Lessons in leadership & culture creation from Jurgen Klopp's all conquering LFC team...

As a massive Liverpool F.C. fan all my life, the last few weeks have been heaven.

For those who don't follow the sport, LFC's success has been a long time coming. Historically one of Europe's most successful clubs, Liverpool hadn't won an English league title for 30 years. In that time (most of my life), there's been near misses, heartbreak, mediocrity and plenty of jibes from fans of other clubs. There was also the small matter of the club almost going bankrupt.

(9 year old Shane didn't think it would take another 22 odd years before he'd see a LFC title win!)

But all of this changed when Jurgen Klopp, a German coach with the sort of personality and infectious energy that inspires cult like devotion, came into the picture.

Having instilled a new playing style and coaching staff, refreshed the team and revitalised the fans, Klopp took Liverpool to European glory last season, missing out on the league title by a hair after a record breaking season.

This year the momentum hasn't stalled. Klopp's Reds were so far ahead of the pack at Christmas that the league became a procession.

The title was secured last week as Man City failed to beat Chelsea. With almost 1/5th of the delayed season left, Liverpool are champions.

Much has been written about Klopp, his backroom team and the incredible spirit that has been cultivated around the club.

Like any sporting win, there's a great deal of luck involved.

I will also say that it's classic 'basic bitch' Linkedin tactics to take a relevant, timely cultural topic and try to extract learnings for business people from it.

'What marketers can learn from Brexit'

'What HR managers can take from Trump's cabinet reshuffle'

'What operations managers can learn from coronavirus'

99% of the time, it's utter nonsense - hollow, trite and overreaching.

When it comes to sporting examples, these posts also suffer from survivorship bias. Just because a winning team does something doesn't mean that if you follow suit you'll have success.

But I just couldn't resist this one.

By studying Klopp and this Liverpool team carefully, there are some great lessons for leaders looking to cultivate a better culture, strategists looking to deliver competitive advantage and business people seeking to take their company to the next level.

Here are six elements that have contributed to LFC's recent successes and how they could apply to your business.

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1) Create a psychologically safe environment where it's ok to make mistakes

“You have to create this atmosphere where the boys know that they can mistakes. Football is a mistakes game. Without mistakes, you can’t play it. Lack of effort is unacceptable, but individuals need to feel safe to make mistakes."

We don't normally think of safety as being important at work. It's very rare that you feel 'unsafe' at work. Bored yes. But unsafe? Rarely.

But there's more to safety than that. An environment can?implicitly?threaten you by delivering a steady pulse of negative signals. People can be conditioned by fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. This inhibits creativity, risk taking and by default innovation.

The best workplaces create a culture where it's ok to take risks and make mistakes within reason. Great creative companies like Google, IDEO and Pixar are safe places to have different, illogical, lateral ideas. These companies work to remove inhibitions and leave room for learning and failing. Sure, your mad ideas may not be used, but you can guarantee they'll be embraced, not laughed at.

Real creative confidence is a function of feeling that it's 'safe' to come up with bad ideas without fear of repercussions.

Klopp has done the same thing at Liverpool. He sets out what he expects of players and staff, but then gives them autonomy to takes risks as they see fit.

This delivers a sense of cohesion and purpose that you don't get from a more dictatorial style work environment.

The concept is also supported amongst Liverpool's top executives. During Klopp's interview, one LFC head honcho told him that “speaking your mind and disagreeing at Liverpool isn’t just allowed... it’s required”. He explained to Klopp what he feared most - a good idea failing to materialise because of a lack of trust between parties stopping them saying what was really on their minds.

As Irish journalist Kieran Shannon has written,?Klopp has high standards, but he watches through gentle, non-judgemental eyes. He will lambast a lack of effort, but, by allowing for mistakes, he allows players to take risks.

One brilliant example is the risk to take a quick corner from young right back Trent Alexander Arnold that led to Liverpool scoring a crucial goal against Barcelona in a European semi final.

If you give people the confidence to sometimes do something foolish, they'll regularly reward you by doing something genius.

