The Emmy-winning Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso (2020–) has captured hearts with its wholesome optimism, leadership wisdom, and unwavering belief in people. The coaching philosophy that Ted (Jason Sudeikis) embodies, characterized by positivity, empathy, shared leadership, and a strong belief in others, presents a compelling framework for leadership that can be effectively applied within higher education. His playbook is not just about winning games. Rather, it is about fostering a culture where individuals thrive, trust flourishes, and teams achieve greatness together. This article is the first of four that outlines how principles from Ted Lasso can be integrated into important aspects of higher education, with this first one focusing on job descriptions.
Beyond the Credential Factory: Why Higher Education Must Shift from Management to Flourishing
For decades, higher education leadership has obsessed over “student success” as a purely operational metric. We track retention and graduation rates and postgraduation outcomes with the same linear precision that
Yoshitaka Iwasaki
August 3, 2026
