We fall in life so that we can learn to rise again. However, people do not want to fall as it indicates failure. When they fail, they get disappointed and therefore, afraid of admitting failures. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes. Yet, most people forget about (or overlook) the fact that the road to success is filled with trial and error, setbacks and failures and they tend to celebrate success and talk about their achievements only. Nevertheless, this does not change the fact that we learn and benefit most from our failures. That is why I believe that talking about these failures, sharing these experiences and not being afraid to fail is very important. The failures we learn from are the best teachers in life.

Within Siemens, we have an open platform where we talk as much about our failures as we do about our achievements. Recently, I was invited to join a podcast for Siemens, focusing on similar lines of thought as I do. When I was asked to talk about a failure that I had and the lessons I learned from it, I thought of the experiences I had in my early 30s and now regard as failures. I realized that the most important one of these was my failure to listen. In the early years of my career, I really failed at listening to others. At the time, I believed that I could grasp issues very quickly and come up with solutions right away. I was not good at listening to those colleagues who could not immediately come up with an answer when faced with a problem. However, the reason behind this attitude was not that I had the right answer, but my failure to listen. It was back then when I learned one of the most important lessons about this matter.

In a very important meeting, we were 5 women and 5 men when our manager threw in a problem. I remember that most of the men immediately came up with answers. It was almost like a competition. We thought among ourselves that we had to immediately come up with an answer, maybe to also impress our managers with our solutions. But most of the females were just listening to really understand what the problem was, and they were listening even to our inputs. And, they analyzed the problem much better than we did. Later, we were told by our managers that most of our inputs were actually spontaneous. Although they sounded good, they did not really get into the depth of the matter. But the questions that were asked, particularly by our female colleagues, really helped us to understand the problem. While they did not come up with an answer, they asked the right questions and dug deeper into the layers within the problem itself.

During that time, I was very disappointed in myself for not having immediately grabbed that point. In order to understand a problem, you have to listen to it and ask more questions. You have to hold yourself back for a moment in order to give a chance to other people who take the matter differently -to the female colleagues in this particular case- to come up with their questions in understanding the issue much better before arriving at an answer. Today, I wish I was told about this at a much earlier point in my life. Later, I discovered that and also made it one of my key focuses. I learned that it is not coming up with a quick answer, but really listening that generates real value. I must say that I have learned so much about this from my female colleagues and I am truly grateful to them.

Listening is one of the secrets to professional and personal success. For example, when making sales, you want to sell your product or solution to the customers, maybe even convince them that what you are offering is the best. But, what the customer really wants is that you first listen to their problems and the challenges they face and then finding out about what kind of contributions you can make to solve their problems and your values regarding your collaboration. And, there is more to this. Listening is also very important in coming up with new ideas. Searching for the new requires listening to a lot of different views. Because, “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new” (Dalai Lama).

We, as the public sector, the society and the business arena responded swiftly following the emergence of the first diagnosed case of COVID-19 in our country. By rapidly implementing comprehensive precautions and protective measures, we passed a critical test in terms of minimizing adverse outcomes to be caused by the pandemic. We can advocate we achieved successful results at the management level and in the eyes of the society; however, we should keep that the test still continues in mind.

I also had chance to convey these reviews of mine by means of an interview conducted by Habertürk: https://www.haberturk.com/sorumlu-buyumeye-odaklanmaliyiz-2724272-ekonomi

This means the risk is ongoing and we can easily see this when we take a look at daily statistics. For this reason, it is vital to maintain and even improve our achievements such as hygiene, physical distancing, intensive usage of digital means. In this period of new opportunities, different perspectives and approaches, I would like us all to reflect upon how to implement further innovations, rather than feeling nostalgia for the old habits. In brief, I believe it will be more efficient for us all to discuss the changes we have so far made in our daily lives due to COVID-19 and what more we can change.

In the last 4 months, we have learned that we can fulfill our responsibilities with the same efficiency even when we work remotely, away from our workplaces and offices. We have seen that some functions obtained even more productive results, let alone suffering any losses. When our comprehensive questionnaire and research works are finalized, we will be able to exhibit this development on a quantitative basis as well. Therefore, instead of considering our current time and location as a temporary “phenomenon”, we should regard it as a basis of reality that defines the “new”.

