Attitude instead of harmony: What Martin Luther King teaches leaders in Germany

Berlin - January 19, 2026 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day: A memory that obliges What does a 20th-century American civil rights activist have to do with leadership debates in Germany in 2026? The answer is more uncomfortable than it sounds. Today, January 19, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US - a day of remembrance that has long been more than just a historical reminiscence. It is a yardstick for how seriously societies take responsibility, attitude, and leadership.

Martin Luther King Jr. did not just fight against racial segregation and legal discrimination. He made a radical demand: that moral responsibility cannot be delegated. That leadership begins where people are prepared to take a stand - even in the face of resistance. This unreasonable demand is still relevant today.

King Day is also increasingly being observed in Germany: in schools, churches, universities, and in political education. King's visit to West Berlin in 1964 is part of local history. But remembrance remains inconsequential if it is not translated into the present. The crucial question is therefore: What does King's legacy mean today - for those who bear responsibility?

Leadership beyond position Leadership is under pressure. Authority no longer automatically derives from hierarchy or title. Trust, credibility, and orientation have become scarce resources. Studies on the world of work have painted a consistent picture for years: people rarely leave organizations because of their tasks - they leave leadership.

The HR Trend Report 2025, which evaluated several hundred companies in German-speaking countries, comes to a clear conclusion: around 60 percent of those surveyed see a lack of emotional self-control and social awareness among managers as the greatest risk to motivation and retention - even ahead of deficits in digitalization or specialist knowledge.

This brings into focus a question that has long been underestimated: How well do people manage themselves? Organizational psychology research shows that managers who can classify their own reactions, withstand tensions, and provide guidance achieve more stable teams and better results. Leadership rarely fails because of strategy - more often because of inner uncertainty.

Attitude is not a soft skill Martin Luther King embodied this form of leadership not as a technique, but as an attitude. Against this backdrop, personality development, a term that is often used ambiguously today, takes on a different meaning.

Jessica Wahl, a performance coach with over 20 years of experience at the Institute for Personal Performance, describes personal development not as a self-optimization program, but as working on inner clarity. King's example shows, she says, "that we don't have to constantly renegotiate our own value system - but rather know it, name it, and reliably represent it in our actions. Leadership arises where inner attitude and outward behavior are in harmony."

At the same time, Wahl warns against a common misunderstanding of modern leadership: "Many managers today try to please everyone as much as possible. This creates uncertainty. Leadership requires inner stability - the ability to make decisions, justify them, and stand by them even when they meet with resistance." Psychologists also share this assessment. Organizational psychologist Dr. Michael Keller points out that King's effectiveness did not stem from moral superiority, but from emotional clarity. King understood how fear, anger, and hope move people - and how leadership can provide guidance without becoming authoritarian. Germany and the question of self-leadership In Germany, too, the understanding of leadership is shifting - slowly, often reluctantly. The traditionally strong, task- and performance-oriented leadership culture is reaching its limits. Diversity, skills shortages, and social polarization make it clear that leadership without self-reflection no longer works. In this context, Martin Luther King's legacy acts as a corrective. It reminds us that neutrality is not a virtue when it comes to dignity, fairness, and responsibility. Leadership does not mean avoiding conflict as much as possible, but rather providing guidance - in a well-founded, transparent, and humane manner. Five questions for today Martin Luther King Jr. Day is therefore less a holiday than an occasion for self-examination: * What values shape my actions - and are they recognizable to others? * How do I deal with resistance: defensively, evasively, or by providing reasons?
* When was the last time I consciously allowed a perspective that contradicts my own? * Do I take responsibility even when decisions are unpopular? * What inner routines prevent me from leading more clearly? These questions are not a moral exercise. They touch on the core of what King demanded: that leadership is always also self-leadership.

Memory as a yardstick "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," said Martin Luther King. The phrase is often quoted--and rarely applied consistently. That is precisely why it remains relevant today. At a time when efficiency, speed, and technology set the tone, this day reminds us that leadership derives its value not from systems, but from the quality of human decisions.

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https://www.jessicawahl.de

Herr Jan Kerner
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Info@wahluniversum.de

The Institute for Personal Performance Coaching has been supporting specialists, managers, and personalities in challenging professional contexts for 20 years. Jessica Wahl, senior performance coach, breathing, voice, and speech therapist, and Joerg Tewes, certified actor and senior performance coach, are internationally renowned as leading experts in performance and career coaching.

The coaching takes place in a unique setting in the heart of Berlin-Kreuzberg: the institute is located in a beautiful church that offers an atmosphere of calm, concentration, and clarity--a conscious counterpoint to the pulsating dynamics of the big city.

The coaching approach focuses on posture, presence, and sustainable performance--all under real-life conditions and with a clear goal: to empower people not only professionally, but also personally. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of soft skills, emotional intelligence, and the ability to present oneself authentically. This ensures that clients are optimally prepared for the complex demands of the modern working world, which require both technical knowledge and strong interpersonal skills. https://www.jessicawahl.de

This release was published on openPR.