Collective through collegiality, trust through mistakes and dedication through a failed

rebellion. Eleven principles of good team leadership by Red Bull Salzburg coach MARCO
ROSE

Available: https://www.redbull.com/at-de/theredbulletin/red-bull-salzburg-marco-rose-ueber-teamfuehrung
Published: 2019

He worked successfully for four years at the Red Bull Academy and in 2017 won the Junior
Champions League with eighteen-year-olds. Only a year later he led with Red Bull Salzburg for
the first time an Austrian team in the semi-finals of the Europa League. He broke in his debut
season as a professional coach equal to the points record of the Bundesliga, and he steers this
season to write again history: six games, six victories in the Europa League, eighteen games
without defeat in the current championship.

Why do we prioritize these successes of Marco Rose? Because he would never do that
himself. The 42-year-old native of Leipzig prefers to talk about his players rather than himself,
takes care of the football rather than the results and relies more on personal impressions than
on statistics. From a former professional footballer, whose will was far greater than his talent,
has become a role model of the new generation of trainers - empathetic, committed,
successful. We asked Marco Rose about his methods. And get a universal guide to team
leadership.

1. Errors lead to trust

At the academy, I was not known as a chief educator. I did everything as I thought fit. In doing
so, I presupposed things that might not be expected of such young people, sometimes driving
the players too hard. That was a mistake. But you can - and must - sometimes do things wrong
in your development, even as a coach. The key is to draw the right conclusions from it.

Even now, I still do things wrong. I do not claim to always lie properly, correctly assess all
situations, or eat the wisdom with a spoon. It is important to admit this yourself. And to admit
that before the team. That creates a certain sense of trust. Admitting mistakes shows the other
that you are not one who pervades everything mercilessly, but is ready to compromise, to listen
and to solve problems together.

2. Interest creates connectedness

When you work with people, you not only want them to work, you also want to understand how
they work. What are you bringing with you? Where are you going to pick her up? I have already
lived as an active player. When new teammates went to the hotel alone after training, I tried to
show them the city, take them with them to eat. I knew that if they work well and are quickly
integrated into the team, we can be successful. And then I profit from it too.

Players come from different cultures, but there are clear common values like home or family.
When problems arise, that's the priority - that's our credo. This mutual respect is felt among
us. There are these classic team-building measures, but we have not found the time for such
things. Nevertheless, I feel it fits. Because the players are interested in each other. Just putting
on the same jersey in the cabin is not enough, you have to fill it with life.

3. Collegiality forms the collective

I think nothing of a strict hierarchy, but still believe that you can not treat every player the same.
Her personalities are too different. It is always about creating and experiencing things together.
That requires a certain collegiality. The word resonates with closeness and respect. That's what
it takes to grow into a collective. Where I come from, from the former GDR, the collective was a
very important factor. That sounds a little rough, but for me that means coming together,
socializing with each other and working towards common goals.

Once I have the impression that I am too close, I have to take myself back, take myself out, let
others do things, for example my leaders. Whereby I always try to be close to myself -
otherwise I would not understand the human being.

4. Competence is authority
There is a certain natural authority that you have as a coach. But you also develop authority
over competences that you radiate. You have to have more than a little idea of what you are
doing - without expertise, authority is just a facade. In addition, it is also about social
competence and empathy, ie the ability and willingness to develop a feeling for certain things

This is not a simple number. I think leadership today has to be flexible, situational. You have to
develop a sensorium for what's right at the moment - of course it can not always be right, it
does not have to be right either. Also there you will make wrong decisions, go wrong ways.

5. Freedom nourishes self-regulation

Also the players are integrated with us. For example, they chose the dates of the performance
diagnostics themselves - namely at the end of the autumn championship instead of the training
kick-off in January. As a result, they have taken more out of the one or the other day of
vacation, but at the same time were obliged to appear on their own responsibility in the best
possible condition for the start of the training.

With impressive results. This proves that the players themselves provide for regulatory
measures, if you give them liberties, trust them. It helps you as a coach, if your team manages
to educate yourself a bit, to self-regulate things or clarify. That's a huge relief.

