A Leo

I am a Leo. Unlike some I know, who are deeply into this astrology thing, I had never known the characteristics of my sign. However when got into details, I have realized how much I carry out these. I was born in Ankara on 11 August 1954. Unfortunately I did not have a chance to know my father who was one of the agricultural engineers Ataturk sent abroad…. He died of a heart attack when I was only 3,5 years old.

I have a clear recollection of that day, but can’t remember anything else related to my father. Years later, I learnt out that he had signed under many significant projects for agriculture in Turkey (setting up nursery gardens for example)

During my 50s I have met my father again! Right in between some Ataturk portraits hanging on walls across Dolmabahce, Istanbul; my father was in a photograph together with the great Leader Ataturk in Ataturk Forestry Farm. This was a pleasant meeting for me. Every morning while I was leaving out from my home office in Kabatas, I found myself waving at or talking to him.

But one day, Besiktas Municipality took down all these portraits to illuminate. They were back on the walls shortly. Even though all were hung exactly in the same order, my father’s wasn’t up there anymore. We searched and searched. But we weren’t able to locate where it was. I was fatherless again.

When my father passed away my mother Fahrünnisa Kadibesegil (www.olusumdostlari.com) was around in her 30s. She had raised me and my brother (12 years older than me) all by herself. From the only thing left from my father was his retirement wage. She was able to pay for our education and mortgage of our house recently bought in Ankara, Kucukesat.

As my mother wished, I got my education in private schools – all the way to high school – but it was always a boarding school as well. Especially my involuntary times in Bursa Private School for 7 years left a negative impact on me.

Inadequate Education in Good Schools

One can’t argue that I had fine education. However, if one claims that who hasn’t read any world or Turkish classical literature, not planned life’s philosophical and sociological framework by the time he/she graduated from university had an inadequate education, then you could easily say that, that was me. I wouldn’t be bragging, if I said my 4 years in university was nothing but just waste of time. I studied in a higher education facility where my degree was Journalism and Public Relations and during those 4 years, I never had one class, one book or one lecture on Public Relations.

University’s physical circumstances, except my freshman year, were far away from providing a quality education infrastructure. Ege University’s emptied out “corpse” classrooms were found suitable for us.

My first job was making sandwiches at the Pharmacy Faculty canteen. I was going to school during days and working at night. After my freshman year I worked at V Camp in Cesme as a “beach cleaner” whole summer and vacationed there as well. This case, “earning money”, was new to me. Therefore, how I spent my first wage was always been memorable to me. I was the kind who would cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth.

Baby steps toward Journalism

 

During my third year in university I started working at a newspaper with the initiatives of my brother who was a journalist at that time. It was most probably one of the jewels of my education which practically filled up the holes I felt. Demokrat Izmir, one of city’s local newspapers had become a school for me as it was for many other journalists, too. Police-Courthouse journalism, even though wasn’t a joy for me, had added many values during my baby step years such as managing on my people skills while chasing time and working on short deadlines into getting the right information and then marketing this news piece to Chief editor. Next year, I started to work at a national newspaper called Gunaydın as assistant editor. Page Secretariat in its Aegean Region office. This job allowed me to observe the back stage of journalism. What happens after a journalist is done with a story? What staged that does story needs to go through before it finds its place on newspaper pages? I had to take responsibility on all these stages. Even after 25 years, I found myself benefiting from those experiences in my consultancy work.

Witnessing boycotts, invasions and heavy terror incidents throughout 70s, my university days were over finally with me graduating in 1977. We were the generation stuck in between 1968 era and September 12 military intervention. It was a time where people were blacklisted according to newspapers they read or places they went. We were the children whom felt suspicious eyes on constantly out on the street or on the bus. Streets, neighborhoods being banned were nothing but a part of a regular day. All these circumstances combined with such educational quality naturally, extinguished all personal development opportunities.

Univertsity diploma with no career plans!!

