraged. We were rewarded for staying in line, reciting the right answers, and plotting a linear course through life.

What’s rewarded will grow.
What’s suppressed will diminish.

So when you hear people talking about getting curious, I invite you to ask yourself:

Was I rewarded for being curious?

If not, what would it be like to explore this way of being now?

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Curiosity has arrived. Will you embrace it?

The younger you are, the more likely it is that curiosity has been welcomed and encouraged in your life. It’s a generational shift. Millennials, for example, embrace curiosity as a tool to navigate uncertainty and drive change. They weren’t born with this mindset—it was shaped by experiences like 9/11, the 2008 financial crash, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Consider, is being curious something that seems to come naturally for you?
  If so, were you free to explore it?
  If not, would you like to explore this way of being now?
  

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Curiosity shifts us from judging to understanding
—making room for empathy where certainty once lived.

Each generation brings distinct values.

Millennials cultivate curiosity and adaptability to complement the vision-driven leadership of Boomers. Together, these archetypes create new possibilities.

Where Boomers brought structured frameworks, Millennials thrive on adaptability, reshaping institutions for a more flexible future. Understanding these distinctions helps us appreciate how generations work together—not by being similar, but by complementing one another’s strengths.

With this in mind, would you think it’s better to tell a Millennial how to solve a problem—or allow them to find their own way, even if it’s different from yours?

I consider this is one of those ✨ fantastical touch points ✨ between generations, where steady rhythms meet curious sparks, creating something new!

Did We Notice this Trend Arrive?

Like the darts scene in Ted Lasso, this new way of leading invites us to see things differently—not through judgment, but through curiosity.

So here’s my question for us:

Did we notice this trend arrive? Or were we too focused on old ideas of success to see that a new way of leading had already begun?

Are you curious enough to notice what new trends are already unfolding around you?

So why couldn’t we get enough of Ted Lasso?

When Ted Lasso premiered in 2020, Millennials—those born between 1981 and 1996—were at a pivotal moment. They were stepping into leadership roles, shaping workplace cultures, and redefining success.

By 2020, Millennials were:

1. Leading the Workforce: Prioritizing collaboration, inclusivity, and mental health.

2. Shaping Social Impact: Embracing emotional intelligence and authenticity.

3. Navigating Crisis After Crisis: Leading with empathy and resilience in an unpredictable world.

4.Driving Cultural Influence: Craving meaningful entertainment—and finding it in Ted Lasso.

I think we couldn’t get enough of Ted Lasso
because it reflects our eagerness
for the new ways Millennials are shaping culture and society!

Thanks so much for reading along.
I’d be super delighted to hear your thoughts! Leave a short comment below.

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