We all love sports for the stories, the intrigue, the personalities, and emotions; but one of the things I love the most is how much I have been able to learn about team & organizational management from well-run franchises and well-managed teams on the field.

In my 13 years as a Liverpool fan, I have seen the club operate under 5 different managers: Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers, and Jurgen Klopp. Rafa was a great man-manager and defensive tactician, Roy I prefer not to think about, Kenny was past his prime, Brendan's squad nearly brought us a title, but Jurgen Klopp's appointment marked a change in tactics on and off the pitch that is bearing record-breaking fruit. Liverpool F.C. today offers a prime example of a well thought out long term vision for the football club, a commitment to the development and evolution of the entire organization, and most importantly, successful execution.

When Klopp joined the club mid-season on Oct 8th, 2015, Liverpool was sitting 10th in Premier League the table having just drawn to Everton, their local rivals, who were now sitting above them. It had been over two decades since the club won a top division title, and almost exactly a decade had passed since the famous night in Istanbul which brought the 5th European cup (Champions League) to Anfield. The weight of Liverpool's history as one of the most successful clubs in English top-flight history was still very much on everyone's shoulders. It's fair to say he inherited an organization in need of a massive change. In his first press conference, he asked for patience, hard work, and belief and made the bold prediction that within 4 years he could see the club earning a title.

That same season Liverpool finished 8th in the Premier League and made and lost two finals, the League Cup Final and the Europa League Final (which would have earned them a champions league spot had they won it). The following season the squad barely scraped into 4th place to earn the last Champions League (UCL) spot on offer; certainly showing signs of progress. The subsequent season started with a Champions League qualifier and ended with another dramatic finish in 4th place in the Premier League, and a shock run to the Champions League final which they lost to Real Madrid, who had won their 3rd UCL trophy in a row. The '18-'19 season was probably the best complete season the club has had in the Premier League era thus far, only this season could end up rivaling it. The team made an incredible title challenge until the final game of the season finishing the campaign with a club-record 97 points and they had only been defeated once the entire season; they finished 2nd behind Manchester City by just one point. This, of course, was the same season where fans got to experience probably the greatest ever European comeback at Anfield, where Liverpool overturned a 3-0 aggregate deficit in an intense 4-0 semi-final win against Barcelona with that famous quickly taken corner. A month later they played in their second Champions League final in two seasons and this time took home number 6. Indeed just about 4 years after he started, LFC gained the most coveted title in club football: they were Champions of Europe. At the time of writing, Liverpool sits top of the Premier League with 73 out of a possible 75 points having only dropped points once this season with a draw at Old Trafford, and they have yet to taste defeat. They look to be cruising to their first-ever Premier League title and first top-division title in 30 years, sitting 22 points ahead of second-place Manchester City.

It has been truly remarkable witnessing this development, and though we can't attribute all of the success to just Jurgen, the change was certainly set in motion with his appointment as manager. In this article, I want to examine some of the most effective elements of the club under Klopp that contributed to this success and glean lessons about how to effectively run organizations and teams.

Club Ethos

Perhaps the most direct impact that is 'purely Jurgen' is the renewed club ethos. When he arrived the weight of expectation was felt by players, staff, and fans alike. The crowd would noticeably get nervous and frustrated in the ground, players lost confidence, and fans lost faith in the direction the club was going in. He started his reign with the now famous, simple message urging everyone at the club to unite and have belief.

"We have to change from doubters to believers, now!" - Jurgen Klopp

This simple message served to center the culture of the club much like a business would use a mission statement. What is crucial is that it was not just words that were printed on posters and put up around the stadium, but rather a change of mindset, attitude, and behavior. He needed the fans to believe in the team and not leave the match when there was still time to salvage a result. He needed the players to have a belief in their ability, tactical preparation, and each other to play good football. He wanted fans to be patient with, and grateful for, their players and staff and he needed the players to show that mutual commitment and gratitude to the supporters, who spend their hard-earned money, and in some cases, travel hundreds or thousands of miles to watch them play football.

In many ways, he was channeling that messianic energy of Bill Shankly as he served as the bridge between the players and the fans; the figurehead and leader of the entire club. Bill Shankly was notorious for his appreciation of the city and fans; he famously addressed the masses on Merseyside saying "I've drummed it into our players, time and again, that they are privileged to play for you." This is the same kind of gratitude that Jurgen Klopp has tried to instill in his players. There was, of course, the famous moment after a late equalizing goal against West Brom at Anfield in 2015, when Klopp rallied the players to salute the fans together (pictured above). He wanted the players to show appreciation to the fans who did stay to support them until the final moments when they salvaged a result; fans that believed in them. This moment in many ways marked the beginning of the ultimate unity of the entire organization that was, and remains to this day, grounded in gratitude and belief in one another.