2) Deliver a clear strategic plan and ruthlessly prioritise

“The rule is that it is better that you have 11 players doing the same thing wrong, than every player doing what he wants. There needs to be one plan, one voice, one belief. It will not always be perfect, because we are not perfect, but it is our way.”

A brilliant leader is also a brilliant strategist. And a brilliant strategist has to be a brilliant editor.

Great leaders do the hard work in the background to make it easy for people to understand what their priorities should be and what's expected of them. They chip away the flab in their messaging and communicate in a direct, deliberate and efficient way. Poor leaders are inconsistent and incoherent. They give off mixed messages.

Without getting into too much tactical detail, Klopp has created a distinctly simple identity for Liverpool based around high pressing, high energy and what he calls 'heavy metal football'. This energy is supported by a desire to attack from all angles. The opposing team are given no peace.

According to Klopp's assistant Pep Lijnders, the team's 'identity is intensity'. The philosophy is about playing football in its most attacking shape.

“We always focus on ourselves, attack the opponent with and without the ball; a chasing attitude over 95 minutes. But passion doesn't make sense if it isn't really structured."

This is something that comes back in every drill and is rigorously applied in everything the team does, from the players who are recruited for their athleticism and ability to get up and down the pitch, to the physical preparation of the team.

This ruthless prioritisation and strategic focus ensures players are comfortable and understand their roles. They have a clear focused direction and guidelines to execute within.

This in turn means they can make decisions quickly on the pitch without having to think, and can take creative risks within the structure.

The lesson for leaders is clear - set a clear, compelling, achievable vision that people can get behind. Deliver a ruthlessly focused strategy and tactical plan that can get you there, then allow your team members to be creative within that structure.

3) Overcome your ego, hire specialists who are better than you and give them autonomy

"I want the people around me to be happy. As a manager that means having confidence in employees. I believe the strength of strong personalities is to surround yourself with people who are stronger than you in certain areas."

Success can deceive you. It can make you think you're the 'chosen one' or unique.

But one of the traits that I admire most in great leaders is having the great balance of confidence and ruthlessness alongside the humility and honesty to be constantly learning from others. High EQ and low ego.

On Klopp's first public appearance as Liveprool manager, he purposely referred to himself as 'The Normal One' a hint towards his lack of ego and a thin jibe at Jose Mourinho, the famously egotistical former coach of Inter, Real Madrid and Chelsea, a coach who found it hard to sustain his success. This self aware style has also come out in Klopp's hiring policies.

One example is Liverpool's hiring of specialist throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark after Klopp read about his work in a German newspaper. This was laughed at by critics scoffed, but the sessions conducted by the Danish former bobsledder enabled Liverpool to retain the ball better as well as recapture it more often.

According to Gronnemark:

“The first club that really took it all on board was Liverpool. That was the big breakthrough for me. This is the first club where I’ve been able to use all my knowledge. That says a lot about the mentality and the culture at Liverpool. Jurgen is an innovator. He’s a leader who says he doesn’t know everything and is willing to listen to people if they have the knowledge to take the club forward.”

By being willing to bring in a specialist to hone this relatively minor part of the game, Klopp added another string to the bow and Liverpool got better as an offensive team, retaining 68% of their throw ins last season (the second highest in Europe).

4) Cultivate a proper sense of purpose and inclusivity

"Each player knows the name of each person who works at Melwood...we all win for each other. That just makes it more valuable and worthy. If you have a bigger group to do it for, the better it feels for yourself. All we do in life – how I understand it – is about relationships. Otherwise, you live in a forest alone, on a mountain alone."

Personally, I believe that a basic tenet of great leadership is empathy. You must not be driven by your own ego, but by the heartfelt desire to cultivate the conditions for the success of others. You must actively want to lift other people up.

For most leaders, moving from a subordinate to a leadership role is difficult. You go from being self-centered and focused on achieving your own goals, to being forced to support and build up others if you want to be successful.

People need to feel like they have some purpose and input into the end product. We're evolutionarily hard wired to look for belonging cues. And when we don't find them, we shut down. Klopp understands implicitly that belonging and social connectedness are important factors in good work. He sees himself as 'Chief Energy Officer'.

