My leadership principles

Thinking it through from the customer’s end: Our first software versions were designed from engineers for engineers, with multiple layers and sublayers and complex interfaces. We are evolving from a manufacturer and wholesaler into a retailer – the direct contact with our customers through software update is a great chance.

It is MY company: This is about assuming ownership and taking decisions in the interest of future generations. I realized this last year when we started the discussions around the future of Wolfsburg. In the beginning, it was a cumbersome process but once our top managers assumed responsibility, we saw bold plans for our biggest site, including a new, efficient factory for our fully-electric, L4 ready Trinity project. 

Highest standards for myself and my employees: We often tend to look the other way to avoid conflict. I recently visited one of our factories and noticed that one of the supervisors just ignored a sleeping forklift driver. It’s our responsibility to give honest and transparent feedback if we want to excel.

Make an impact: This is your classic show don’t tell. We agree on ambitious strategies or disciplined efficiency targets, which often get diluted during the implementation process. That‘s why we have introduced OKRs to implement our NEW AUTO strategy. 

Focus on what’s really important: Like our new CARIAD CTO Lynn Longo said the other day: If we don’t spend 80 percent of our time thinking and talking about customers and products, something is wrong. It’s your role as top managers to make the judgement call. Nobody else will do it for you.

Achieving more with less: Scania is a perfect example, with their lean structure and performance-based culture. They are not only more efficient but also more effective than many of our other Group companies. Traton CEO Christian Levin is a great role model and I’m happy that he’s taken over the lead for our truck business.

Stand up for yourself, be bold and persistent: When we started with our BEV strategy in 2015, nobody believed that we would succeed. Today, not only our competitors but also our suppliers are lagging behind. In this new, software-driven mobility world, we need to be bold and take calculated risks. We also need persistency and resilience as many around us will want to keep things as they’ve always been.

Be honest: Obviously, a lot has changed since Diesel, we are a better company today. But we always need to be alert to avoid that we fall back into old patterns. And we should solve conflicts internally, not externally to preserve our reputation.

Think positive: Carsten Schnake has just taken over the semiconductor task force for the Group. He’s tackling the challenge from the other end and looks at what he wants to achieve. Too often, I hear people complain about why something isn’t possible.