The 3 Discipline Factors

A mistake from an employee too often begets another mistake from a leader, and that can entirely derail an organization.

June 17, 2021

Jurgen Klopp is widely considered one of the top minds in soccer, a man whose dry wit and leadership tactics have become the envy of coaches from all across the sports world.

Last month, the Liverpool coach provided a masterful lesson in navigating conflict after one of his players, Sadio Mane, refused to shake his hand following a match.

“If somebody shows me 5 million times respect and one time not, what is more important?” Klopp asked. “The world is in a situation where you then make this one time bigger than necessary. That’s unfortunately the case.”

“If you would’ve seen me as a player, what I did out of emotion was insane,” he added. “And I’m a completely normal guy. If nothing else, we’ll talk about it, and it will be solved.”

Klopp is a European soccer legend just two years removed from a Champions League title. He could’ve lashed out at his player. Maybe he could’ve suspended him or outright cut him from the team.

But instead, he gave Mane the benefit of the doubt, recognizing that his behavior over the years is far more indicative of his character than a 10-second mistake.

It begs the question: How often do we as leaders needlessly magnify a moment of disrespect? We can become so consumed with being challenged, with our titles not being respected that we become irrational and compound whatever issue is in front of us.

A mistake from an employee too often begets another mistake from a leader, and that can entirely derail an organization.

Some actions undoubtedly need to be punished, and we need to make it clear that there are standards on our teams. But we can’t let our egos be the determining factor in how we navigate conflict.

When considering a punishment, we should weigh three factors:

  1. What- What are the circumstances of the offense?

  2. Who- Who is the person who committed this infraction and was this out of character?

  3. How- How are we most effectively going to achieve our goal moving forward?

The best way to handle an incident of disrespect isn’t always enacting the harshest punishment possible. It might just be having a quick talk and moving on.