The fans started to believe in their role as 'the 12th man' and showed their trust in the team. The players started to feel the support during matches and to believe in themselves. This bond developed as the team developed and ultimately grew stronger; the Kop composed songs for nearly every player and a modern anthem praising the team's historical prowess in the European championships that the players themselves took to heart and sang with pride in the dressing room after winning the European Cup. That famous comeback against Barcelona that I had mentioned earlier, could not have happened without the atmosphere created by the fans and the common belief in that stadium that they could win. When they did win, all of the players and all of the backroom staff lined up in front of the Kop End again, just like they did in 2015, to show that appreciation and to make sure the fans also felt they were valued.

This ethos I think is essential to the ultimate success of the club and is something any leader can learn from. Every organization needs a culture grounded in a common belief in the organization's vision and plan for the future and a collective unity between the people in the org who appreciate one another and each other's roles and responsibilities. Successful teams are ones where people feel valued and are knit together; people need to show their appreciation and fight for each other. When I will lead teams and organizations in my career, I will look to this example and try to instill belief and a sense of gratitude in the people of my org that can breed the kind of confidence and consistency that is typical of this great Liverpool team.

Effective Team-building

Another trademark of this version of Liverpool is the effective recruitment of both backroom staff and players. Jurgen Klopp has made sure to bring professionals to work around the squad who complement his strengths and are specialized in different functions surrounding the game. Nutritionist Mona Nemmer was brought in to completely revamp the nutrition department. She introduced individualized, scientifically planned diets based on players' positions on the pitch, their cultures, and their body types, and she even creates different menus for different periods in the season and offers cooking classes for the players. Fitness coach Andreas Kornmeyer dubbed the club's 'drill sergeant,' was brought to bring the players to peak physical condition to maintain performance for Klopp's intense pressing style by managing training load and fitness routine for each individual player. Pete Krawietz and his analysis team have statistical and video analysis of the games that are constantly providing new insights for the players when approaching each new opponent. He even brought in Thomas Gronnemark who essentially created a new role for himself as a throw-in coach, providing insights about a part of the game that never usually gets any attention. Klopp was also not afraid to let go of a partnership with his long-standing friend Zeljko Buvac, who had worked alongside him for 17 years across three different clubs when it was clear the team needed a change. And finally, he also allowed promotion from within allowing Pep Lijnders to seize the opportunity of this departure to become his full-time assistant coach.

Ensuring that you have management staff around you that are experts in their fields, enjoy their work, and fit the culture of your organization is essential. Klopp himself has always recounted his days at Mainz where he had to wear pretty much every hat (just like a start-up founder), so he knows the roles inside and out and has ensured he brought in elite talent that would compliment him in his role as manager. It is important to understand and maximize your strengths and bring people on your team who will offer new innovative insights and strategies, who can focus on their specific vertical.

Liverpool's player recruitment and development strategy in the last few seasons have been equally impressive and impactful. Since Klopp's appointment, there has been a renewed focus on analytics and finding specific players that fit the system versus going for the best available name on the market (some fans may remember the deadline day punt on Mario Balotelli). Ian Graham, Tim Waskett, and the analytics team have championed the importance of data science and have used statistical analysis based around 'events' on the pitch and expected goals to sign players like Naby Keita, whose stats revealed his effective chance creation, and Mo Salah, who's data suggested he would compliment Bobby Firmino and who's price was a bargain considering his later record-breaking performance in a red shirt.

There is also a commitment from Klopp to find players he can develop. Players like Gini Wijnaldum and Andy Robertson both came from sides who were relegated and Gini wasn't even playing in central midfield. But Klopp and the team didn't stick to surface level judgments and picked up those players for cheap knowing that they would be able to develop them. Today Gini is one of the first names on the team sheet when he is fit, and Andy Robertson is arguably the best left-back in the world. It's definitely also worth noting Klopp's commitment to the academy and developing players internally as well. Not every hole in the squad needs to be filled with a signing that would break the bank, especially in this highly inflated market.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of those first young talents to be given the chance to be involved heavily with the first-team. Injuries to Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez, at the time, opened up the opportunity for 20-year-old Trent to take on the role of right-back. During that season, he made 33 appearances in all competitions and particularly stood out in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final, in which he became the youngest Englishman to start a quarter-final and the youngest Reds player to start in a final. He continued to develop under Klopp and has since become the most effective attacking right back in the Premier League and serves as a creative focal point for the team. If Klopp hadn't been willing to take a chance on his current crop of youth players, he would never have discovered Trent's talent and Liverpool would not have been as successful. Trent's story also gives hope to all the other under-23s players who now know they will be given the chance to prove themselves and improve under Klopp and his coaching staff. Jurgen has already shown immense faith in the under-23 squad by allowing them to compete in the domestic cup competitions and they have already rewarded that faith by qualifying for the fifth round of the FA cup, all on their own.

