From Hero to Author: Designing Your Own Leadership Style

“Do you want to be the hero or the victim in the story?”

That question hit me hard recently. My answer? Neither. I want to be the author.

Heroes fight fires. Victims suffer circumstances. Authors design the plot. They decide what matters, what doesn’t, and how the story ends.

Why this matters in leadership

In high-pressure roles, it’s easy to default to operational heroics—being the “go-to” person for everything. It feels good in the moment, but it traps you in someone else’s script. Strategic work suffers, wellbeing erodes, and the system never improves.

Authors think differently:

• They write the ending first: What outcomes must be inevitable?
• They cast roles: Who owns what? Where are the guardrails?
• They edit ruthlessly: If it doesn’t fit the plot, delegate or delete.

My recent shift

After reflecting on feedback (and a candid Officevibe [a corporate survey] moment), I realized I was prioritizing urgent over important. So, I designed a new chapter:

• Clear responsibilities and escalation ladders to stop everything routing to me.
• Micro-automation and playbooks to kill recurring fires.
• Maker–Manager schedule to protect deep work and strategic thinking.
• Wellbeing guardrails—because sustainable performance beats burnout.

I even asked myself daily:

“What chapter am I writing today?”

Not “What inbox fire am I putting out?”

The takeaway

Leadership isn’t about being the hero. It’s about being the author—the one who makes results inevitable through systems, clarity, and foresight.

If you’re feeling stuck in reactive mode, ask:

• What’s the theme of my next chapter?
• What would make me irrelevant here (in a good way)?
• What system would make success inevitable?

Call to Action:

How do you design your own leadership narrative? Drop your thoughts below—I’d love to learn from your stories.

Some photos just after thinking about all these, while walking to the hospital for a check-up.

Celebrating Team Spirit and #BetterTogether Value

As we approach the end of the year, our Finance Director, Inna, provided all finance colleagues with a new year dinner voucher. Today, I had the pleasure of taking my team out for a lunch, and it was a wonderful experience that truly highlighted our team spirit and #bettertogether value.

When I shared the news about the dinner vouchers, my colleagues Didem and Tomris were thrilled. Initially, we planned a coffee break for a Sunday afternoon, but we decided to change it to a lunch to keep our energy up while working on accruals and collecting invoices from vendors at the end of December.

Although I am not a fan of sushi, Didem and Tomris recommended a highly-rated sushi place close to our office. It was a new experience for me, as we usually prefer kebab or fish in Istanbul. Despite my reservations about sushi and Asian food, it was a great opportunity to bond with the team over non-business topics like children, shopping, and more.

For me, the critical aspect is being #bettertogether during these challenging times when many are on year-end vacations, and we are working hard to ensure a smooth year-end closing. Thanks to Inna, we had this chance to come together as a team and enjoy a meal together while we were in "away" mode in MS Teams.

These initiatives significantly boost our morale and productivity. After the lunch, I felt refreshed and ready to tackle tasks like the deferred tax calculation. Such occasions also strengthen our bonds, making us a more cohesive team.

Looking ahead, I hope we can continue this tradition next year. Perhaps we can explore Mexican or Italian cuisine in town, keeping diversity and inclusion in mind. Or, let's dream big—maybe we'll have the opportunity to gather with the entire PMIDF Finance team in a foreign country, experiencing new tastes together.

Thank you, Inna, for this wonderful initiative. It means a lot to us!