5 Things We Can Learn from Football Manager Jürgen Klopp
Saad Azza analyzes 5 lessons we can learn from football manager Jürgen Klopp concerning leadership, organizational behavior and decision making processes.
The Champions League returns to action today with 32 of Europe’s finest teams competing for the Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens.
Football has always been a part of my life from a favourite pastime to the countless games watched together with friends with Champions League always being one of the highlights of each year. Beyond my personal interest in football, learnings from the sport have also accompanied me in my professional life. In fact, one of my first lectures in business school focused on the similarities between business organizations and football teams and what the former could learn from the latter. So when Manager Magazin, Germany’s leading business magazine, put Jürgen Klopp, team manager of FC Liverpool, on its cover back in May I began looking into what the business world and myself could learn from the German football manager.
Klopp has been coaching Liverpool FC for four years now, turning the Reds into a powerhouse and one of, if not, the best teams in Europe. He has reached three European finals with Liverpool. But Klopp is not only a great coach and manager, he is also an inspirational leader and role model. He is determined, ambitious, always smiling and a great team player and motivator. Without further ado, here are five lessons that we can learn from.
1. “Fail in the most beautiful way”: why it’s important to focus on opportunities
In May 2019, Liverpool made one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history, defeating FC Barcelona 4–0 to win 4–3 on aggregate and qualify for the finals in Madrid, which they then won 2–0 against Tottenham Hotspurs.
“We want to celebrate the Champions League campaign, either with a proper finish or another goal. That is the plan: just try. If we can do it, wonderful. If not, then fail in the most beautiful way,” Klopp told reporters ahead of the Barcelona game. A comeback seemed impossible at that point for the Reds. But Klopp was keen for his players to focus on their performance rather than the defeat in the first leg. “We have to work for it. We believe in the chance, we believe in the opportunity, not in the result.”
It sounds like a cliché, but Klopp doesn’t see problems, he sees possibilities. This is a wonderful lesson: We have to appreciate the opportunities that come our way and should not take them for granted. We are all capable of mistakes, but we are also capable of believing in ourselves and giving our best, regardless of the challenge before us.
2. “Only silly idiots stay on the floor”: why giving up is not an option
Klopp is no stranger to comeback stories. In the 2016 Europa League quarter-finals, Liverpool overcame a three-goal deficit for a 4–3 win that eliminated his former team, Borussia Dortmund. Two years earlier, when he was still manager at BVB, Klopp’s team almost overcame a three-goal deficit against the eventual cup-winners Real Madrid. In the post-match analysis, the Dortmund manager was full of praise for his team’s display: “You could make a video of this game and show it to the teams that lose a first leg game 3–0.”
For Klopp, in fact, giving up is not an option. “We feel down but now we have to stand up. Only silly idiots stay on the floor and wait for the next defeat,” Klopp once said after losing a match. Giving up shouldn’t be an option for us either. When the going gets tough, remember that only silly idiot’s stay on the floor.
3. “You have to accept that there are occasions when you might lose”: why staying positive is key
Prior to the 2018–19 campaign, Klopp had taken two teams — Dortmund and Liverpool — to Champions League finals. He lost both of them. In his first season with Liverpool, he also reached and lost the Europa League and League Cup finals. But, as we know, his poor record in finals ultimately came to an end in 2019. Klopp is not afraid of losing, and neither should we.
Indeed, Klopp has always looked on the bright side of things. “I’m healthy, my family is healthy, I do the job I love so that makes me already a very fortunate person,” Klopp said, in response to suggestions that he was cursed. “In football, if you want to win, you have to accept that there are occasions when you might lose.”
Staying positive is something that a lot of people seem to struggle with in the light of continuous failures. Yet, it is crucial to success. I know, it is easier said than done, but as Nelson Mandela already said: “[You] never lose, [you] either win or learn”. Klopp is the best example of that. After losing six cup finals in a row, he eventually led Liverpool to Champions League glory.
4. “You cannot be the last who comes in and the first who goes out”: why strong leadership matters
Klopp has the gift of creating an impenetrable sense of unity among supporters, staff and players. As a manager of Liverpool, Dortmund and Mainz, he completely won over the hearts of fans, guiding all clubs to extraordinary heights. Furthermore, he always challenges his players to improve and realize their full potential. But his job does not stop there. Klopp is someone who leads by example.
“As a leader, you cannot be the last who comes in and the first who goes out; you don’t always have to be the first coming in or the last going out, but you have to be an example,” Klopp explains. “That’s what leadership is: have strong people around you with a better knowledge in different departments than yourself, don’t act like you know everything, be ready to admit, ‘I have no clue at the moment, give me a couple of minutes and then I will have a clue probably.’”
Klopp’s approach is not dissimilar to how many business leaders feel about leadership. Leadership is essential for success, but it must be based on core principles and values — such as respect, teamwork and trust. Klopp understands this like no other.
5. “It was absolutely a conscious decision to go to England”: why learning new things is good for you
Adapting to a new language, a new culture, and a new league can be difficult. But Klopp has never shied away from new beginnings. He has not only proved at Merseyside that he can succeed outside of Germany, but he has also managed to establish himself as one of Europe’s best managers. When asked about his decision to leave Germany and come to England, he said: “It was absolutely a conscious decision to go to England, to another country, to learn new things, to improve a new language and all that stuff.”
Working abroad and immersing oneself in a new environment is an invaluable experience. I know that because I recently relocated internationally myself. Sometimes we need to leave our comfort zone to grow. Learning new things, be it a language or a new skill, is not only important for our self-esteem, but it is also a great way to boost our happiness.
I wish Klopp and his team all the best for the upcoming season, but with 5 wins out of 5 games in Premier league they seem to be off to a great start. And I’m happy to hear your thoughts on one of football’s most inspirational managers.
Saad Azza is Network Development Manager at Porsche Taiwan Motors Ltd. Follow us on Twitter (Porsche Digital, Next Visions), Instagram (Porsche Digital Lab Berlin, Porsche Digital, Next Visions) and LinkedIn (Porsche Digital Lab Berlin, Porsche Digital) for more.
