Maintaining team performance, even in the face of change

In this article, I’ve aimed to consolidate the learning and research that our team at Kiddy & Partners brings to team development, and to think about it in the context of a recent cultural sporting phenomenon.*

* Disclaimer – I’m not a sporting expert, but I love team sports. I’m not a Liverpool fan, but I admire what they’ve achieved.

Let’s talk sport

In January 2024, Jurgen Klopp announced that he was leaving Liverpool FC, at what most would consider the height of their success in recent years. Eight years at the club, eight trophies. Why leave? He always said that he wanted to leave the club in a better place than he found it, which he did.

Here are some notable steps that he took to galvanise the players and backroom staff and make him a firm favourite with fans and in the media:

He didn’t bring an ego that was bigger than the club. Describing himself as the “normal one” (a likely jibe at Mourinho’s “chosen one”), he conveyed grounding, humility and authenticity. As Damian Hughes writes in his book ‘The Barcelona Way’: “authentic cultural leadership is not to do great things, but rather to create an environment where the whole group can do great things together.” The importance of empathetic, authentic leadership remains a constant on the pitch as it does in the boardroom.
He brought humour and charisma. As a leader, you don’t need to have the comic timing of Michael McIntyre but bringing a sense of fun is important to help build belonging and a ‘one team’ mentality. When I think of the best leaders that I have met, many of them show this.
He conveyed strong leadership and vision. Articulating a clear vision for the future (he wanted to turn “doubters into believers”) and fostering collective and individual motivation and accountability, against these goals. This helped to inspire peak performance, even after some disappointments and ‘so close but so far’ moments.
He was wise enough to know that he didn’t need to have all the answers. Bringing in backroom staff such as Zeljko Buvac (dubbed as ‘the brain’), Klopp brought specialists into his team to work on key components of the game and crucially he listened to them. As a leader, take time to reflect on if you have the right people in the right roles? And do you truly listen to them?
Roles on and off the pitch were clear. If players and staff don’t know what is expected of them or the role that they need to play, it inevitably leads to confusion and frustration. Passes go astray, chances are missed, patterns of play don’t flow, and subsequently games are lost. Making sure the goals, roles and responsibilities within the team (both individual and collective) are clear from the outset is an absolutely fundamental principle of building and maintaining high performing teams.
He identified his ‘cultural ambassadors’ and used them to embed his plans. Identifying those players and coaching staff who will reinforce the work practices and ethos that you are seeking to embed is key. Change management principles talk about the power and importance of repetition and consistency. Ultimately, we are all creatures of habit. As a leader, make sure the messaging is clear and then utilise your cultural ambassadors to carry the torch for you and alongside you throughout the change cycle.

Now what’s really interesting about Liverpool FC is that although there was a media frenzy when Klopp resigned: “it’s all over!” they shouted, “what will happen now?”, under the new stewardship of Arne Slot, who joined the club on 1 June 2024, they are in pole position to win the Premier League in 24/25. So how have they maintained it? Here are a few observations.

The groundwork was done. The eight years of effort to embed a clear focus on roles, philosophy of play and commitment to the club were there.
Liverpool picked Slot carefully. They made well-rounded and considered succession planning decisions, picking a manager who would respect and complement the style of play and culture. The ego had to firmly be left at the door.
Klopp endorsed Slot from the get-go. The metaphorical baton was being passed on from one leader to another, ensuring continuity and reassurance for all.
Slot did not implement too much change too early, which is highlighted by the fact he didn’t tweak the playing squad too much when he joined. He has respected the groundwork that others have done and given the players the freedom to play the way that they want to.

Let’s see what happens next

Diverging briefly from one great sporting team to another, as Peter Bills stated in his book ‘The Jersey’ about the All Blacks: “it is the jersey, not the man that has earned pre-eminence.” Put simply, the leaders and players of these outstanding teams care, at an individual, team and national level.

Fostering a strong sense of belonging, identity and the collective understanding of ‘why are we doing this?’ and ‘what role do I play?’ is paramount and needs to be continually reinforced at all levels. It must always be role modelled from the top and start with the why.