Latest / Unstuck Pod / Culture Starts on Day 1 (Mine Dedekoca and Jamie Schneiderman)
Transcript
- Jamie Schneiderman: Hi everyone, welcome to the Unstuck Pod. really excited today to have Mine Dedakocha calling in from you're where? Istanbul? Istanbul. Very exciting in Turkey. Mine Dedekoca: Istanbul, yes. Jamie Schneiderman: Turkey. if I say it, try to say it properly, but I probably won't. So so but really excited to have her here with us. And rather than me butchering her background and all the great and interesting things she's done, I'm gonna pass it over to her and let her. share a little bit about her journey and what she's doing today, where she's focused today. So welcome. Mine Dedekoca: Thank you, Jamie. Thank you for this opportunity. And thank you for mentioning the country's name as Turkey because it's been recently changed. I like officially changed to Turkey. And if I even I am being challenged by that because I'm so used to pronouncing it in English as Turkey. But like, you know, when I hear it, I mean thank you. You you saved it. So well, what what I'm doing? I mean, I'm doing lots of things at the same time, but over the last 14 years. I've been mainly focusing on helping the startups, doing startup programs, entrepreneurship classes, organizing accelerator programs, and I'm I'm an angel investor. I'm also a venture partner at the US-based, Miami-based Trio VC. And I have my own investments, and I am also now working with the city of Istanbul to build the innovation strategy of the city, and we are building. at the strategy in a way that we are positioning Istanbul to be one of the global hubs for entrepreneurship, like a talent bridge between the countries, because like you know, Istanbul is literally like a bridge between the two continents. We are just like sitting in between the continents from Europe to Asia. So it's like the Eurasia. So we want to make that happen into a reality where we're really bridging the the companies, the startups, the talent from both sides of the world. And I'm Jamie Schneiderman: Amazing. Mine Dedekoca: also managing another so I have two brands on the other side. I like to call it my right brain job, which is running the the brand Happy Work Studio. And with Happy Work Studio, we are helping the enterprises, mainly the enterprises, to design their well-being strategies, which is really important during these days. So during this AI flow we are trying to keep the human side of people, employees, and designing happiness programs, well-being strategies, strategizing it so that it's not like a one-off thing, but it's just like a sustainable strategy so that people belong to it. And also doing the digital nomad festival in Turkey. This is going to be our second year. I'm not sure if I've told you about this. I just Jamie Schneiderman: No, I don't think so. That's great. Mine Dedekoca: So doing lots of things at the same time. The what's common Jamie Schneiderman: Yeah. Mine Dedekoca: among all these is that I enjoy I love doing anything that I do in my life. That's kind of my compass for the last couple of years. Whatever makes my heart beat, I I keep it. Whatever is not making my heart beat or just like, you know, making me sweat, I'm just like, you know, leaving it behind. Jamie Schneiderman: it. I because I it doesn't sound like you're busy enough or that you have enough things going on. So I'm you know I'm glad at least that you're having fun doing it. So okay, so can we just talk I I want to there's so much there. Okay. So there's a lot there. I know that they all interconnect. I I just wanted to talk a little bit about what is I what one of Happy Work Studio. So I just wanted y you talk about that and you talk about the workplace and you know making it a positive place and the experience being pause like all can you get into more I I'd like to understand more about what does that look like, w how are you doing that? What does that look like in a sustained cause it feels I and I'm saying this to you so that you can say now you're wrong. It's like feels like fluffy and soft, but I Mine Dedekoca: Mm. Jamie Schneiderman: feel like there's more to it when you're talking about Mine Dedekoca: That's what people have been thinking about it, like in the Jamie Schneiderman: Yeah. Mine Dedekoca: old days, let me say. But now after the pandemic, something shifted. And what shifted is that we just realized that there's something beyond our control. And there are things that are more important than what we do in life and in terms of the job that we're doing. So and even at work. We realize and I think that shift happened when people had their children, their pets just like appearing during like randomly appearing on the Zoom like screen. That's when people realize, that's a real human living in a real real human house and just like, you know, surrounded with the the pets and because like usually what we were taught like the the the last generation or the past. couple of generations were told was to wear those masks at work. Like you should have different masks. Like you should wear a different mask when you're socializing. You should wear a different mask when you're a leader. You should wear a different mask when you are an employee. And all those masks, they were just torn down. That's what happened. Because that's That's a liberation. That's so feeling so like, you know, simple and that's feeling like, you know, so effortless, so vulnerable. Now we are talking about the the vulnerability being one of the the biggest skills of being like the the leader, being a good leader. That's how the shift, that shift has happened. And now when we are seeing the burnout rates, because it's now more than half of the employees are burned out. Now we understand. That something is wrong and that we need to take action before it's too late. Actually it's already too late. But taking Jamie Schneiderman: Yeah. Mine Dedekoca: that action before people get burned