He proved his judgment and his leadership abilities early on, when, as a city senator in Hamburg, he confronted the great flood of 1962, which devastated the city. Schmidt reinforced his image as a pragmatist by consistently voicing his deep skepticism of grand designs and long-term visions, albeit without ever renouncing his fundamental belief that there was a moral basis for his political objectives.
人们记忆中的施密特是一位亲身实践的实用主义者，但更是一位成功的危机管理大师。他很早就证明了自己的判断和领导能力，在他就任汉堡市参议员的时候，他成功应对了1962年的大规模洪水，那次洪水几乎摧毁了这座城市。施密特反复表达对宏伟计划和长期愿景的深刻怀疑一再凸显了他实用主义者的形象，尽管他从未放弃过自己的基本信念，即认定自己的政治目标无不拥有道德根基。因此卡尔·波普尔是他最喜爱的哲学家毫不奇怪，因为波普尔务实但以价值为基础的方法与施密特不谋而合。