Clichés may sometimes seem too “cliché” and not saying anything, but in fact they come from long times ago, often through challenging experiences.

We are in a period when we really “need unity and solidarity” the most, we have to act together, and as I have previously stated in other occasions, we need to trust our country the most.

For a country like Turkey that has both a deep-rooted history and a great potential, there is no way other than democracy. This is the reason why we should all the way protect the basic democratic values and rights. Our country has survived tough times before and will continue to remain a member of the modern world, taking firm steps towards development. I have no doubt about it.

Keeping our hopes and spirits high is our duty not only to ourselves and to our country, but also to our children who are our future. Whatever we are in charge of, each one of us must continue to do it in the best possible way. How you survive the toughest times is the best indicator of your strength.

There is not a slightest change in our trust in Turkey as we know that it has successfully managed to overcome many serious crises and similar situations before. We have expressed this after other recent sad events as well. (“We believe in Turkey, we are with you”). As Siemens, the reason for being able to celebrate our 160 years in Turkey is the fact that our trust has never lapsed.

I want to emphasize once again that in order to head straight together towards a brighter future in a democratic country, whatever we are in charge of, we must continue to do it in the best wy possible.

With my best wishes for our country and all of us.

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

I was in Germany recently. I was invited as a speaker to a meeting where the leaders of the largest SMEs all over the world would gather. They asked me questions about Turkey and the current situation. I told them about Turkey. Since the theme of the meeting did not cover political content, I tried to answer questions in an economic sense. I must say that Turkey is a great focus of attention. At this meeting, I witnessed it once more.

While assessing the situation in Turkey, rather than telling about the difficult times or existing problems, I wanted to put my thoughts on paper in a forward-looking, future-oriented manner. Actually, as a business person, I think that we should assess our country in this context and globalize out of this perspective. Of course, I am not saying we have no problems; we have challenges and problems, but we must focus on solving them. We owe a lot to Turkey and the future of Turkey and we have a responsibility. I think we should reflect our trust in our country to the outside world.

Life is a continuous exercise of problem solving

It would not be wrong to describe our present time as a “difficult period” for our country. In the short term, we may face some economic problems, but this does not change the fact that Turkey’s future in the medium-long term is bright.

Considering the future of countries in the medium and long term is a much more accurate approach. Turkey is a strong country. We have a young population that is open to innovative thinking and has a relatively high level of education. Our average age is 29. Again, we have a robust financial system built upon the lessons learned from a crisis. And the growth or potential of a country cannot be measured by its performance in one year only. Fluctuations may occur from time to time, not only in Turkey, but anywhere in the world. The important thing is to confront the problems and overcome them without ever being pessimistic about our future, and without forgetting “what we actually are and what we are capable of” or “who we are” as the old saying goes.

I am sure much was written on the topics of good communication and customer relationship.  Our ways of communication is saturated with quick interactions, even the conception of speech, as something capable of aesthetic value, is changing and it is coming to be thought that the sole purpose of words is to convey practical information between two parties only; but they are not!  We have to make sure that words we use to communicate and interact are honest and have the key aspects of a good and fair relationship based on Believe, Trust and Empathy. The same applies to a good customer relationship, besides meeting the technological and economical expectations, the 3 key elements of a good customer relationship are based on the following:

1. Empathy:The ability to show you care about the interest and concerns of the customer and you are open for feedback. You look beyond just selling your services.
2. Trust:To win the trust of a customer and to work hard not to jeopardize this trust; with the goal to become, in the long-term, the trusted partner.
3. Believe:To believe in what you do and in your self will give you the drive to think out of the box to reach your target.  When you do not believe, the customer will neither.

When you base your customer relationship on this 3 elements I am sure it will help you to reach a valuable long lasting relationship with your customer.