out is what needs to be done. Because once they get burned out, the recovery is not easy. So this is like a preemptive action. Jamie Schneiderman: So so no no I think which which so so I buy into what you're completely. I and I follow you. Just just w what does that mean? So so when you say taking action, like w give me an example of what action might look like and and to try to solve some of this or at least improve some of it. Mine Dedekoca: So we I'm working with the World Happiness Foundation, and we have we are using the the framework of the US Surgeon General's framework of well-being at work, and it has five pillars. And those five pillars, because usually when we think about the what makes people happy or what makes people like feel well or at their best selves at work, we think about the connection, the community, but that's only one of the pillars. There is also the the work amount. Like if you are just like, you know, like most of the offices, I mean, like Google was famous for their offices, like, you know, having these like, you know, fun offices. But if you are just like loading people with work that they cannot manage on their own, then they won't have the time to even use that office that you're building for fun for them. So the autonomy, like with most of the companies that we are working with, we hear that the autonomy is not there. They're not being given the autonomy. So they are waiting for their managers to act. And we call them the bottleneck managers. And so they are being suppressed under that pressure. Or the psychological safety. That's one of the the the things that we need to be well aware of. And when we are talking about psychological safety, It's not what you do, but it's just like you know how you are really acting like as a leader, as a company. So it's not like only staying it like you know on the the employee book, but actually showing it, actually walking the talk. So when a leader is just like asking their team to work over the weekend and when they normalize this, this is then something is wrong there. But like, you know, with me working with international teams. I'm telling everyone, because like sometimes people take this wrong. They say, okay, I don't want to receive a message from my boss at like you know 1 a.m. in the morning. I said it's not a problem as long as he does not expect you to respond back immediately. That is Jamie Schneiderman: Exact yeah, yeah, for sure. Mine Dedekoca: what psychological safety is about. It's not like not sending your employees, you know, the messages at different times. No. It's just like giving them that liberty, giving them that space of just responding or just like taking action whenever and wherever they can. So that's the that's the beauty of the flexible work as well. But people take it wrong. Jamie Schneiderman: So let me ask a question because I I find it interesting your your your intersection between your other work, which is startups, venture, right, angel investing, all of the all of the work you're doing, a lot of it, and this. And I'm and I'm curious if you've seen I is there any difference when you look at startups? and the way startups are viewed and their world and expectations there versus larger organizations because in my experience there's quite a big difference between the two but I'm curious where how you're putting those two pieces together. Mine Dedekoca: Okay, so there's this thing in startups that is all about the sweat and you know, the it's like a life without any sleep. It's just like you know, and you have to be on all the time. That's the startup world, and that used to be the way, like the silicon wall-y toxic environment for startups. Now it is changing too. And for that reason, the strategy now we are creating, even for the city of Istanbul. I created the the name of the strategy as Human Centric Innovation Center. Jamie Schneiderman: I love it. Mine Dedekoca: And so, and with all the applications, with everything that we are doing, we make sure that whatever we do, we are taking into account the humans that are living, like the Istanbulites that are living in the city, like the pain that they're having. What's their problem? So we try to make everything human-centric. And for that reason, I just like you know. In every official document, I'm putting this human centering innovation hub. So that people remember about it. And you have to just like emphasize this. In the startup world, sometimes it gets too fierce because it's like a sinus wave. I mean, you're just like, you know, they're getting funded and they're at the top of the wave. The next day they are just like out of their runway and they're down. So you have to make sure that people are having that psychological safety enough so that through those waves because that's the nature. I mean you cannot change the nature of the business. What you can change is your attitude and how you are dealing with that. So that's why it's really important for the startups because that's that world is like well known for like, you know, those fierce leaders. I mean they and they've been praised for that. I mean all Jamie Schneiderman: Yes. Mine Dedekoca: the the big technology leaders that we know that I don't like to measure right now. I don't want to finger point and get into trouble. But everyone, they're just like, you know, being idolized by their harsh leadership skills or like attitudes. But this is not the way now. Everything is changing. Jamie Schneiderman: I was once told by a VC that I needed I was too nice and I needed to be less much less nice. and while I appreciate that there are some elements of like you need to push and there's still reality around bottom line. the idea of nice or not nice is is a challenge. So I hear you. Like I I hear you and I get it. okay, so so let me Mine Dedekoca: And don't get me wrong, I mean, I'm also for the per I mean I'm an investor. Of course I Jamie Schneiderman: Yeah, of course. Mine