It is important to first renovate our current systems and perspectives in order to be able to define the “new” and re-design it to create beneficial results. We need to make certain changes so that everyone can work comfortably and flexibly and avoid spending time with inefficient practices. In accordance with the requirements of the modern economic system, we have so far invested huge resources, time and effort in physical infrastructures and buildings. Therefore, it may not be efficient and rational for us to renounce them in a trice. However, we can build a hybrid system by making existing infrastructures “smart” and “modular”; and we can upgrade buildings and spaces so that they can be quickly customized upon need and can be equipped with all kinds of digital and technological equipment.

I believe it would be beneficial to attach special importance to R&D at this point. Important incentives are implemented in our country to improve and expand the scope of R&D works. Currently, having R&D teams in an identified physical office environment is mandatory for getting these incentives. Today, we have approximately 700 R&D engineers at Siemens Turkey and they develop new technologies both for Turkey and Siemens AG. COVID-19 has revealed that the efficiency of our engineers increases significantly when they are allowed to work any where they want. For this reason, I believe that if we want to improve the added value we provide for our country, we need to review current regulations so that digital management capabilities and efficiencies can be improved.

We can redefine our Head Offices as “Corporate Identity / Ownership Centers”. Thus, employees can get trainings on corporate culture and values in these centers during their first term in the company, and then they can work anywhere, saying “everywhere is an office to me”. Needless to say, socialization is an important necessity and head offices will always be required for employees to absorb the corporate culture, ownership, and code of business. However, we can also benefit from digital means to the full extent to build and improve social relationships.

Naturally, implementing such transformation only in the business world will bring a limited progress. Why should our children be deprived of the opportunities of the digital world? Just as we did during the pandemic, children may continue to receive education from home 2 days per week. They will continue this practice when they enter the business world, after all. So, it is very important for them to become familiar with digitalization while there is still time. We live in a world where life is transformed in all areas and education will certainly have its share. At this point, we will have a greater chance to reach our goals if we take the upper hand, instead of waiting for the transformation to come to us.

Nostalgia is a relief to us all, because it reminds us of a familiar period. However, focusing on how comfortable we were in the past will not take us any further. We should avoid living in the past; we cannot achieve innovation and change without experiencing the rigor and stress of it. Shakespeare’s success lies in the fact that he saw how the world was changing, social values were being renewed, and feudality was transforming into a new world, a new economic model and ultimately to modernity. He delicately analyzed this chaotic transformation in terms of values and daily life, and he successfully reflected it in his tragedies and comedies. If we are taking aesthetic pleasure in reading Shakespeare today, it is because he saw this transformation and reflected it on his works. We should also do the same in this period of change, take a journey to better conditions through positive stress management, and show courage in abandoning our habits and current ways of doing business and renovating them.

We, as Siemens Turkey esteem a future that is built through technology and woven with digitalization, so that Turkey would be listed amongst the modern countries, and set our course with this vision and guidance.

Undoubtedly, young people have a major role to play in this future. Therefore, I believe we need to consider technological trends and innovations that shape the new world investing in education and human resources. Obviously, they are signaling what professions will transform “favorites” and which ones will gradually lose popularity and finally become obsolete and eradicated in the future.

I think the concept of lifelong learning should be one of the aspects that determine fundamental paradigms in education and training. Since this paradigm revolution in the workforce will not be for once, but permanent. McKinsey advocates 375 million employees that amount to 14 percent of the global workforce would shift their employment fields by the year 2030. According to many experts and current studies, this new world will need multi-skilled employees.

If we take the issue specifically for Turkey into consideration, what we really need is a human resource that can develop technologies and produce software on new tools. I am talking about a well-trained and competent workforce to analyze data and transform them into value in the factories of the future that employs more and more of digital production lines and automation. As Siemens, we attach great importance to this. We not only change our production models and ways of doing business, but also transform our workspaces and our relations with locations.

Before moving our Kartal factory to Gebze, we wished to create a new concept at one of the production lines in Kartal and built an experience center named DEX (Digital Experience Center). In this center we both experience digitalization and give digitalization trainings. In addition, teams from different business units come together in this area for joint projects and collaborate side by side for innovative and value-adding initiatives, thus eliminating the traditional boundaries of professions and job definitions.

Data literacy is vital for raising young people that see data everywhere and derive insights from these data. Investments in training and human resource focusing on this area will prevent our children and youth from the uncertainties of the rapidly changing world and serve as a driving force to create a better future.