The recruitment team also showed persistence and patience in waiting for the right players. The most notable example is Virgil Van Dijk whose initial deal to join from Southampton failed in the summer of 2017. Klopp and the team didn't give up or purchase a stop-gap center-back, they waited and kept talks going until the following transfer window in January 2018, when they were able to sign the then most expensive center-back in the world. Of course, anyone familiar with Liverpool's recent success knows just how much this persistence was worth. Virgil has since become the leading organizer of the back-line and is currently considered by many as the best center-back in the world after he earned the UEFA Defender of the Year and UEFA Men's Player of the Year titles and came second only to Messi in the Ballon d'Or rankings. Patience, in this case, was certainly a virtue.

Sporting Director Micheal Edwards has also made some very shrewd outgoing transfers as well, parting ways with players that were not part of the plans and recouping incredible transfer fees for them. Players like Ibe, Benteke, Sakho, Ward, Solanke, and Ings were either consistently on the fringes of the first team, or failed to perform well enough to fit the longer-term vision; combined they were sold for the impressive sum of £121.5m. The club was also able to sell Philippe Coutinho for a near-record fee of £142m, which allowed them to bankroll the signings of Virgil Van Dijk and Allison Becker, who have transformed the defense, while Phil faded into obscurity with a less-than-exciting spell at Barcelona which ultimately had him sent on loan to Bayern Munich. In all of these cases, Micheal Edwards and co. were able to sell players above their market value which simultaneously removed dead-wood from the squad and prepared them to buy players in a competitive market.

Business leaders and managers would do well to look at this example for a strategy that makes an effective team. When you do go out to hire people, make sure you fully understand the strengths that a new-hire will bring to your team. Don't make judgments based on surface-level attributes like the quality of the resume, or the companies someone has worked for in the past, hire people whom you know will fit the team and culture of your organization, and who will innovate in their roles. In that same vein, be patient when looking for the right fit as opposed to hiring someone as a stop-gap. Give confidence to your existing employees by committing to their development and making sure they have opportunities to take responsibility and rise up. And finally, don't be afraid to let toxic or ineffective team members go; the longer you wait, the more your team will suffer.

Long Term Vision

Klopp was not just brought in to 'steady the ship,' but rather to lay the groundwork for a new and improved LFC that could maintain success now and in the future. The club owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), deserve a lot of credit for bringing in a manager who'd not only fit the culture of the city and club but was also familiar with long term, rebuild projects. Klopp spent 7 years at Mainz, where he built them up and brought them their first promotion to the Bundesliga in their history. He then spent 7 years at Dortmund where he transformed a mid-table side into two-time Bundesliga champions and Champions League finalists. When he joined Liverpool, they too needed transformation and a leader who was ready to commit to a long term vision for the club.

First and foremost, Jurgen made it clear in his first press conference that he wanted patience. He was not making any promises about the short term and only reluctantly made that bold prediction about a title in 4 years. The patience in finding the right signings and to develop the youth setup demonstrated the club's belief that there was no reason to rush the process. Players could be brought in with the expectation that they had time to develop and bed-in to the squad. The academy players were now being given more of a chance and Klopp insisted on keeping the squad smaller to ensure they had the opportunity to be involved. When he first arrived he also asked FSG to commit to building a brand new training ground in Kirkby which would house both first-team and academy players in order to facilitate the integration of youth players into the team. In the summer of 2016 after his first season in charge, FSG had seen enough of Jurgen to extend his deal from 2018 to 2022 and began the process of finding finances to build the new facility. This facility is a perfect symbol of the club's commitment to the long term; it lays the groundwork for a whole new way of operating that will last long after Jurgen finishes his reign.

If you are leading an organization it is important to have a vision in mind that considers more than just the results of the next quarter. If we focus too much on short term results we can end up neglecting the overall health of the organization which can undermine future success. Finding people who are invested in the project who understand the future aspirations of the team is critical for achieving that success. And if you can identify foundational improvements that consider the future operation of the org, you can prevent issues down the road and prepare the organization to go through each stage of its development.

Mentality

As much as any team's performance is defined by their technical ability, having the right mentality can be the difference between success and failure and it is essential for maintaining consistency and for bouncing back from adversity. The players in this team are now often referred to as "mentality monsters" or "mentality giants." Klopp himself extolled the virtues of his players in a few post-match press conferences where he coined and started using these terms. This winning mentality has become a defining characteristic of their recent success, as the team has learned to bounce back from failure and to tune out outside voices, keeping the focus on the next challenge versus thinking too far ahead.