6. Communication creates understanding

Honesty is very important to me. You also have to be able to say unpleasant truths in a team.
Not easy for me: Big group, lots of people, and you have to try to do it justice. You will always
disappoint someone. As a coach, I have a claim to communicate a lot. Not every weekend, not
with every player, not every decision. But there are moments when you realize you have to go
and explain your decision. That's all you can do, but for me it's also a form of appreciation.
Then it depends on how the player picks it up and accepts it. If I feel like a player appreciates
that, then I do it again and again - even if it costs more energy than simply writing decisions on
the blackboard.

7. Defiance leads to nothing

When Jürgen Klopp was my coach, I sat on the bench for a long time and kept trying to show
my dissatisfaction. "Watch out! You do not value me, you do not let me play, that's why I do
not feel like it. "I felt bad, because this behavior did not suit my nature: I've always lived more
from my mentality than from my abilities , And behold, after a few days of listless training, I
have found: My "rebellion" interested the coach a little. So I decided to go for the gas again.

That's the only thing that I can influence. But after training like a sausage for a week, it took me
another week to be at a level that justifies being noticed. And two more weeks until I was
actually seen. At least during that time I had a good feeling. I had done everything to get into
the team. For me as a player that was an important - albeit unfortunately very late - realization.
All the more important is this topic now for me as a coach. Everyone can be dissatisfied.
Nobody always has to come through the door with a smile. But when we go to the training
ground, I simply expect that readiness, attitude and mood are there.

8. Teamwork creates consensus

It is wise that in many ways you rely on the specialists you have around you. I am fortunate
enough to have an outstanding team all around Salzburg. From assistant coaches to
teammates, everyone likes to do their job with the utmost dedication. Therefore, I fully trust
each individual. Of course there are always controversial discussions in our sessions, but in the
end we always find a consensus.

When the decision is made, it is always our decision. We are 100 percent related to the
number. If this turns out to be wrong, it does not mean that this or that made a mistake, but we
did not do well on the day. This is important. When the decision is made, she is hit. If it was not
right, you have to correct it and do it better next time. There is no catching, no blame, no
questioning for days.

9. Responsibility defines the line

It is often not easy to make decisions, but one of the most important tasks is to lead a group.
Sometimes you have time to make a decision well-intentioned. Sometimes you have no time
and you have to fell anyway. What I've learned over the years: You can roll things around seven
times, in the end you have to decide. And then you have to stand behind it, communicate the
decision and go through it.

Even in the coaching team we turn and make many decisions, because we discuss everything
with each other. In the end, you have to get up and say, "Let's do it." That's a very important
point. The coach sets the framework for how things should go. And he is the person
responsible who goes out and transmits the decision to others.

10. Knowledge creates motivation

You always have to raise awareness: What are we actually doing? What are we actually doing
for that? What is important to us? What is our identity? What do we want to radiate? We are
Red Bull Salzburg. We want to play football, be brave, win every game. What belongs to this?
You can not compete 120 per cent emotionally and 60 per cent the next time. We try to
internalize this with our players. The day before a game, we therefore have more of a technical
and content preparation for what is coming. On the day of the game itself, we develop a sense
of what kind of emotionality is important for the game ahead, perhaps still needed. And every
few weeks, we remind the boys of the things we've done in our own way.

11. Setbacks nourish the hunger for success

The biggest setback for us in Salzburg was sure to miss the Champions League again. To
grasp and then live out such a disappointment is enormously important, at least to me.
Perseverance slogans the next day are out of place. Missing a goal is shit. Point. So you may
also feel shit. As long as you need. One was out the next day, smiling again, the other took
three, four days. At that time I often talked about the time factor. As always, if you have to
accept disappointments or losses in life.

But in football you have the chance to get a sense of achievement again quickly. If you win a
game, get into the cabin, and know how winning feels, that's another number. Even if the
setback overtakes you in the evening, every game offers a new chance. And the more you win,
the faster grass grows over it. So you want to win.