Little things matter. Three times Klopp has brought the whole Liverpool staff and their families, including players but also support staff, away on holiday. Each player knows the name of each person who works at the training ground and the club. Within a couple of weeks of being at the club Klopp lined all the staff up in the dining hall and introduced them to the players, explaining how they were all dependent on one another for the club — the family — to achieve its best.

This cohesion also extends to the fans. Klopp famously celebrates with the stands during and after games. One of the first people the club mentioned after winning the league was Irish fan Sean Cox, who suffered life changing injuries after being struck by a Roma fan a few years ago.

Lofty ideas of 'purpose' and higher order values might be overdone in business (thanks Simon Sinek...), but clearly people do work harder for companies that they feel have a higher meaning.

5) Focus on the fundamentals and brilliant basics

'It’s said that Klopp routinely meets any player before he signs them. To that meeting he brings two questions: “do you like to train?” and “do you like to run?” Two very basic questions but an illustration that he wants someone who will fit in the heavy metal approach.

Its clear that Klopp knows that once a game begins it is simplicity that helps players get through.'

You can do very well in life, sport and business if you avoid the most important mistakes. So long as you are right on the very, very few big things that matter, most of the time you'll get the right outcomes. Klopp understands this. Besides all the flair and creativity, his focus is on simplicity and getting the basics right, looking for the answer in the most fundamental way possible.

In Klopp's first two seasons, Liverpool had 42 and 38 goals scored against them. This was a clear problem.

By offloading players and getting some money from the club's owners, Klopp plugged the gap, spending big on a star defender and goalkeeper.

Liverpool's defence has been incredibly solid ever since, offering a strong base for the team's attacking weapons to do their thing.

Too often in business we completely overcomplicate. We forget to look for the 'occam's razor' answer. Klopp gets this. His non-negotiables are clear.

Is this player athletic enough to keep up for 90 minutes?

Is he mentally strong enough to put in the effort and stay concentrated in a pressurised atmosphere?

Do we have a solid defence who can ensure we don't need to score 3-4 goals a game to win?

In sport, as in business, brilliant basics are difficult to get right, but provide the foundation for everything else.

6) Detail orientation separates good from great

Professional football at the highest level is a game of wafer thin margins. The difference between a trophy and nothing can be miniscule. Klopp and his team have been proponents of a data led approach to transfers and tactics, like many other sides.

But this detail orientation goes deeper and has shown up in big moments.

On the day of Liverpool's European semi final against Barca (mentioned above), Klopp's right hand man sent a message via club staff instructing the ball boys (all LFC fans and young players) to throw back balls as quickly as possible. “They can make a difference tonight, we need everyone on the top of their toes,” he wrote.

The decisive goal came after Alexander-Arnold received the ball very quickly from a ball boy to take a corner which Divock Origi slotted home.

Before the Euro final last year, Liverpool went on a training camp in the sun, and decided to take on a game against local team Benfica B. They asked their opponents to set up like the team they would play in the final, helping Liverpool to test out some of their tactical moves.

The result?

The first goal in the final was almost an exact replica of a goal scored in the training match.

Klopp and his team leave little to chance. The smallest details can make the biggest difference.

In Summary

Not everyone can develop the charisma Klopp has in buckets or the deep pockets that have allowed him to build a stellar coaching team and world class starting 11.

And sure, the sporting arena is a different, far more demanding sector than the office. Plus, you don't get the immediate ruthless feedback that comes from having two games a week.

But as a big proponent of learning from other areas, I think there are plenty of culture, leadership and strategy ideas that we can take from Klopp and his team.

If nothing else, it's inspiring to see someone with such enthusiasm and passion for getting the most out of his people.

That's a visible trait in all good leaders and something we can aim to cultivate in ourselves.

The challenge now is to sustain success.

Up The Reds!

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For more, read:

A Closer Look at Liverpool FC's Team Culture Under Klopp

?Jurgen Klopp and the growth mindset

Jurgen Klopp – the fist-pumping genius who turned dreams into reality

How FSG Turned Liverpool into Premier League Champions

How Jürgen Klopp Transformed Liverpool into a Billion Dollar Club

Jürgen Klopp's football philosophy

Shane O'Leary

@shaneoleary1

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