Dedekoca: want the startup and I'm challenging them. I all of course, like, you know, I expect them to just, you know, overachieve Jamie Schneiderman: Mm-hmm. Mine Dedekoca: what they're doing. But the the reality, by the way, when you look at the research numbers, the the happier companies, like the employees with higher satisfaction, with higher like happiness, and they are outperforming all the others. Jamie Schneiderman: So I I I think I find it interesting. Again, to me, this idea has historically been divergent in terms of what it is. Success and happiness Mine Dedekoca: Mm. Jamie Schneiderman: couldn't go together. And what you're basically saying is it's actually the opposite that if you if you are focused on success, I mean you have to be focused on success. You can't just make it like fun, obviously. And I know that's not where you're going, but but when you try to put the two together, you get outsized success. You get much better outsized. outcomes and much better performance. okay. So let me let me let me talk a little bit about the investments and where you're going with that and kind of because I'm curious about how these pieces, you know, so, So you're investing in businesses. Are there certain types of businesses, certain types of companies that you invest in or you're focused on? Mine Dedekoca: So with Trio VC, our thesis is there we are funding the immigrant founders in the US with AI native B2B businesses. So that's our focus. And that's why I mean we have a specific focus on that side. Me being an Angel investor, I am investing in people. So if I Well, I'm not obsessed with like, you know, AI. Of course, like There are some criteria that I'm looking for, which is like one of them is like scalability. I'm just like checking if this is a scalable business, if this is really solving a real problem, and if this is really making sense. But the most important factor is the the founder, the founder and the team. Because I know. Jamie Schneiderman: Right. So what's the stage? So Mine Dedekoca: I know j j so w so one one more thing, because I know that Jamie Schneiderman: go on. Yeah. Yeah. Mine Dedekoca: Even if the f the the original idea fails, if the founder is the right person, they'll make sure that they pivot at the right time, with the right motivation and turn things around. Jamie Schneiderman: No, no, fair. And I and I and I agree with you that I'm asking about stage in the context of that, because you talk about the importance of the founder. obviously the earlier the stage, the more it's about the person or people who are Mine Dedekoca: Exactly. Yeah. Jamie Schneiderman: starting versus later. So where are you typically investing? What's the stage that you're typically investing at? Very early stage. Mine Dedekoca: Yeah, so personally like being an angel investor, I'm like either the F and F period, like friends and family and pre seed. Jamie Schneiderman: Yeah. Yeah. Mine Dedekoca: with Trio, we are investing pre seed and seed before series A. Yeah. Jamie Schneiderman: Precedency. Okay. Yeah. Okay. All right. Makes makes sense. And and interesting. So AI enabled B to B. and so how is that so e with immigrant Mine Dedekoca: And immigrant founders. Immigrant founded. This is where my heart beats because it's really, you know, the majority of the successful businesses in the US, they are immigrant founded. So and it's just like because they're like, you know, their perseverance is higher, they're just like, you know, more passionate about just like, you know, building something and just like, you know, making it happen. So we started the original idea was found funding the the Turkish founders, but There weren't as many, so we kind of like you know, expanded it to be the immigrant founders in Jamie Schneiderman: Okay. Mine Dedekoca: the US. Jamie Schneiderman: So people who are relatively new to US to the US, right? In terms of Okay. Mine Dedekoca: Exactly. Yeah. Or like they've been studying there. We also have a pro program that I love mentioning. It's a signal program where we are funding the the early founders or the acad like anyone in academia who are working on an AI project. So it's up to fifty K of like, you know, that's like giving them a kick start for their project. It's called the Signal. So like the Signal program is getting that early signal for those people. Jamie Schneiderman: We'll we'll have to get a whole bunch of of what's it called, links and things in the description after. Because there's a lot there's so many things that you're working on that I wanna make sure that people can find you so we can we can talk about it. Okay. So so all right. yeah, okay, so so let me let me ask you a question. So you've got Angel Investing and you've got Venture investing, and you've got the work that you're doing in Istanbul, and you've got happy work studio, and you've got th there's multiple others that you mentioned. So how and where do you find the time to fit it in? Obviously, you're passionate about all the things you're doing and you're high energy, which is amazing. Okay. Okay. Mine Dedekoca: And I have a family. I'm married with two kids, which is I think the biggest project in my life. My Jamie Schneiderman: For sure. Mine Dedekoca: biggest priority. And my friends, I'm a social p I'm an extremely social person. I love going out with my friends, spending time. That's that's my recovery from work, I would say. And I don't take it like so I mean there are times of course I'm just like feeling really tired and low. Then I like my summertime is my recharging time. I I I am taking intentional breaks even during the day. If I feel like I want to sleep in, I do. Like even during I take day naps, power naps during the day. So I think that's that's the the trick about it. Jamie Schneiderman: No, I think it's yes, I think it's great. And I I think always a lot of people underestimate. They don't understand if you don't have kids, they don't understand