I guess the form of addressing others was not a problem in the past. There were already the usual titles used within the family. In the business world, within the framework of the general courtesy rules adopted at that time, the individuals mostly addressed each other formally regardless of the hierarchical structure. Over time, the rules were bent and informality stepped in.
This caused a dilemma. Executives who are senior in terms of age or hierarchy often address their subordinates informally. However, it is not so common for subordinates to address their superiors in the same way. Of course, especially in global companies, the forms of addressing have increasingly become less rigid, but informal addressing of subordinates to their superiors does not seem to become widespread.

When I ask the professionals around me about this addressing issue that is exercised particularly from superiors to subordinates, I received replies such as “to create a friendly atmosphere”. Is this the real reason or do we actually mean “know your place”? In other words, as executives, do we not consider younger people or our colleagues at different levels in the hierarchy to be at our level?

We all say that we believe in young people and diversity, and we always motivate and support our human resources. But during this process, do we give them another message through our forms of addressing?

What do you think about this issue?

In 2016 we will celebrate Siemens’s 160 years presence in Turkey. The company was founded in 1847 in Germany and only 9 years after its foundation, started to operate in then ‘the Ottoman Empire’. And we know that everything started with a dream and vision at the beginning of this company which now operates around the world. Of course every entrepreneur sets off with a dream: To see that the entity it creates succeeds and to legate the enterprise/company to the next generation (i.e. children) and even to the generations beyond that. In other words, to create an enterprise that has a long lifespan. At this point, a phrase by Werner von Siemens, the founder of Siemens AG, comes to my mind: “I won’t sell the future of my company for a short-term profit.” But then, is it that easy? What should be the fundamental concerns for establishing a company with a long lifespan? Certainly, there are a number of concerns to be handled. However, I would summarize the most critical ones in the three hints series:

• Building trust in all stakeholders (customers, employees, shareholders, etc.)
• Creating a “company spirit” and synchronizing it with the “zeitgeist” (spirit of the time)
• Doing what nobody else has done

You may, of course, say “Easier said than done! What should we consider while running this marathon in order to reach the goal?” I believe that the meaning of “building trust” is very clear, but it is vital that this principle is always kept in mind as a priority: If your way of doing business does not establish trust in the people you serve (i.e. your customers), it would be hard to see the next few years, let alone decades. Therefore, first of all, “trust” should be built in the people and the environment that you operate in, even though this may sometimes mean self-sacrifice.

Now that we have a reliable company and a reliable brand, what is next? Your company and brand should have a “spirit” that can be felt both inside and outside and that is constantly fed. Be it your employees or customers, this “spirit” should be clearly seen and felt by everyone working with you. The way to feed and grow the spirit, to keep it alive is to synchronize it with the “zeitgeist” and innovations. Awareness of your fundamental competencies and knowing what you are really good at should always remain, but with no fear of change and improvement of it in line with the zeitgeist and requirements of the time.

One does not need to be a clairvoyant to see that the future belongs not to the followers but to the pioneers. Therefore, one last thing I would like to emphasize is the “need to achieve something that has not been done before – to develop a brand-new product or business model.” There is one thing that I cannot underline enough: Should we create revolutionary innovations or evolutionary ones? Innovation is built by people – you, me, an engineering or international relations undergraduate, a conscious farmer who wants to use his land more efficiently, etc. If you are doing something that has not been done before, it means you are at the doorstep of a “revolution”. Countless people who want to have access to your product, service, solution or idea will be waiting at that door to carry you to the future. And remember that an enterprise, brand or company that has built trust, created its own spirit and fulfilled the requirements of its time will still have a “long, long way” to go. We should never forget that the same applies to our country, not only to companies or brands. Therefore, let’s all continue to work for long-term success, without ever losing faith in our country. (http://www.gelis.org/diary/ulkemize-guvenmek)

As Siemens, next year we will celebrate our 160^{th anniversary in Turkey. Such a long history for a company is rare not only on these lands, but also in the world. How does a company reach its 160th year? In other words, how does it manage to serve through generations?}

The first answer to this question is trust. Trust and sustainability are actually the basis of success. As you know, the real value of the word “brand” derives from the “promise” it makes. We have always managed to keep the promises of our brand and never failed our customers.

There are other factors as well: Always offering the latest technology and serving with high motivation. These are the most important factors that kept Siemens in Turkey for almost two centuries – from 1856 to today.

And another remarkable factor is “adaptability”. Many things have changed in Turkey in the last 160 years. The regime changed from Empire to the Republic. Generations have changed, names have changed. Our administrative structures have changed. But as Siemens, we were able to adapt to every situation and provide the appropriate services required for the day. This is directly related to being both a global and local company.

