Story highlights Donald Trump's convention manager, Paul Manafort, is speaking out about his new role in the campaign

Manafort joins the Trump campaign as a contested Republican convention becomes more likely

(CNN) Donald Trump's convention manager, Republican strategist Paul Manafort, described his new role in the campaign Friday, saying it shows the billionaire's signature leadership style.

"This is an example of Donald Trump managing, and the type of leadership he will bring to the presidency in November," Manafort said in an exclusive interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo. "He also understood that winning isn't enough, that it's about how you win and how much you win."

Manafort told CNN, "I work directly for the boss," a notable departure from the usual workflow at Trump's 2016 operation, where most campaign staff answer to campaign manager Corey Lewandowski.

Manafort joins the Trump campaign as a contested Republican convention becomes more likely. Trump suffered a critical loss to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz Tuesday in the Wisconsin primary. However, the strategist says he is confident the Cruz campaign will hit a rough patch, allowing Trump to win the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination outright.

Read More