Leading Like Ted Lasso in Tech

What this episode covers

Nick Coniglio and Marni Stockman join Gaining the Technology Leadership Edge to unpack what Ted Lasso gets right about leadership—and why those lessons matter for technical leaders today. As former founders of a SaaS company that scaled during the same years Ted Lasso aired, Nick and Marni didn’t model their business after a TV show. Instead, they noticed striking parallels: leading with empathy, building trust through vulnerability, and focusing on people before outcomes. Their company grew without salespeople, relying on customer success, community, and strong core values. Nick shares how early command-and-control leadership failed him, and why empowering people to own decisions created momentum. Marni draws from her background as a high school math teacher, explaining how making work about the individual—not the system—translated directly into building raving fans and engaged employees. The conversation covers emotional intelligence, leading without authority, balancing optimism with tough decisions, and why autonomy, mastery, and purpose matter more than compensation alone. They also reflect on how community-driven leadership continued to pay dividends even after their January 2023 exit.

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