Leadership Talks 2 — Figen YÜCEL
I am happy to introduce you to Ms. Figen YÜCEL, a very succesful, well respected businesswoman, and a great leader.
Ms. Yücel is the general manager and one of the shareholders of Metan Teknik Mümessillik ve Ticaret A.Ş., where she has first started as a sales specialist.
Along with many essential characteristics, her sincere communication skills are what makes her leadership perfect. She has always reflected her loving and caring true self to her work life. Having had the chance to work with her as a consultant, I have witnessed many times how supportive and collaborative she is for a job that needs to be done, or how good she is with the customers, partners, and the global companies’ that the company represents. Above all, the fact that she cares for each employee as a human being, and the happy workplace she has created make her a well-respected leader.
Her business success and the happy, satisfying work environment are the proofs that you don’t need to be a male or a tough person to be a good leader.
Thank you Figen YÜCEL for this interview, it will be a precious guide especially for young and future professionals. As your childhood friend I am very proud of you.
· How do you describe leadership?
A simple definition of leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to take action to achieve a common goal.
· Is leadership really different than management? How? And why?
Leadership and management are two concepts that are often confused with each other. When viewed from the outside, manager or leader can be seen as equivalent concepts. However, there are actually some fundamental differences. A manager may not know how the business runs as much as an expert. However, a true leader has all the dynamics of the company. A good manager is responsible for doing things right and executing them correctly. The leader does the right things himself, while the manager is responsible for getting things done right. Leaders establish company programs and goals, while managers focus on the complete coordination progress. While managers can be status oriented, leaders don’t have status concerns.
· What key characteristics should a leader have? What leadership values and approaches are indispensable?
- Responsibility
- Communication skills
- Ambitious to succeed
- Self-confidence
- Open mind
- Fairness
- Vision
- Managing the crisis
The above characteristics should be in all leaders, but there are some indispensable values also… A leader will never give orders as true leaders are both respectful and respected, and they have the coordinating ability in line with their goals and objectives.
· Which one is more effective for a successful business management, dictating leadership or empathetic leadership?
Of course, empathetic leadership. Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s experience, perspective and feelings. It’s commonly described as the ability to put yourself in another person’s shoes. But make sure you are assessing how they would feel in their shoes, not how you would feel in their shoes. This is the tricky part. It is very important not to confuse empathy with making people happy or being nice. Essentially empathy is a neutral data gathering tool that enables you to understand the human environment within which you are operating in business and therefore make better predictions, craft better tactics, inspire loyalty and communicate clearly.
· How important is mental health in a workplace? How important is a fulfilling and peaceful work environment for the success of business?
Mental health is the most important thing in workplace. Success is inevitable in a workplace where happy people work. People working in companies where they feel they are important, where they are motivated by their leaders by listening to their ideas, where they decorate their desks as they wish, and where they have spaces they can chat with other colleagues in coffee breaks become more efficient, more loyal and more creative.
· How should a leader’s approach should be about mental health at work?
- Involving employees in decision-making
- Programmes for career development of employees
- Recognizing and rewarding the contribution of employees.
- Listening to their needs
· How is the business world’s adaptation to the Covid-19 era?
The COVID-19 crisis is a process that has emotional implications for many people and affects their daily lives. Companies cannot ignore this. In order to manage this process, companies must first take measures at the highest level to protect the health of their employees. At the same time, they should implement certain practices to protect their emotional health. For example, they should focus on learning the best practices and support mechanisms they can offer their employees. However, in the process, it is important for company leaders to embrace this issue and to be in close communication with employees.
· What type of changes in business management and by means of leadership should be expected even after this pandemic is over?
The below topics become more important for the companies to manage the pandemic process with the least damage:
Strengthen liquidity management: Companies should prepare scenarios that reveal their income and expense risks by analyzing their industry and market dynamics.
Keep the supply chain in balance: Companies must identify existing or potential product supply disruptions along the entire supply chain and take an inventory. For example, companies in cooperation with facilities where production has stopped in China should plan the period until these facilities start working again. In this direction, it is necessary to support suppliers, to make plans against the inability to supply products, to make pre-orders to manage the density to be experienced with the start of production and to organize transportation systems.
Stay close to your customers: Companies that successfully survive disruptive processes are institutions that invest in their customers and anticipate their behavior.
