THE POWER OF RE-FRAMING : JURGEN KLOPP

Jurgen Klopp is an interesting character.

Klopp has recently been given the job of manager of Liverpool football club (a top-flight English football club).

One of the reason's Klopp was given that high-profile job in football is because of his impressive track record as a football manager in Germany.

And one major factor behind his impressive track record in football management is Klopp's charismatic character and ability to motivate his players to perform beyond their natural abilities.

A case in point of Klopp's charismatic motivational powers:

Back in 2003 a young Klopp was manager of Mainz - a small-time, semi-professional, non-league

German football club.

At the end of that season many fans had congregated in Mainz square to pay homage to the players of Mainz football club.

The fans mood was a mixture of both respect tinged with a palpable sense of resignation.

See Mainz (who had played exceptionally well under Klopp's management) had - just the day before -missed out on gaining promotion into the German Bundesliga (the top-flight league of German football).

It wasn't the first time, either.

Because just the year before (2002), the same "so-close-but-so-far"  fate had befallen Mainz football club under Klopp's management.

And the fans in the square that day at the end of the 2003 season (naturally) felt resigned to the idea that Mainz would never break into the top-flight Bundesliga league.

But then Jurgen Klopp changed that resigned, wistful mood rather quickly.

Klopp, jumped up on stage in front of 15,000 fans, took the microphone and addressed the crowd:

"I've been thinking about yesterday and decided that it must have happened for a good reason. And I've decided that someone, somewhere wanted to show to the world that when you get knocked down, not once, not twice but even three or four times, that you can get up again and keep fighting. And that person decided there is no better town to show this to the world than Mainz."

"Which club experienced what we did last season? Which club have gone through what we've been through this season? And now which club are going to have the story we're going to have next season when we come back even stronger?"

Talk about RE-FRAME the perception and the mood of the fans!

Jurgen Klopp, in just a few sentences galvanized the fans and inspired them to see that the season was not a failure but part of an unfolding history of the club in the making.

Oh, and by the way, Mainz football club (under Klopp's management) were promoted into the Bundesliga the following season (2004) for the first time in their history.

One suspects Jurgen Klopp's ability to inspire and motivate his players (and the fans!) played a HUGE factor in winning promotion to the top-flight league!

This story is an good reminder today about the undoubted power of re-framing!