Build strong working relationships
Goals provide direction and focus to a company looking to achieve challenging milestones such as the one Turkish Airlines faced. But without strong relationships, it can become hard to keep a team pushing ahead. Yuceler works with six managers, and it’s very important that she and her team have the ability to effectively function together.
“I work very closely with my managers who are responsible for each of their departments,” Yuceler says. “I know that they are constantly doing as much as me, giving their best to our employees and helping us to do the best in everything.”
Yuceler holds meetings in which employees have an opportunity to share feedback and offer their perspective on what they are seeing in the company.
“We’ll discuss important issues,” Yuceler says. “We talk about our important clients and how we have to handle them and how we have to apply corporate rules and regulations. We discuss these things with employees at all levels so that everybody understands what needs to be done.”
It can be tough for a leader to find the right balance between being the leader and being someone that people enjoy working with.
“There should be some professional distance,” Yuceler says. “But you should show them that you like them, that you are confident in them and that you trust them. Show them that you trust their judgment so that they feel more confident and can get better at what they do.”
For the leader who has a tough time with culture and relationships, you need to maintain your presence as the leader so that you can keep working toward your important goals.
“There are times after work where you’ll have opportunities to socialize with your people,” she says. “You can get together, but they cannot be like your best buddy. This is something I learned with experience. Sometimes, people might get confused in switching from friendship back to a working relationship. That’s why there should always be distance between the manager and the employee.”
Show love to your team
One of the biggest supporters of Turkish Airlines’ effort to grow awareness in the U.S. has been basketball superstar Kobe Bryant. Thanks to his accomplishments with the LA Lakers as a five-time champion, Bryant is known around the world, particularly in Asia.
“We thought he would be a perfect fit for us,” Yuceler says. “I was the one in communication with his team in the beginning, so we made all the negotiations with his manager and his team. He was very nice and very humble.”
The partnership created an opportunity for Yuceler and some of her team to meet Bryant during a flight from LA to Istanbul to shoot a commercial.
“He was like part of our team,” Yuceler says. “He wanted to have his picture taken with our crew members and our staff at the airport and the captain and the stewardesses. He had a picture with us that he posted to his Facebook page and he said, ‘I’m going to Istanbul to shoot our commercial with Turkish Airlines.’ So it was obvious he saw himself as part of our team and our brand. It was nice to see that.”
The fact that Bryant was so engaging with the team at Turkish Airlines was a great opportunity for Yuceler to reward her employees for their hard work.
“They were very happy and proud to be part of this partnership,” she says. “It’s important for everybody to feel like they are part of what you’re doing and part of your company’s overall brand. Bryant helped us a lot in LA because he’s well-known, and everybody loves him.
“The commercials and sponsorship really helped us to announce our name in the market. Some people even started calling us Kobe Airlines.”
