Resisting Change, Losing the Future?

In my latest monthly column for the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, I examine why Germany struggles with transformation, and what it will take to regain the courage to shape the future instead of explaining why it cannot be done.

2016, a workshop at one of Germany’s major car manufacturers. I mentioned Tesla as an example of radical change. Some managers laughed and dismissed it, pointing to poor build quality and limited range. At the time, my Tesla was already driving 400 kilometers on a single charge. In that moment, something became clear to me: without a genuine willingness to change, even the best workshops are meaningless. That willingness cannot be imposed from the outside. It has to come from within.

Today, the picture is unmistakable. None of the major German manufacturers, not VW, not Mercedes, not BMW, has a convincing strategy for the future. All of them are laying off employees, and their suppliers are under increasing pressure. Meanwhile, Tesla continues to grow despite ongoing debates around Elon Musk, and Chinese companies are moving ahead as well. Ten years ago, German carmakers dominated the global market. Today, not a single one is among the top five.

This problem is not limited to the automotive industry. Germany’s innovative strength is weakening more broadly. Our education system, our infrastructure, and many other areas are no longer leading. What once set us apart is steadily losing impact.

A patient of my wife recently summed it up bluntly after returning from China. “I’ve just come back from the future,” he said. What he experienced there was the speed of digitalization, infrastructure development, and mobility. A speed that feels almost unimaginable here.

The real question is whether we use such observations to become more ambitious or whether we fall back into finger-pointing. Too often, it is the latter. While other countries invest boldly, we look for excuses. We say that things only work elsewhere because of political conditions. This is nothing more than a victim position. Instead of shaping the future, we justify stagnation.

Why is change so difficult for us? Habit is part of the answer, but it goes deeper than that. There is a lack of ambition, a lack of curiosity, and a lack of urgency. Change is uncomfortable. It requires energy and courage. But those who refuse it lose. In global competition, within organizations, and personally.

So what needs to happen?

As a society, we must stop cultivating excuses. It should not be fear of crises that drives us, but hope for a better future for our children. We need an education system that prepares people for tomorrow, a public administration that thinks digitally, and infrastructure that does not slow us down, but moves us forward.

Companies must return to what their name implies: places of entrepreneurship. Not organizations that manage old structures, but ones that create something new. Creativity does not emerge from PowerPoint slides or endless coordination meetings. It comes from people who act with courage. Employees do not need to wait for a major transformation from the top. Change starts small. Eliminate inefficient meetings. Test ideas. Find allies. Those who want to shape things do not need permission. They need to take the first step.

And what about us as individuals? Change begins where we leave our comfort zone. Where we engage with people we do not fully agree with. Where we consciously change routines to create new impulses. Less debating. More trying things out. Making decisions. Giving feedback and asking for it. Change cannot be delegated. It has to be lived.

The willingness to change is like a muscle. If it is never used, it weakens. If it is trained, it grows stronger. Each time, it becomes easier to try something new, to tolerate uncertainty, and to push boundaries. That is the key. We must not settle into what is familiar. Stagnation may feel comfortable, but in reality, it is regression.

The good news is this: change is possible. It begins with curiosity, discipline, and the decision to be a Shaper, not a victim.

From Nothing Comes Nothing.