We graduated, but there was something missing. We didn’t plan anything during those 4 years. What were we going to be? Would you call a future planned to work in a local newspaper with a minimum wage and try to create a living for yourself in Turkey’s largest third city, where it was being treated as a suburb and maybe draw a career path for yourself in some other newspaper?

Maybe the solution was to work in the only TV station there was during those black and white years, at least seeing a possibility there might be future in this for me and learn something out of this experience. But how? There were no other TV stations other than Turkey’ public channel offering any of these opportunities. In addition, its opportunity window was tight enough for young adults such as me to get in. How about opportunities abroad? Countries such as Italy or England may be the solution for my path. But my family wasn’t in any shape to afford such dream. For international MBA or Doctorate scholarship opportunities the “names and addresses” were way over determined in advance.

These were the circumstances and desperation, frustration, your dreams fresh out of university shattering, may leave you face to face with real life surprises. Whereas we realized many years later that this plan had to be made way before and besides our university education we needed something else to reach out to these goals.

During those days, military service requirement for men had a wait least of at least 3 years. This was also another issue and limited our area of movement. It wasn’t an option to at least get over with this military service duty.

A telegraph to telephone resulting in a changing life curve!

Years following my graduation something very important happened. CHP’s (a political party) President Bulent Ecevit formed a new cabinet in 1978. He joined a congressman from Izmir to his cabinet, Alev Coskun. Due to my formerly relation, not being more than a source and a journalist contact, I sent a telegraph by phone to congratulate him. Next day, my colleagues in the newspaper told me that I was phoned by Ministry of Tourism. Tourism Minister Alev Coskun was on the other line of the phone. He received my telegraph and was thanking me. At the end of our conversation he asked me if I could be in Ankara the very next day. I thought there might me an important story behind it and replied positively.

But there was a problem. The newspaper I worked with wasn’t giving me any allowances for a story where I didn’t know what the outcome was going to be like. I didn’t have any money to afford a round trip to Ankara. My family was living in Ankara back then and I thought I might ask for their support for this trip. I borrowed some money from a friend of mine and hopped on a bus to Ankara that night. Next morning I was at the office of Alev Coskun, accompanied by my brother who was reporting from the parliament during those days. While I was excitingly waiting with my little note pad and pen for my big story, Mr. Coskun said “come and be my press relations consultant”.

I was shocked. I was in my early 20s, had no experience in government and someone was offering me a very challenging job with a wide range of responsibilities yet a very exciting task for me. When my brother explained him that I was recently graduated and looking ways to get an education on mass communication channels abroad, Alev Coskun said “Work form me for a while as my press consultant, I’ll send you abroad for your education. Ecevit, too sent me abroad for my education, years before just like this”.

And couples of days later I was moved to Ankara, settled in my office in Tourism Municipality and handing out business cards to media members as the Press  Relations Consultant.

Is this a dream? I am going to America!

Meanwhile, before the year ended in December 1978, I was promoted to Washington as the Deputy Press Attaché. So I packed up to leave Washington to work for the job I was promoted for and to get the education I dreamt.

From this story I learnt out these lessons for my career; we can take control of where the wind will chase us. To set goals in our life that we believe we can own and get a grip on to initiatives we believe that can take us there… Rest, is to be at the right place, at the right time!

1978 was also another turning point in my life. I got married. I got engaged to Aysen, during university days when we were staying at the same dormitory. I was 23 and she was only 22. But that was okay. We both were extremely excited by the idea to be living in America.

I stayed in Washington for 2,5 years. The years between starting from January 1979 to ending in June 1981, certainly recreated many bridges between me and my life. Those years fully passed by, my job on one side and my quest on my career on the other. Those were Turkey’s most economical rough years. Wages barely covered rent and some necessary items. Fx transfers were hardly being made and I was receiving my wage sometimes 2 months delayed. Even under these circumstances, the graduate programme I found at the American University allowed me to attend night lessons. In this time, where I met with the true identity of Public relations, me and my wife both new that my term of office in America won’t be lasting until the end of this programme, but still we decided to spare a high percentage of our money for this.

