Shot after shot lands in the bull’s-eye. Competence needs no big words.
Leadership Quality #5
Competence: Competence convinces through words, deeds, and the feasibility of what is said.
Leadership Law #21
The Law of Legacy: A leader’s lasting value is measured by succession.
3 min read5 sectionsSituationLink to the quality
Contents
On 9 October 2026, ZDF announced the death of its former editor-in-chief Klaus Bresser. According to news agencies, he died in Berlin on Wednesday, 7 October, at the age of 90. Klaus Bresser was the broadcaster’s editor-in-chief from 1988 to 2000, and before that head and presenter of the news programme “heute journal”. ZDF editor-in-chief Bettina Schausten paid tribute to him, saying he stood for precise journalistic craftsmanship. His career shows how competence becomes the foundation of leadership. An example of the quality of competence.
Golden building blocks form a staircase that rises step by step; from the top step a dotted line continues onward – like Klaus Bresser, who built up his craft step by step and left standards that reach beyond him.
01
Learning the craft from the ground up
Situation
Klaus Bresser was born in Berlin in 1936 and wrote for local newspapers in Aachen while still at school. From 1958 he trained at the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger”, where he became chief reporter in 1961. In 1965 he moved to the broadcaster WDR and headed the editorial team of the magazine “Monitor”.
Link to the quality
Competence begins with years at the workbench. Those who have done their people’s work themselves are taken seriously by them. Leadership without this foundation has to rely on the title.
02
Building something new
Situation
In December 1977, Klaus Bresser joined ZDF as deputy head and presenter of the “heute journal”. He had helped design the programme, presented it for six years and took over as its head in 1981. In 1983 he became head of the domestic politics department.
Link to the quality
Competent people do not just administer; they build. A new format requires putting one’s own skill into a form that others can carry too. That shows whether someone has truly mastered their field.
03
Follow-up questions as a method
Situation
In 1985, Klaus Bresser co-developed and presented the interview format “Was nun, ...?” (“What now, ...?”). ZDF describes his style as one of direct follow-up questions and a clear structure. In December 1999, together with Thomas Bellut, he questioned former Chancellor Helmut Kohl about the CDU donations scandal.
Link to the quality
Competence shows in the quality of the questions. Those who are prepared can follow up without becoming unfair. That applies in an interview as much as in a staff appraisal or a project review.
04
Shaping a channel’s programme
Situation
In 1988, Klaus Bresser succeeded Reinhard Appel as editor-in-chief. His twelve years in office saw the launch of “ZDF spezial” (1988), the “ZDF-Morgenmagazin” (1992) and “frontal” (1993). On 2 and 3 October 1990, ZDF broadcast from the Reichstag in Berlin for German reunification.
Link to the quality
At the top level, competence means initiating the right things and safeguarding quality. A leader no longer has to make every programme personally. They have to be able to judge what is good and create the conditions for it.
05
Standards that last
Situation
ZDF Director-General Norbert Himmler called Klaus Bresser a determined champion of public broadcasting’s mission to inform, who stood for independence and fair dealing. Bettina Schausten said programmes such as the “heute journal” and “Was nun, ...?” still have an impact today and shaped a generation of journalists.
Link to the quality
Competence has the longest impact when it becomes a standard for others. Those who transfer their skill into formats, rules and people leave behind more than a good track record. That is the transition from skill to legacy.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
01
Learn your field so thoroughly that others trust you to lead.
02
Build something instead of just administering.
03
Prepare so well that you can ask follow-up questions.
04
Safeguard quality even when you no longer do the work yourself.
05
Pass your skills on to the next generation.
Summary
Klaus Bresser learned his craft at a newspaper and turned it into television formats that still exist today. As presenter, head of department and editor-in-chief, he stood for precise work and clear questions. The tributes emphasise his standards more than his office. The example shows that competence is the quality that gives leadership credibility and outlasts it.
