Love and Respect

DW-WORLD.DE: You've spent a lot of time in China -- what are your impressions?

Liz Mohn: I am in awe of the Chinese for making such an enormous economic leap. It takes time to change a culture -- you can't do it from one day to the next. But they are really accomplishing a lot there. It shows that the Chinese people today are well educated. Without brains and talent, they couldn't do it. I also think the government learned they need to be careful about how to make people follow their ideas.

Do Germans see China's economic growth and political importance as a challenge -- or a threat?

Neither nor. We have such a huge market in China. It offers huge opportunities for both Europe and China, not just on one side. It is a unique experience. There hasn't been anything like it, any time since [World War II]: that a whole world opens up, and we have the good fortune to experience it.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently invited the Dalai Lama to visit Germany, which has been hard on the relationship between China and Germany. What is your take on that?

I think when different cultures come together, mistakes can be made on both sides. In the Christian religion, we say people should forgive. Without mistakes, we can't learn. But I think different cultures don't learn to understand each other overnight.

Does Bertelsmann have a long-term strategy in China?

Bertelsmann has been growing in China since 1995 and it is a market that we want to get into even more. I think everything we do there is on a long-term basis. There are so many questions you can't answer immediately. Things change so quickly with globalization.

Bertelsmann has a long history. What are you particularly proud of?

We are the only media concern world-wide that is involved with so many different cultures. When we went overseas, we respected the other cultures. That was the strength of our company after the war.

Despite the age of digitalization, statistics show Germans still read a lot. That is different in China though. Is your China strategy successful?

As far as I know, the Chinese like to read. They are a cultured people. But today people may be more likely to take an audio book, sure. New times call for new measures.

I'm amazed when I see the changes on the streets in China today. How full they are with cars. When I first started going to China, 12 or 13 years ago, it was bikes, then mopeds. I found it fascinating to watch the changes -- and I am amazed as how much they have achieved. Before China opened up to the West, people had little freedom. Now, young people are colorful. They've gotten more room to think, to live.

You claim that Bertelsmann's management culture relies on individuality and creativity. How can we know that this isn't just lip service? After all, centralized leadership and hierarchy can be practical.

Because without this management culture, Bertelsmann would never have been as successful as it has been. Through our wartime experiences, and before the war, we saw what it meant to have a dictatorship. No freedom. Later we saw that if you give people freedom to be creative and to think, then they are motivated. When you are fair to people, and respect them, then people come together and work together, and you get a great success.

You have worked alongside your husband (Bertelsmann owner Reinhard Mohn), and been increasingly active, for years. What aspect of your own personality is visible in Bertelsmann's culture?

First I think that it is important to teach basic values -- love and respect. And to know that it is important to give something to society, not just take. Now, China is starting to develop charitable foundations. I find that great. And citizens are starting to create businesses that also help society. These are huge advances.

You've said creating a management style is Bertelsmann's most important business tool, given globalization. Is that true?

Yes. For example, from our headquarters, we cannot simply order around one of our managers in China. He has to use his own head, his own ideas. But at the same time, he needs to keep in mind the greater goals for company are. He needs to know … what kind of mental and spiritual orientation we have, our values.

What are some other challenges for Bertelsmann?

Finding good talent. People who can lead worldwide.

You have sometimes been called an "iron lady" -- is this an accurate description?

Well, I wouldn't say I am "ironclad." I might say: You need to use power to get something done. Otherwise you don't get anywhere in this world. You need to have a goal, and bring people along with you.

What other qualities make a good business leader?

I like dealing with people very much, and that's why I like my job so much. I get to dialog with people from all over the world. And I see that the more I learn, the more I have the feeling that I know nothing at all.

Your story -- you were a telephone operator who has become the head of a fifth-generation business family -- is widely known. Is your life really like a fairy tale?

No. The people who know me well, know that you never get to the top without discipline and hard work. You just can't do it any other way. You also have to make mistakes. That is a burden. I think I was fortunate to meet a man who both helped me come into more responsibility in this part of my life, and to experience what I do today. Next year we will have been married for 50 years. That is a long time.

You still appreciate your husband so much after 50 years of marriage? That's unusual these days.

He is a great businessman, a great person, a great philosopher, he is never arrogant, always humble. He's always working on behalf of the workers in our company, and many of our employees look up to him as an example.