Klopp's career was full of near-misses and failure. At Mainz, he missed out on promotion and got relegated again before the end of his tenure, and at Dortmund, he made his first-ever Champion's League final as a manager but lost to German rivals, Bayern Munich. He had been through enough adversity in his career to be able to bring lessons to his players at Liverpool. Until last season, he and his squad had also gone through a series of near-misses together, from the League Cup and Europa League finals to the loss of the Champions League final in 2018 and the heartbreak of losing the Premier League title on the last day of the season by just one point in the '18-'19 season, after having played the best season in the club's history.

This common adversity only served to fuel the team to their subsequent successes. Even though they initially failed to get the results that brought trophies, their achievements made them believe in themselves and their ability to bounce back. Assistant coach Pep Lijnders gave us a bit of insight into the coaching staff's methods in maintaining this mentality among the players in this video where he and Klopp recounted the journey to Liverpool's 6th Champions League win.

The 5 minutes after a game is more important than the 5 days leading up to a game and what we said when we came out of [the] Camp Nou, when we came back in the dressing room, those 5 minutes for me were decisive. 'The only team who could change this around are you guys.'

- Pep Lijnders

Of course in this instance, he is referring to the 5 minutes after Liverpool lost 3-0 away to Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Champions League last season. He was reminding the players of just how good they were. They had been through this competition before, they knew what it meant to have their hearts broken, and they had been performing incredibly in the league until that point. They had to keep their heads up, even when the situation seemed so bleak. At the end of the second leg when the team was celebrating the historic comeback, Mo Salah revealed he was wearing a shirt dawning the phrase that defines the team's mentality: "Never Give Up."

The momentum and belief that came from that win ultimately brought them the win in the final and continued to permeate through the team into the next season. They went on to win the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup to complete the 'international treble' by December. Adam Lallana said that winning became "like an addiction: you win one medal and you want to win more." Because of their strong mentality, adversity turned into hunger, desire, determination, and most importantly, trophies.

They came back to win the Champions League the very next season after falling at the final hurdle, and they look to be doing the same this season with the Premier League. After coming so close last season, they were not going to accept anything less than perfection from themselves. They themselves gave up a lead at the top of the table last season, so they know they cannot rest on their laurels and they know they can't get complacent until the job is done. Time and again in press conferences and interviews, Jurgen and his players always reinforce that they are solely focused on the next game, and they have achieved near perfection thus far. They have learned to avoid the pressure that comes with this success. Captain Jordan Henderson summed it up best when he was asked about records they could potentially break that season: "I'm bothered about the next game, the next challenge, and not look too far ahead and then see where that takes us to come May."

The mentality of the people in your team or organization cannot be underestimated. Leaving room for failure and encouraging a focus on personal development can prepare your team to endure future challenges and adversity. You can be a very talented team, but without the right mindset, it will be difficult to stay consistent and to remain focused and faithful in the most critical moments.

Honesty, Humility, and Humanity

Jurgen is also just a good person. He's not afraid to be himself, he's simple and doesn't seek the limelight, and he truly cares for his players. He is notorious for speaking his mind to the press and being completely unfiltered; it's hard to forget his frustration that he could not forget "this f***ing loss against Crystal Palace" during his first season. When he first joined the club he famously dubbed himself "the normal one" coming from humble beginnings in the German black forest. Most importantly for me, he appreciates the humanity of his players. Today the demands on players have never been more intense. More competitions, higher expectations, and fixture congestion are far too common and Jurgen has been insistent on being completely honest and public about his genuine concerns for modern players.

“The players' situation has to change. We’ve said it now, it’s not only me, and it’s been said a lot of times. Copa America again, European Championships, a lot of top class players have no break in the summer again. 2021 would have been a summer for everyone but now has a Club World Cup. That break is filled as well. It’s not possible anymore and it’s not comfortable to talk about again [...] We want to play as often as possible but that’s the key word - ‘Possible’. You cannot play constantly. The biggest sports in the world all have breaks. In America, they have four months off. Here it is constantly playing through. That’s all good but the players cannot do that. We limit careers and performance levels. That’s how it is." - Jurgen Klopp

Klopp is down-to-earth and is concerned for the well-being of his players. He is not distracted by expectations or successes and is not afraid to call out the football associations for exploiting players and ignoring reasonable human limitations.

He also has been open about how he will usually not talk about football when he meets a player for the first time; when pressed on what he does focus on in those initial meetings he simply said "Life... God and the good world." By the time he meets these players, it is clear that they have talent; Jurgen just wants to get to know the human being in front of him.

The simplest lesson we can learn is to be ourselves, stay humble, and`no matter what your organization does, don't forget that everyone we work with is a human being.

Management students will end up reading many business case studies, learning about different company stories and specific industry challenges, but I think the stories of sports franchises, teams, and coaches have plenty of lessons to offer as well.

Thank you, Jurgen. If I ever was a doubter, I now certainly am a believer.