Page 7 - GOVERNOR'S LETTER JULY .cdr

Agenda of the Month: LEADERSHIP

LEADERSHIP AS ATATÜRK

The month of July is identified as the “New Leadership Month” for Rotary. This is because Rotary's new term starts
with those Rotarians as leaders to serve for hearts and for volunteers. They will be leading their clubs and
undersign great projects throughout the year. This is a relay race and will be run for the new term. Well, what is
leadership? Can it be learned? Who is a model as a leader? Let us try to consider these issues here at length.

Leader; these are creative individuals who guides, lightens, teaches, aims for future, feels the desires and needs
timely of those he/she works with. We can define those characters as leaders for communities, institutions and
NGOs, as they prove to be well ahead when compared with the previous terms. The concept for leadership is
generally confused with manager. The main difference is; while the “Leader” is the mastermind, creator, planner,
starter and accelerator of great plans, the “Manager” is assigned to implement these plans.

Leadership is the talent to trigger people towards reaching a common target. The Leader is the one who transfers
this existing power and motivation of his/her own to others. The Leader is the source and manager of inspiration.

Eleanor Roosevelt had expressed this as “A good leader inspires others to trust the leader. A great leader inspires
others to trust themselves.”

Very well, then according to these definitions, is one born as a leader or does one become a leader? The answer is:
Yes, one is born as a leader to drag big masses. Yet, if we are excessively open to learning, changing and
challenges, then leadership can be learned. So long as you want it. No success is possible when not wanted.

An effective leadership requires a number of scientific skills such as correct and quick analysis of the needs of
people that one has interaction with, taking relevant decisions and creating solutions for cases where and when it
looks impossible.

When asked to list the leaders that first comes to your mind, you would no doubt name ATATÜRK as the first. Atatürk
has made us feel and live all the definitions discussed above, still keeping its place as the first even after a century
following his demise. First of all, Atatürk knew his nation very well to be their leader. He was a close observer of the
community and as a member of this community, he knew how they felt and what they wanted.

Therefore, benefitting from the opportunity to pay back our motherland, a relic for us all, we work together as
Rotarians, endeavoring to serve.

We Rotarians, with each of us successful in their areas of work and having adopted the understanding of “service
before self”, touched many lives, are touching and will continue to touch throughout our lifetimes.

We need to take risks for success in our business lives, to make sacrifices, stand strongly behind our decisions,
organize our friends to work together with a motivating communication. as effective leaders, we need to cooperate
with these friends while walking towards our target that we believe in, and move on with the belief that our deeds are
correct and will lead us to success.

I would like to extend my best wishes for the new term in which our fellows will be leaders for magics while leading
the highest possible number of projects and benefitting from the belief that we will be providing valuable services for
the community.

Ece Özen AKAN
Ankara Emek Rotary Club

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