From the Handelsblatt archive: Other bosses can also learn something from the national coach's leadership style, says a researcher - and explains how.
New national coach Jürgen Klopp: Confidence, even in hopeless situations. Photo: Florian Wiegand/dpa
Dusseldorf. Sometimes Jürgen Klopp blurts things out. Shortly before the start of the World Cup against Curaçao at the beginning of July, he said as an expert on the Magenta TV platform: “Fortunately, Julian Nagelsmann is fielding the team – for now.” Then, again emphatically: “Yet.”
A day-long debate followed: Was Klopp contesting the job of the national coach, who was still in office at the time, live on TV? Klopp subsequently made a public apology. But weeks later it is clear: Julian Nagelsmann is out - and Klopp will be his successor.
As the new national coach, he is supposed to lead the national team back to the top of the world after another World Cup debacle. One of his keys to achieving this goal is his leadership style, from which business managers can also learn something. “The behavior of managers in sport can definitely be transferred to business,” says Roman Briker, leadership expert from the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. “And you can definitely learn from Klopp.”
The Handelsblatt has identified seven lessons that managers can learn from the new national coach.
1. Jürgen Klopp's charisma and joy of winning
Klopp's football thrives on emotion. In the Champions League quarter-final against Málaga in 2013, his then club Borussia Dortmund was behind until injury time before two goals in the last minute turned things around. Klopp pushed his team on the sidelines until the last second - out of the belief that something was still possible.
This confidence, even in hopeless situations, is what sets him apart.
The same principle was evident in his last Dortmund season in 2014/2015: BVB was in a historically weak 17th place in the table at the winter break. Klopp was still allowed to stay - and at the end of the season his team made it into the European Cup. Klopp's message remained the same as in 2013: setbacks strengthen us for the next effort.
For WHU scientist Briker, Klopp's charisma is the most important characteristic that distinguishes him as a good leader. “There’s the confidence in your own team, the sense of community when he says we’re doing this together.” Charismatic leaders like him have a vision, a realistic but positive picture of the future.
His language also gives Klopp charisma, says Briker. Once, when many of his BVB players were injured, he said: “If the washing machine breaks down, the next day the dryer will be broken too.” Metaphors like this, the confidence that he radiates and the sense of community that he promotes: “These are very prototypical techniques that can be learned and are also known from science and that can create motivation, performance and belief in themselves in employees,” says Briker.
2. Rely on undiscovered talent
When Klopp started at Dortmund in 2008, he had no money for stars. So he built his team from players that others had overlooked. Neven Subotic was an unknown defender who no one apart from Klopp had on their list - to this day Subotic speaks publicly about how much he owes him.
Mats Hummels failed at FC Bayern and became the defense chief of the championship team in Dortmund. Nuri Sahin came from his own youth and played the Bundesliga season of his life at the age of 20. And Kevin Großkreutz, a third division player with Dortmund roots, put Klopp in a new position and thus formed a crowd favorite. Without expensive stars, Klopp led BVB to the 2011 championship - and knew each individual's strengths well enough to use them in a targeted manner.
For managers, this means: Anyone who recognizes what's inside young or underestimated employees and promotes them in a targeted manner will build up a loyal, high-performing core group over the years - a team that sticks together even in difficult phases.
3. Honesty as a currency of trust
Liverpool FC, which Klopp took over in October 2015, was a club with enormous tradition and equally enormous frustration: 25 years without a championship title. Klopp did not sugarcoat the situation. In his first press conference he announced that he wanted to turn “doubters into believers”. A promise that didn't immediately result in titles.
Years later, he even admitted that in the early days he himself was afraid of being dismissed quickly if there was no success, and that it was clear that the restructuring would take time.
This openness worked in both directions: Klopp also described his approach to players by honestly explaining to them what role he intended for them - without sugarcoating their situation. With success: Klopp won eight titles with Liverpool, won the Champions League in 2019 and the English championship in 2020.
For managers in restructuring situations, this means: Expectation management succeeds through transparency - combined with the patience to stay on course even if quick results are not achieved. According to WHU scientist Roman Briker, trust in a manager basically comes from three elements: Competence, integrity and so-called benevolence are important. This refers to the benevolence of employees who believe that their manager always wanted the best for the team and their teammates.
4. Know when to stop
In January 2024, Klopp surprisingly announced that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season - even though his contract ran until 2026. His reasoning was unspectacular but understandable: “I have no energy left.” His health is good, but he cannot continue the job with the same intensity indefinitely.
Klopp left, his successor Arne Slot became champions in his first season with Liverpool.
The timing was remarkable: Klopp did not leave in a crisis, but at the peak of his success - with a team that he had just rebuilt himself. This is the real leadership achievement: self-reflection, realistically assessing your own performance before it visibly declines. Those who miss this point often leave burned-out teams behind. Anyone who hands over on time leaves both intact - organization and their own reputation.
5. Klopp as an identification figure
According to Briker, in order for employees or other managers to follow a manager, they must identify with them. In the case of Jürgen Klopp, his players succeed in this, and Klopp is also generally considered “one of us” by most fans. This identification is the reason why most football clubs rely on former top players as coaches. However, it is not enough to just have been a good player. “Even in later everyday life, a manager has to show again and again that he or she is still ‘one of us’,” says the expert.
This works not only through competence, but also because the coach never loses touch with the players. Klopp succeeds in this, among other things, through his simple language, his relaxedness and his overall approachable appearance. He is someone with whom many fans would like to have a beer, says Briker. At the same time he is a role model.
Briker says: Managers can learn to become identification figures – even if it is difficult. It is important to show presence. "A factory manager also has to be in the factory, not just in the office or online. Managers have to be genuinely and continuously interested in their employees, even be at company parties, speak a simple, approachable language, not technocratic."
6. Self-determination as a concept for success
After leaving Liverpool, many expected Klopp to join a top European club or national team after a break - the “logical” next stage of a coaching career.
Instead, he opted for a global role in the Red Bull network, far from the sidelines and what fans and observers expected. The disappointment was palpable - especially among those who had hoped to see him again as national coach one day. “Because everyone assumed that Klopp would not go along with this commercialization, this step was offended by many fans.” Klopp's identification figure was damaged.
He accepted that. Klopp chose a job that suited what he wanted at this stage of his life.
This is the most uncomfortable lesson of all: the step expected by others is not automatically the right one for a manager. But if you choose a role based on your own criteria, you gain control over your own career. And perhaps reach your goal via a detour. Maybe Klopp's sense of humor also helped here.
7. Humor as a leadership strength
“Humor is the supreme discipline of a manager,” says Roman Briker. However, it is difficult to learn and must always be appropriate to the situation. A tightrope walk that Klopp masters well, as his washing machine saying shows. "Those who are humorous like Klopp have a better relationship with their subordinates. Humor creates psychological safety."
At the same time, managers must be perceived as authentic, says Briker. Simply memorizing jokes doesn't work. The leadership expert has an alternative tip for the more humorless bosses: “Humility is also a good quality that creates closeness to employees.” In addition, if you lack professional competence, charisma and humor are not enough to be a good leader. “It’s the mix that makes a good leader,” says Briker.
