Minister Jörg Schönbohm Lecture

Minister Jörg Schönbohm Delivers Berlin School President's Lecture: "What creatives can learn from military leadership"

Minister of the Interior of Brandenburg, Jörg Schönbohm, addressed a full house at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership on April 2, 2009 to deliver remarks on “What creatives can learn from military leadership.”  Minister Schönbohm spoke as part of the ongoing President’s Lecture series at the Berlin School.

“A lie is nothing more than a creative truth,” said Schönbohm.  The bluffing, camouflage, propaganda, dis-information, creation of confusion required in war all involve a great deal of creativity, he explained.  These “creative truths” require fantasy, imagination and inventiveness, the same important attributes required of successful creative professionals.  The defeat of an enemy on the battlefield requires more that brute force.  Imagination is the key to success, explained Schönbohm.

Drawing on decades of military service and his more recent years in policing and politics, Minister Schönbohm shared his experiences and insights.  He is most famously known for his work to incorporate the former-East German Army into the former-West German Army following reunification.  He recounted these experiences in his book, Two Armies and One Fatherland: The End of the Nationale Volksarmee.

Successful leaders motivate their teams and de-motivate their competitors and enemies, said Schönbohm.  This process requires a careful understanding of the mindset of the people you want to influence by creating a series of positive and negative self-fulfilling prophesies.  Calling on insights and lessons from Sun Tzu, Shakespeare, Rommel, Clausewitz and Churchill he described how effective leaders employ imagination and storytelling to describe and then enact a desired outcome.

Minister Schönbohm also stressed the importance of listening to seek and explore alternatives in every situation.  “Learn to use the phrase, ‘I am sorry Sir, but you might be wrong,’” he advised.  Leaders, he said, must be able to take criticism, hold healthy debates and respect the opinions and insights of others.  However, after debate, in decision and action phases, leaders must be clear and resolute in their decisions and establish a team that fully supports the implementation of a chosen strategy.

Lastly, Schönbohm pointed out a unique aspect of German/Prussian military culture that he believes is useful for creative leaders.  Judgments, decisions and actions must all be made by a competent person “on the spot,” he said, because only the person directly involved in a situation can assess the reality of the situation and act swiftly after weighing the alternatives