Why Outbursts Aren’t the Real Issue
The moment Isaac - the team captain - jumped into the crowd, every person in the stadium froze.
The players.
The fans.
Even Ted.
Everyone saw anger.
Everyone saw a problem.
Everyone had an opinion within two seconds.
And isn’t that just like real life?
Especially in leadership?
Someone on your team snaps.
Someone storms out of a meeting.
Someone “acts out of character.”
And in two seconds, the whole room becomes an expert.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“That was unprofessional.”
“That can’t happen again.”
We forget something very basic.
Something Roy Kent reminded us with one of the greatest scenes in the whole show:
“It’s none of your f**ing business. Everyone’s going through something.”
The whole energy in the room shifted when he said it.
It was blunt.
It was raw.
It was true.
And that truth is something every executive needs to hear.
The Scene We Can All Learn From
In the show, Isaac jumps into the crowd because a fan says something cruel.
Too cruel.
Too personal.
Something that hit a wound nobody else knew he had.
And suddenly, he wasn’t a captain.
He wasn’t a public figure.
He was a human being with a heart that hurt.
But here’s what I love:
Everyone tried to figure out what was wrong with him.
They wanted to guess.
They wanted the answer.
They wanted the story so they could make the behavior make sense.
Sound familiar?
High-achiever environments do this every day:
“Why did she talk to me like that?”
“Why is he so distracted?”
“Why did he blow up at the team?”
“Why did she suddenly shut down?”
Executives jump to conclusions fast.
And it’s not because they’re bad leaders.
It’s because they’re under pressure, and pressure makes people interpret behavior instead of investigate it.
Ted Lasso flips that idea on its head.
The show slows us down.
It makes us breathe.
It makes us see.
And Roy Kent, of all people, is the one who teaches the lesson.
Roy’s Story: The Lesson in Non-Judgment
Roy reveals he once acted the same way.
He exploded.
He acted wild.
He acted wrong.
But the reason behind it?
None of our business.
Because the thing inside him wasn’t something he could share.
Not then.
Not easily.
Not out loud.
And that’s the point.
People don’t explode because something’s wrong with them.
They explode because something hurts inside them.
Everyone is fighting a battle they never talk about.
That’s why the episode hits so hard.
It reminds us of something very simple:
Behavior is the clue. The pain is the cause. And our job is to see beyond the surface.
How This Applies to Executives and Teams
Let’s shift to the boardroom.
Because this lesson is not about soccer.
It’s about leadership.
Imagine you have a team member who snaps in a meeting.
Or gets irritated for no reason.
Or suddenly shuts down.
Or misses deadlines they never miss.
Executives usually respond in one of three ways:
Judgment:
“He’s being dramatic.”
“She’s unprofessional.”
Discipline:
“Let’s put something in their file.”
Avoidance:
“Let’s just hope this doesn’t happen again.”
But the real impact comes when you do something else:
Curiosity. Compassion. Calm leadership.
You use a different part of your brain.
The part Roy Kent tapped into that day.
Because the truth is simple:
No outburst happens in a vacuum. There is always a story you don’t know.
And when you rush to fix behavior, you miss the injury underneath.
Executives often think they’re judging actions.
They’re actually judging wounds.
“Performance Problems Are Behavior Problems.”
Truth Bomb: Here’s the belief you don’t want to let go of.
The belief that secretly causes 90% of their team issues.
“If someone has an outburst, the outburst is the problem.”
No. It’s not.
The anger is the signal.
The outburst is the symptom.
The shutdown is the alarm bell.
The real issue is:
A need not met
A pressure not voiced
A fear not shared
A boundary crossed
A pain poked
A story carried silently
Your executive audience doesn’t naturally think like this.
But when they do?
Everything changes.
They stop labeling.
They start listening.
They stop reacting.
They start leading.
This is where you shine as the coach.
This is where you help them move from outsider to observer.
From confusion to clarity.
From judgment to understanding.
It’s Inner Excellence in real-time.
What Great Leaders Do When Someone Explodes
Here’s what great leaders — and Ted Lasso-style leaders — do in tense moments:
1. They pause before reacting.
Slow is smooth.
Smooth is strong.
2. They stay curious.
“What else could be true?”
“What might I not know?”
“What pain might be underneath this?”
3. They separate the person from the behavior.
The behavior is loud.
The pain is quiet.
The leader listens for the quiet part.
4. They provide psychological safety.
Not the trendy version.
The real one:
“I am here. You’re safe. Talk when you can.”
5. They respond, not react.
Big difference.
Reacting is fast.
Responding is wise.
6. They remember Roy Kent’s rule:
Everyone is going through something. And it is not always your f**ing business.
Why This Episode Matters for High-Level Performance
Executives often think they need sharper skills.
Better systems.
More structure.
More strategy.
But performance starts somewhere deeper:
A nervous system that feels safe. A team that feels seen. A leader who understands humanity before KPIs.
This is the part elite athletes understand.
This is the part executives often miss.
Athletes don’t just train their bodies.
They train their hearts.
Their emotions.
Their judgment.
Their reactions.
It’s why coaches like you are essential:
You bring the lens of compassion into environments fueled by pressure.
You help leaders handle the “Isaac moments” with wisdom instead of worry.
With clarity instead of chaos.
With leadership instead of fear.
The Isaac scene reminds us that every outburst is a window.
A sign.
A signal.
A cry for help hiding behind a storm.
And great leaders don’t ask,
“What’s wrong with you?”
They ask,
“What happened to you?”
And
“How can I help?”
The next time someone on your team snaps…
Or shuts down…
Or lashes out…
Think of Isaac.
Think of Roy.
Think of the truth behind the anger.
And choose to lead with heart.
Because everyone — absolutely everyone — is going through something.
About Kathie
Kathie Owen is a high-performance executive coach who teaches leaders to operate like elite athletes under pressure. With 25+ years of experience in fitness, sports psychology, and corporate wellness, she helps CEOs, founders, and C-suite leaders strengthen the one thing they can’t outsource: their inner world.
Her work blends emotional intelligence, performance coaching, sleep and recovery science, and deep mindset training. She shows leaders how to handle stress, make clear decisions, set real boundaries, and respond with calm strength in the moments that matter most.
Kathie is known for her heart-centered style, her straight-to-the-truth coaching, and her ability to help high achievers perform at their best without losing themselves in the process. She is the creator of the P.O.W.E.R. Performance Method and the host of Kathie’s Coaching Podcast.
Her mission is simple:
Build stronger leaders. Build better teams. Build healthier humans. One heart at a time.
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