Today, there is a wonderful phrase I have been told about our company: “Yes, we know Siemens: It is a Turkish company with German origins.” I am very pleased about this. And we will work hard to make all the factors that create this perception more sustainable. We trust our country.

For further reading: www.gelis.org/ulkemize-guvenmek

There is an increasing tendency that people like to share information – or issues – just to be sure that no one can say they did not know about it. I am sure you witness this at work or with friends. It is easy isn’t it? You just put all relevant people under cc in your email (or bcc, to make it even more effective). It ensures that your manager, colleague or potential stakeholder (related to the topic or not) cannot say “I did not know about it”. And you as a sender can always say “remember I informed you about these issues”.

I call this “The act of blame avoidance”. I believe it is time to remember that we judge good communicators not on the amount of information they share or wildly distribute. We rate them based on their talent, responsibility and capability to write and distribute well thought information effectively to the right person at the right time.

While thinking about the celebration of the 167th year of our company on October 1, 2014, I considered the most fundamental factors that bring success to a company within the framework of the hot topic of “sustainability”. Yes, a company can fail to catch the future despite its remarkable successes today or it may go bankrupt today despite its bright and high-potential future plans. The secret to the art of entrepreneurship is the balance between the present and the future. The survival of a company must be ensured while performing successful operations today. This is surely not easy at all. It is not within everyone’s means to be able to always play this game in the highest league. The history of many successful companies clearly reveals this fact. Guaranteeing the future is always associated with financial and moral investments. These include investments in new technologies and products, new regional markets and sales channels, as well as investments in securing the customer portfolio, trust, new generations, people, and the environment. The most important factor behind all these investments is the responsibility of the company towards its customers, employees, society, and the environment.
There is no exact solution to guarantee the future of a company in an uncertain future. Strategic planning always includes a rational and an emotional element. The right path is understood later on. However, the costs for good or bad decisions are paid faster today, compared to a few years ago. At strategic decision stages, it is the entrepreneur’s call. He takes decisions deliberately by taking risks, and at the same time by assuming the responsibility of not risking everything. The most important conditions for continuous success are multidimensional thinking, seeing the big picture, and getting good grades. In this context, particularly the interests of all stakeholders should be considered (shareholders, customers, employees, and the environment).
For me, continuous success* is based on five factors:
• Flexibility
• Belief
• Consistency
• Striving
• Reliability

Last week, I met with a group of young students interested in some cultural differences I have observed in Turkey. The first thing that came to my mind during the meeting was the tolerance level of the people in our country when they need something to be done. In our community, generally, the more personal a topic is, the more “urgent” it is. As we are a society that is fond of getting quick results, this situation may be considered to be “favorable”, but this approach also has a risk of “not spending time for details and not paying close attention to them”.

A quick solution and shortcuts may be more attractive, but on the other hand, extemporary actions can compromise the quality of our daily lives. In addition, it brings along a situation that damages our sense of personal justice. The fact that people who prefer “shortcuts” and hinder us in our daily lives naturally make us nervous and our adrenaline levels increase dramatically. Experts say that, from a medical point of view, this situation blocks the “prefrontal cortex” (forebrain) area of our brain, and this has some consequences. For example, we think more slowly and as a result we may exhibit emotional responses and reflexes. I wonder, does this sound familiar to you in your personal experience?

The ways of doing business are constantly evolving in a rapidly changing world, in which we are frequently obliged to move at an increasing pace. Nevertheless, one thing remains constant: the need to always act in accordance with the Code of Ethics<; therefore, what must be done to ensure that our business practices comply with these ethical principles?

• Do not turn a blind eye to the problem: We may always try to act in a proper manner; however, we should remember that this may not always be possible, and mistakes can occur. What we should do in such cases is not to turn a blind eye to the problems. If we want to solve a problem before it deepens and spreads; we must first “see” the problem.
• Protect your values and do not compromise on transparency: Our values make us unique and differentiate ourselves from others. It is true that we live in a dynamic world and are sometimes obliged to respond quickly to maintain our competitiveness. Nonetheless, when we do business, we must first reconcile our priorities with our value index. Transparency is a must in the business world. Furthermore, we should remember that, in today’s communication-oriented world, it is possible for anyone to access and share any type of information easily.
• Draw a line between freedom and “egocentric freedom”: Freedom is indispensable for each of us and economic freedom is one of the most fundamental elements of freedom. However, focusing on individual interests will not bring success to an institution because freedom is also a benchmark in our relation with others. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that absolutely everybody complies unequivocally with the stipulated corporate Code of Ethics.