KNOWLEDGE FORUM: Bestselling author and coach Walter Kohl on upheavals and the future
Just as we have to make a decision at every roundabout, we also have to do the same with our inner circles. This is what Walter Kohl, successful manager and speaker, says. "Here too, we have to decide - do we go into battle or flee, do we go in circles or do we forge a completely new path." Kohl will be speaking at the South Tyrolean Knowledge Forum in Bolzano on September 14. Maria Cristina De Paoli: Mr. Kohl, four years ago you published the book "What Truly Supports Us" together with Father Anselm Grün. When did the son of a politician, manager, and coach Walter Kohl first question the meaning of life?Walter Kohl: Even as a teenager, questions like "Why am I doing something?" or "What is it good for?" moved me. But it was especially after my mother's suicide, the failure of my first marriage, and the family catastrophe triggered by the CDU party donation scandal in 2001 and 2002 that the search for meaning became a central theme in my life.
Maria Cristina De Paoli: "Are you the one leading your life, or are you being led?" This is a question you like to ask your audience.Is leading a self-determined life even possible today?Walter Kohl: Much more than one usually thinks. What happens is important, but even more important is what you make of it. Our own attitude, beliefs, or rather our own truths shape how we see the world. For example, I suffered for a long time from my background and the associated experiences of discrimination and violence. However, today I stand by myself, follow my path, and use my background and biography to publicly advocate for the issues that are important to me. This way, I could transform my old pain into new energy and joy of living. Today, I work as an entrepreneur, coach, and author to empower people and organizations. Because strong people are sovereign, do not need violence, and do not make war. In the end, I work for peace.
Maria Cristina De Paoli:Where does the strength come from to realign oneself in life as well as in one's profession?Walter Kohl: For me, my faith, meaning, and the will to shape my life, both professionally and privately, are central sources of strength. I understand meaning as concrete, everyday answers to the challenges and questions of our life roles, such as husband, father, brother, entrepreneur. Every era has its own answers, and life urges us to face its questions.
Maria Cristina De Paoli:Your lecture in Bolzano mainly focuses on times of upheaval and how to master them. In 2005, you founded a German-Korean tool supplier for the automotive industry and thus decided on a completely new path in life. What prompted you to do so?Walter Kohl: The sheer necessity. After the earthquake of the donation scandal, my career as a manager was over. Although I was never a member of the CDU and had nothing to do with the events, I had to constantly respond anew. In the spring of 2018, we successfully sold the company and are happily married. Who would have thought this in 2005?
Maria Cristina De Paoli:What would you recommend to an entrepreneur who has to face a situation of upheaval in his company?Where should he start?Walter Kohl:Start with yourself personally.Face the challenge internally and internally,get in shape like an athlete trainingfor an important competition.And when you are ready, thenstep out and pursue your goalconsistently and open to advice.Have courage, endurance, resilienceand conviction.Stay authentic and takeothers along on your journey.This way you can master upheavalsand shape the future.
© All rights reservedWalter Kohl
...studied history and economics at Harvard and Vienna, as well as Business Administration at INSEAD in Fontainebleau. After starting his career as an investment banker in New
York, Kohl worked as a manager in various large German companies. From 2005 to 2018, he led a German-Korean automotive supplier with his wife. Today, the 55-year-old is a speaker, bestselling author, and coach. He is the eldest son of the former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