September 12th rough winds, eventually reached out to us, too. Militarist government was asking everybody who had assigned before their time to come back to the country, even if there was still time for their term of office. Jackpot hit me 1,5 before my term of office, in June 1981. And I returned back to Ankara. I completed my short term military service and first thing I did was to quit my job feeling it wasn’t suiting my character.

Izmir, All Over Again

I was unemployed, but returned back from America with full hope, I wanted to right jump into Public Relations profession which was fairly new for Turkey. But I had no chance to make it happen in Ankara. So applied for this small job ad in the newspaper. Aegean Region Chamber of Industry was looking for a Public Affairs Manager.. After my interview with the Chairman of the Board at that time Ersin Faralyalı, we packed and moved to Izmir and I right away started.

Until the September of 2004, I could say that my most efficient, dynamic, productive years of my career were the time, I was working for Aegean Region Chamber of Industry. With the great support of Ersin Faralyalı, it was years when anything in the name of PR was happening.

In addition, was carrying out this experience to private sector with the invitation of Sevki Figen, CEO of Turyag during those years. Turyag was one of the leading corporations initiated what needs to be done for PR to materialize in Turkey. The department was founded in 1970.

My First Career Plan

I now do strategic communication and corporate reputation management consultancy. Not consciously, but always thinking a career path ahead, renewing myself constantly, not wanting to fall behind on world issues but at least to be on the same level, always trying to bring out the curiosity in me to bring out knowledge and talent combined with a disciplinary study style has helped me on pretentiously may sound job called “strategic communication and corporate reputation management consultancy”.

Journalism and press relations consultancy at the Tourism Ministry followed by a task in Washington at diplomatic service may sound fulfilling cases. However there were 2 additional things added a value to my career . One, knowing a culture that you could only dream or see in movies like America and the other was to spend 2,5 year in a country where public relations had been established and well spread applied where as coming from a country this profession not even heard of.

2,5 year in Washington during my 20s, was really a major capital for me. Additionally, my experience in the American University in Communication graduate programme (my term of office didn’t allow me to complete) compared to my university years were a key for me to have a consistent career planning . Yes, I needed to move ahead in PR.

I was very much impressed by newly established Aegean Region Chamber of Industry’s Chairman of the Board late Ersin Faralyalı. For his high qualities and exemplary leadership and also his sincere belief for the career path I had chosen, had helped me to rapidly move.

In 1982, I had my first career plan. I wanted to become among top 10 people in Turkey in PR as a keynote speaker/panelist/writer/lecturer in the next decade.

Fulfilling the Vision.

I made a plan on how to fulfill this vision. First, I needed work on exemplary projects for everybody at my workplace, at my job. We lived through the years’ altogether when Aegean Region Chamber of Industry had become the most effective, reputable and seen as an opinion leader not only in the region but also among all chambers in the country.

Back in America, I had compiled enough knowledge to publish a book. I needed to write a book. For students, young adults who would like to pursue this career and professionals had to have a reference book. In 1985, I published “Fundamentals for PR”.

I needed to become an active member in leading associations of my profession. In 1985, I became the Founder President of Izmir PR Association and as an active member for 3 terms with the help of my colleagues in Izmir, we were able to create awareness of this profession.

I was paying attention to publish articles in newspapers or magazines at least a month, when opportunities arise I was giving keynote speeches or guest lecturing at Ege University in Izmir and Anadolu University in Eskisehir.

In my sincere belief in that PR won’t be enough on its own and it’s necessary to back up with marketing management, during my last two years in Turyag, I worked at brand management department. I had the chance to work directly with Turyag’s CEO Sevki Figen, who had this great vision.

In 1983, our daughter Piril was born. I dedicated my book “Fundamental for PR” to her. “To my Piril for her bright future….”

Remains of My Career

In 1990, I founded the second PR firm in Izmir, Orsa.

