The army had a cadre of patriotic officers ready to defend the country. But although they were united by a common ideal, they were divided by personal and professional jealousies. The forces at their disposal were woefully weak and ill-equipped. What is more, officers were conditioned to obey orders, ultimately from Istanbul. Fortunately, the general staff was sympathetic to the national cause. Fortunately also, the best officers had developed a spirit of initiative, first in the revolutionary struggle against Abdülhamit and then in foreign wars. The civil service too did not lack patriotic officials, but initiative had been sapped out of them. To survive, they had to lie low and do as they were told.There is much more to the report, of course. I highlight this passage because the part about initiative being sapped out of a group of people, of lying low and doing as they're told echoes what I see too often in the modern American workplace. It takes a special effort to maintain a spirit of initiative, to stand up to the forces that seek to stifle that spirit. It's difficult but well worth the effort.
Now, that's on the tiny scale of my particular career experience. When I pause to think about it on the historic scale of Mustafa Kemal's effort for Turkey, I am in awe.
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