In the popular Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso, the titular character plays a relentlessly positive soccer coach whose care and kindness inspires his ragtag team to reach new heights. And, in fact, past academic research has largely supported the leadership style Lasso emulates, suggesting that leaders ought to be frequently positive to support their team members’ individual performance. Yet, any leader can tell you that this kind of blanket advice doesn’t always seem to track with what they see in the office: sometimes well-timed negative feedback can help drive performance and positivity can be more impactful in some moments than others.
