LEAD Turkey chapter
February 8th, 2018

Speaker: Kına Demirel, Migros Brand Communications and CRM Director

Demirel talked about creating a personal brand and shared her personal journey into a successful career and life.

She gave out a recipe with four key ingredients into creating one’s personal brand: Dream, create network, avoid mediocracy and dare to make mistakes.

As once Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said, everyone can reach their dreams, if only they insist on them, Demirel never stopped pursuing her dreams and added that she best dreams while dancing. She mentioned that it is crucial that parents let their children dream and feed their curiosity as it is key to keep dreaming. Demirel’s formula to dreaming is: Read 7 books, meet 6 new people, visit 5 new shopping malls, go to 4 events, dine at 3 new restaurants, travel to 2 new destinations, get one 1 new hobby every year.

Demirel underlined that let it be the companies or people, they can only be successful if only they work within networks. While the big debate continues as to which will be the winner; big data or creativity, she said that networks will definitely be key to success.

She suggested investing into your spirit, mind and well being is necessary in avoiding mediocracy. As there are many ways to invest in yourself, Demirel’s favourites are taking online training courses, lunching with someone new from the sector every month, blogging and going after her passion of photography hobby.

Lastly, she mentioned the importance of daring to make mistakes. Upon her grandmother’s advice, she gives herself the freedom of making one mistake every day but never to repeat the same mistakes.