The Klopp Effect
A 21st Century Manager
October 2015, German football coach Jurgen Klopp addressed his first press conference as the newly appointed manager and head coach of Liverpool FC. His all black outfit was fit for the occasion, Liverpool had been a club whose once astronomical stature had been reduced to a laughingstock. On the football pitch Liverpool were average on a good day, and had failed to win the Premier League title for 30 years; off the pitch the club lagged commercially, failed to have a concrete long-term direction, and suffered from poor recruitment. At that press conference the enigmatic German stated, “We have to change from doubters to believers.”
Five years on from stating these famous words Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are champion of England, Europe, and the World. This CNN article by Aimee Lewis works to answer the question of what Jurgen Klopp did to change the club’s fortunes and accomplished what some of the greats of the game failed to.
Charisma is the first word which comes to mind when describing the German manager. He builds a tight connection which transcends the pitch with players, fans, and staff. He did it in Mainz, a club he played his entire professional career at. As a player he was a significant personality in the dressing room, Christian Heidel who appointed Klopp as Mainz’s head coach described him as the “emotional leader” of the team. His charismatic leadership style became even more evident when he retired as a player and became the head coach of Mainz. A charismatic leader is a transformational leader, they can inspire and motivate others. Klopp drove the second division side to promotion into the Bundesliga — the highest level of competition in Germany. Next, he took on the job of head coach at Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund. The club was financially strained and performances on the pitch were nothing of note. Unlike his previous job where he was a former player, Klopp had never been associated with Dortmund, he had to build brand new relationships with the executives, staff members, players, and crucially the fans. Thus, he used consideration as his initial tool. Consideration is a leadership behavior concerned with the needs and wants of group members. Furthermore, Jurgen Klopp promoted many young players to the first team; providing them with ample motivation to have the self-belief and confidence needed to play at the highest level. This was critical for those young players, some of whom were still teenagers. Additionally, Klopp is versatile in many situations, he can be regarded as a great situational manager. Since Dortmund were struggling financially, he looked to find young or relatively unknown players who were affordable for the club. Certain players were foreign and required Klopp’s global mind-set and reassurance to adjust to life in a new country. Furthermore, no matter where he goes, he can build a team-oriented mentality — not just among the players but even the staff and fans. His use of pathos is so effective that a former colleague described him as someone people would blindly follow. Ultimately, a charismatic, considerate, team-oriented, global mind-set, and situation leadership style allowed Klopp to take Dortmund to two Bundesliga Titles and a Champions League Final.
“There is German word for people like Klopp: Menschenfanger, meaning someone who can talk people into doing things they themselves did not feel possible,” Lewis writes in the article.
Jurgen Klopp is one of the best motivators on the planet, just listening to his interview or watching him on the sidelines can get people pumped. The article briefly touched on this, but it is very important to mention. Jurgen Klopp’s verbal techniques are excellent, but the non-verbal communication is truly magnificent. After every game he has his players hold hand and make a long chain, then walk up to the fans and thank them collectively. During games Klopp can be seen flailing his hands and cupping his ears almost challenging the fans to be louder. He runs across the field when a goal is scored to celebrate with his players and then turns around to look at fans, pumping his fists. He makes the fans feel like they are just as involved in the game as the players, all through non-verbal communication. In all sport the fans are the customers, yet rarely can a manager coach the fans like they coach a player, and even rarer is the ability to make the fans feel that they are essential to the team; therefore, the customer experience that Klopp provides is phenomenal. Even fans who are not in the stadium and simply watching on TV are captured by the German, almost solely by the non-verbal techniques he employs. This was very important at Liverpool since many fans were disheartened by the lack of success, the club lagged behind the competition in terms of growing its existing fan base. Klopp’s approach has captured the hearts of old and new fans alike.
Klopp also demonstrated his situation management skills when he arrived at Liverpool. Unlike the Bundesliga where financial power can be very distorted among the clubs, the Premier League has much more financial parity. Furthermore, it is one of the richest sporting competitions in the world. Thus, Klopp had the money to spend; however, FSG — owners of Liverpool — wanted player recruitment to be done via an analytical approach. FSG had used this practice with their baseball club the Boston Red Sox and found success, now they wanted Liverpool to become the first major football club to heavily rely on analytics when recruiting players and sporting staff. Previous Liverpool managers had found this approach to be either wrong or meddling with the “right way.” Fortunately, Jurgen Klopp embraced this new approach. He allowed FSG to use analytics in every aspect of recruitment and even to improve his own tactics; he also added a second condition for recruitment on top the analytics. He wanted players to posses a team oriented hardworking mentality, additionally he selected players who displayed ethical and amicable leadership qualities such as humility and respect.
He further delegates his responsibilities to others, like allowing senior players to mentor the younger players, or being the first team in the Premier League to hire a throw in coach. He is not afraid of empowering his followers, he is willing to take the risk of putting faith in new methods, ideas, and players. This trust he places on his followers and their ability causes a great deal of trust to reciprocate from them. This is an important managerial trait in modern times, where technology and innovation emerge at lightening pace. Having faith in subordinates who have knowledge of new innovations and motivating them to implement their new ideas is extremely important for a 21st century manager.
Another benefit of empowering followers is that they are willing to listen and do more for the manager. Players, fans, ad staff at Liverpool talk about how Klopp gives his one hundred percent; therefore, they too much give everything for him.
His global mind-set also continues to benefit him at Liverpool. He always makes sure to create time for his Muslim prayers to complete their prayers, in fact Liverpool became the first Premier League club to create a prayer room in the stadium for public use. Steps like this show Klopp’s sincerity and respect for other cultures; this causes his players to feel even more motivated and looked after by him, but also causes people from around the world to see Liverpool in a positive light. Thus, increasing the fans and commercial success.
Jurgen Klopp has transformed Liverpool on the pitch, he has revitalized the club’s fans, and his managerial ability and character has helped make Liverpool successful commercially around the globe. The club which was once stuck in the past now leads the way in the industry, a charismatic, global minded, motivational, situational manager is the reason why.
Source
Lewis, A. (2020, July 02). How Jurgen Klopp turned Liverpool into title winners. Retrieved August 02, 2020, from https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/25/football/jurgen-klopp-liverpool-premier-league-title-spt-int/index.html
