Company bosses who have a penchant for sailing are not uncommon. However, it is mostly small or medium-sized entrepreneurs who spend their free time on the water. The top management of large corporations, especially those listed on the DAX, generally don't have the time. Especially for long trips.
It is all the more remarkable that Timotheus Höttges was on the list of participants in the most recent Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). The CEO of Deutsche Telekom started sailing on the IJsselmeer at the age of 18. For the ARC, he signed up with his friend Torsten Krumm as a co-sailor on his Swan 48 "Ambra". Krumm and the other three co-sailors are all also top managers - and therefore used to calling the shots.
How does such a crew of executives get across the Atlantic in one piece? A conversation about fulfilling youthful dreams, unusual hierarchies and dispensable company bosses.
YACHT: Mr Höttges, what is more difficult to manage, a yacht or a group?
Tim Höttges:Managing the Group with its 230,000 employees is clearly much more complex. But both are responsible. On a ship, luck and misfortune are incredibly close together. One small mistake and the whole adventure is over. But on a ship, you have a well-organised team, some of whom you choose yourself. Or decide for yourself whether you want to be part of it. Then the hierarchy is clearer. In a modern company, there is no one captain who decides which way to go. The decision-making processes and the wealth of different decisions that have to be made are more complex and varied.
Mr Krumm, your crew of five was made up of top managers. Why is that?
Torsten Krumm:That's true. But above all, we are friends who share a passion for sailing and treat each other with respect. Tim and I have known each other since we were young. Our dream has always been to sail across the Atlantic.
With so much management expertise on board, is it always clear who is in charge?
Crooked:The captain! Unlike on the market, you have to be able to react within seconds on the ship if problems occur.
Höttges:The roles are clearly allocated: Torsten as skipper is the boss, and I am the mate who supports him. That worked well. We didn't have a single argument during the 20-day crossing. I felt most comfortable on the forecastle, but I was also responsible for washing up.
Is it a problem for you as CEO to be subordinate?
Höttges:Not at all! I don't have the expertise to be the captain on board, so I fit in. In any case, the role of CEO needs to be demystified. It's certainly not easy to stay grounded when you're often courted and naturally privileged. That's another reason why such an experience as a sailor was good for me. However, I'm not only at the helm in the Group, but also in the engine room.
So it's not difficult for you to give up the helm?
Höttges:I have no problem with that. And I'm great at washing up! Apart from that, I have a good team at Telekom. I can rely on them, even when I'm hard to reach. Modern management is also characterised by the fact that you don't always have to demonstrate that you're the boss.
So is modern management more advanced than ship management often is?
Höttges:When it came to the question of which course to sail, it was like a board meeting. We sat together, discussed and decided together. It's different in manoeuvres, especially when you're not so well coordinated as a crew. That's where classic hierarchy helps. Incidentally, this is also often the case in corporate crises. Another thing they have in common is that modern management requires expertise, just like sailing. The more competent the crew, the more freedom you can give them to do things on their own. The managerial term for this is empowerment. So the question is: how can the hierarchy on board be organised more flatly through empowerment?
Did you have any dicey situations during the ARC?
Höttges:Once a tropical squall caught us cold at night and we reacted too late. There was a brief panic on board, the routines didn't work so well.
Crooked:We could have reacted earlier. Instead, there was a debriefing every evening with the questions: What have we learnt today? What can we do better?
Do the conflict management strategies you have tried and tested at work help you here - or not?
Crooked:I would say: Yes! Criticism must always be constructive, never personal.
Höttges:People who bring a certain coolness to the table, without being a daredevil, manage such situations differently than those who try to work it out according to a textbook but are unable to do so under stress. People who are not stressed also have fewer conflicts in the community.
How does the CEO of a DAX-listed company actually manage to take weeks off?
Höttges:I've been on the Executive Board for 16 years. As part of the last contract extension, I said: "I need four weeks off." It was important to me to get some new inspiration and leave my comfort zone. I wanted to make myself uncomfortable once again, to leave my bubble of familiarity.
But your position doesn't provide for this kind of time out, does it?
Höttges:No. But many people can't do that either. Unpaid sabbaticals are absolutely common in management below board level. But even a CEO is a human being and must be given the opportunity to live their dreams! You can't just focus on your career and your job.
Was there no criticism of your plan from anyone?
Höttges:There were many people who said: "Do it!" Even my wife. And there were a lot of people in the company who were worried - after all, I have a lot of responsibility. But we prepared the Atlantic crossing very well, more like over-prepared. And nothing happened.
Crooked:We have taken all the necessary precautions when it comes to safety.
What did you take away from the trip for your day-to-day work?
Höttges:There are three important points. Firstly: Clearly define where your goal is, but don't become too dependent on what you originally planned. You always have to react to the situation and your environment. Secondly, master your business in detail. You have to know what you are doing on board. If you don't understand your business, you may be able to manage, but you can't lead. Thirdly: Attitude, team spirit and the will to leave your comfort zone count. It is important not only to talk about what you would like to do, but also to do it.
Crooked:Getting out of the professional hamster wheel and onto a ship like this, where nothing is happening all the time - that was quite a challenge for Tim. You could tell that it was unusual for him at first.
Do you find it difficult to do nothing, Mr Höttges?
Höttges:In principle, yes. After the first four rather stormy days, I thought: "What are you going to do for the rest of the tour?" But your own rhythm then changes a lot in the daily routines. For example, I wrote a lot at night and learnt an incredible amount about ships. You need time for that, you don't learn it in your sleep, you only learn it by analysing the content. The day just flies by.
Did you really not work during the 20-odd days at ARC?
Höttges:Yes, once a week I received a long briefing on all topics relating to Deutsche Telekom. I answered these emails in detail. When we arrived in St Lucia, there was of course a lot of work waiting for me. On board, however, I was very "digitally detached" and focussed on the Atlantic crossing. We are all expendable - and certainly for 20 days! If a company with 230,000 employees depended on my presence alone, I would have done something fundamentally wrong. But if my team works, it's much more valuable than if I always show how important I am.
Did you find it difficult to return to work?
Höttges:No.
Would you recommend sailing as a team-building activity in your company?
Höttges:Absolutely! It doesn't have to be an Atlantic crossing. You can learn a lot while sailing - about responsibility, about attitude, about empowerment, about stress, about yourself: Especially in the doldrums, I felt my impatience. But the connection with nature in the middle of the sea is - attention, pun! - very grounding.
Isn't an Atlantic crossing, where every day in the watery desert looks like the last and the next, boring at times?
Höttges:I used to read stories to Torsten in the evenings and talk to him about topics that you don't normally have time for. I really wasn't bored for a minute. And we went swimming in the doldrums. That was great too.
Crooked:It was extremely entertaining - the lighting conditions alone are constantly changing. You can really see a lot.
Unlike in the office, you can never really get out of each other's way on board. Was that a problem?
Crooked:No, we were able to talk openly about all the problems.
Höttges:The biggest conflict we had on the way was at skat!
- Torsten Krumm runs a blog on the subject of sailing, which you can read here. here find.