Finally when we were in year 1992, after a decade passed over my career plan, I was in Istanbul, invited as a panelist as a national speaker and had my place among my profession’ opinion leaders at the same panel.

When looking back that past decade, some lessons I learnt were;

• You must have a personal vision and have to fresh up your belief towards this goal daily.
• We shouldn’t just wait around for instances to happen to fill out this vision, we have to create our own circumstances .
• For sure we have to work with high quality leaders. Alev Coskun, Ersin Faralyalı and Sevki Figen were my greatest luck. (Later on, Dr. Ersin Arıoğlu was included in these names as my role model)
• We have to manage time consistently, realistically and well. A decade may sound a long time but if you take a look into your life as a whole, it is actually short.

After 1992, for each 5 years ahead, I replicated this future plan and reached to 95% of my targets.

Years with ORSA

It was founded in March 1990, in Izmir.
Everybody believes in that their firm is the best and most perfect. So we did. We were a bunch of dreamers with high ideals in a small but cute office right next to an alley near to Great Ephesus Hotel now called Swiss hotel. From day one, we were very excited. Aegean Region Free Zone, Kobayashi Golf Inc. and Aegean Young Businessman Association along with Philsa, Philp Morris Inc.,were among our first client list.

Back then, most probably the best thing we did, was to create a company constitution; as a result of even though our clients were perfectly satisfied from the service they had received from us, we were questioning our quality and wanting to improve it. In other words, in the way of perfectionism as a PR agency what we were supposed to do and how we were going to deliver it? How we were going to manage customer relations, what would be agency’s corporate identity, according to which values we were to act on, how we were noting down meeting minutes, what would be our principles against our suppliers, on which principles and criteria we were going to conduct performance management, how we were going to manage our financials? Not just in Izmir, but in Turkey, who we wanted to see in our client list? Included answers to all these questions one by one, our constitution from the year 1992 it was created, had renewed each year-end meeting regularly until the year of 2001.

As a part of this plan, we had to expand to Istanbul. But how we were going to achieve where we had no contact what so ever with no adequate capital to support it as well?

In 1993, we were offering our services to a brand named Bianchi. Managed by a very visionary entrepreneur Ataman Bükey, created an opportunity for Orsa. Bianchi’s ad agency owners’ İzmir Tolga, Murat Bebiroğlu and Engin Özden offered a partnership proposal to Orsa and allowed us to use their premises at Teşvikiye, Güneş Apartment. It was a brief partnership. We were affected by the 1994 economic turmoil. Our partnership was terminated, but Orsa continued its journey by itself.

In the year of 2001, Orsa was among top 3 PR agencies in Turkey. Istanbul headquarters, İzmir and Ankara offices in total, employed 37 people.

ORSA was a lab…

In 11 years with my colleagues at the office, we had experienced many innovations in the name of improving PR and company management.

In brief what were those innovations at Orsa:

In 2001 crises, a need for re-evaluation raised. PR industry was among top industries being affect by this unforeseeable and one of our history’s most severe crises. We either had to sacrifice for an unforeseeable future and keep on with our daily work or with the approval with each and every client move on to next level. With common sense we chose the second way. Without aggrieving any employees and through a soft transition, we terminated all partnerships and set sail into a new vision. With this strategic decision of the company, Orsa withdrew from operational tasks and focused on consultancy.

There was another issue affecting this decision. In 2001, PRCI asked Gfk to conduct a research. Research results when analyzed projected that clients on knowledge base were head of PR industry and in time industry was moving into a direction where they will only be serviced for operational tasks. These results projecting that industry will be competing not on its knowledge and experience but solely on price. On the other hand same data showed that in near future clients will lean more on topics such as corporate reputation, internal communications and social responsibility and will allocate its resources onto these fields. Thus, for the consultancy business a special field was being formed.

Why books were written?

These were never been books written on the intention of commercial interest. My firm belief on information could only multiply within the act of sharing, resulted these books to be born. When taking in consideration the preparation time before writing these books, creates a great opportunity window for us to renew ourselves. Because of my books, I always found myself in renewal. It would be wrong to assume throughout my career journey only books helped me as a tool of self-renewal. Presentations I had done, articles I had written, career coaching with my young friends, they each became a tool for self-renewal.. When all these combined, one feels like a renewal machine.

Milestones in my life

In brief, milestones in my life were;

What sort of future lies on my agenda?

In the future, I would like to combine the values I carry and adapted in my daily life with my professional knowledge and experiences and design to apply these to become an active member for the civil society.

I believe 21st century will become the age of civil society.. In every aspect of life we will hear the voice of civil society and observe how its sanction power will be increased. That’s why, for my own future plans, I am trying to build up an aligned plan.

Unfortunately our world doesn’t seem to be heading into the right direction. Rapidly growing population, against the effect of climate change and natural disasters caused by it, extinct clean water supplies, starvation, poverty, terror, wars and many more to come doesn’t project a bright future for us. But I am a positive person. An optimist.. I am one of those who’d think only if we face with optimism, we can solve these issues. Maybe that’s the underlying reasons why I want to become an active member in civil society.

I take in great consideration for young people

I take in great consideration for young people. Because I learn a lot from them. Life’s dynamics, values, their perception of life, etc. These always excite me. As an example all my books’ real architect is my daughter Piril. Her vision, Gen Y perception, definition of expectations formed all these books (at least three of them). She is only in her 20s. But my learning process with her still continues. At Bahcesehir University each year, I teach during second academic half. We try to keep in touch with my students. Even after graduation, our lessons continue.

For all young friends who apply for a job with me and regrettably not being able to employ any one since I work alone now, I do career coaching. I see this as an important task among my individual responsibilities. This could add up to 120 interviews. My lessons continue throughout these sessions as well.

Unfortunately my young friends miss out the understanding of life as a whole and the definition of life quality. This always has been the sad part for me. Both their university years and years coming after, they just act on circulating agendas around them. They are seeing graduation as the most important step in their lives. However, this is not the reality of life. We all study and work to form a life for ourselves. My young friends don’t see the necessity to manage 3 key issues which are constantly in relationship with each other and needs to be taken at the right doze. Our career, personal life and social life… If we can create a steady balance among these 3 key issues, here comes the quality of life!

Second issue I regret is, they are not curious enough. They have a habit of settling for any information they have in hand. It feels hard for them to enrich information with their own efforts. They feel useless to spend time on such thing. Whereas, maybe that little piece of information may lead to highest jump in their career.

Third issue is, in only under one “condition” they live up to entrepreneurship spirit. Yet, best years to take risk are when you are in university or couple more years right after it. When you get older, your chance to take risk falls down.

Urla and Alacati

My friends admire my lifestyle. Settled in Alacati /İzmir and only spending my time in Istanbul on certain days.

However, there is a story behind this life. In the early days of 1990, my daughter Piril was in elementary school. When the subject was brought up into our agendas of opening up an office in Istanbul, my wife and I made a decision. We weren’t going to change anything Piril was used to. I was to travel back and forth. Since then I always lived in Istanbul “commended”.. Back then we were living in Bostanli, Izmir.

When I was making plans about the company in early 1990s, plan/dreaming stage also started for myself too. Couple of years later I made a habit to write down these. Living in a country house became number one on my list. Each year, I wrote my expectation for such a dream on top of my list. In 2000, a consultancy worked required from us for a real estate project in Urla, Izmir. This process started as a business relationship resulted with the help of this company as well in 2001 us settling down at one of these houses. After 8 years in this nature friendly house my wife and I decided to end this tranquility. Alacati became a very much inviting town offering much perfectionism for us. So in 2009, we moved to Alacati.

Yes, I was happy with where I was, but I still have a lot to do. I have so much planned to produce. I have many more areas I feel I need to improve myself at. So my comfort zone, physically, does not stand in the way of my busy to do list.