how much you raise your level Mine Dedekoca: Yeah. Jamie Schneiderman: up when you do have kids and how much more you can push through. So I think that's that's great. and and very and very good. And so and from balancing all these different pieces, like I know you and I talk at very different times in your day versus my day. So, so just help like how do you even think about your schedule and planning things and working through all of it as you're doing it? I I know you talk about taking naps if you if you need to Mine Dedekoca: Mm-hmm. Jamie Schneiderman: or or recharging and I think that's great, but but how do you fit in all the rest? Because there's a lot. Seems like there's a lot. Mine Dedekoca: Yeah, so I I mean usually I wake up early. I try to not have the alarm like clock, but just like have my own body alarm goes off. Jamie Schneiderman: Okay. Mine Dedekoca: And taking walk in the morning is like, you know, and reading through my emails and messages. That's like my how to start the day. And it really helps because like, you know, circulating that energy in my body. I love meditating. So I'm just like, you know, doing that inner work too. That's also like helping a lot. And what I found during the summer, I was like, you know, trying to do as like I I the meetings are I think they are just like, you know, not doing meetings is t saving me a lot of time. So that's what I just figured Jamie Schneiderman: Right. Mine Dedekoca: out. I was like telling this to the companies that I'm working with for the remote work project, but like you know, applying that to my calendar helped me a lot. And doing the time blocks. So like, you know, because I'm doing different things for different companies. So I try to block those times so that I'm just like, you know, focusing on like let's say in the morning I use the two minute rule. So whatever is going to take two minutes, I'm just like, you know, clearing those out. And I always, always have a to-do list. And I love still checking things manually because like, you know, kind of like raising my dopamine so that I feel like I achieved something. Those are my like little tricks that I keep doing. And I try to combine things, literally. Like, you know, whatever I do with Happy Works Studio, I take it and just like you know, apply it to the starter side. So like with the startups, I do let's say the well-being sessions for them. Or like when I'm working with the city, my network from Happy Works Studio, I just like you know, use a leverage that network to this project. So That's I think my power, just you know, connecting those dots and making those connections so that I'm doing like I'm killing several birds with one stone. Jamie Schneiderman: I love it. I think that's fantastic. okay, so so you you work across so many things and you're seeing so many different businesses actually across a a lot of geographies as well, which is a huge which which I think actually is an advantage in a lot of ways. Plus you have a different view around workplaces and po what what like you know what it what makes for a good workplace. So so So tell me out of all of the things you're seeing, if you were gonna give advice to a startup founder, which you're talking to all the time and investing in, what's the one kind of key piece of advice that you'd want everyone or as many of them to take away as possible. Mine Dedekoca: So for the startups, there's one thing that they are usually missing, to have targets for everyone and like short term targets, even with the the enterprises that I'm working with, I ask them to do like e weekly goals. Because like those weekly goals, as I said, like you know, to do lists, once you check those off, it's going to make the the team feel like, you know, better because they will feel that they achieved something. So the KPIs, I mean, whatever they do, I am making sure that they have reasonable KPIs and that they keep track of it. Because one, it's good for make being successful, making sure that they're and it's just like you know, measuring their success because otherwise they won't know if they're successful or not with the things. Jamie Schneiderman: Mm-hmm. Mine Dedekoca: And also whatever they're doing to like all the tasks, everything, everything, all the decisions that has to be related to the KPIs. So this is like with every startup, this is what I tell them. About the culture, they have to have to have the culture, company culture, because every company has a unique culture. So they have to figure it out. Because usually what they do is they just like, you know, start like that, they start growing. Once they start growing, it gets out of control. And that's why when they are thinking about building a culture, building an employee handbook or like the values. It has to be foundational. So, from the foundation of the company, there has to be a purpose, company purpose. What do we stand for? Not like the vision and mission that comes later. What do we want to change in this world? Not only to make money, I mean, of course, it comes with that, but what are we standing for? And if you create that purpose, everyone who's joining you are going to be adding up to that purpose. They are going to be feeling that they're part of that purpose, not doing something like repeating the tasks that they do every day, but whatever they do, they will feel more empowered doing that thing because that they will be part of that, you know, the bigger purpose. And then of course the values and the culture. So that's that's one thing I would, you know, strongly recommend for to any startup founder, not to wait until they become an enterprise or like a scale-up. Jamie Schneiderman: Love it. I think it's amazing. Okay, so where where and I think lots of people will want to. Where do people find you? How do they reach you? What's the best way to get hold of you? Mine Dedekoca: So LinkedIn is the best way to reach out to me. I'm really active on LinkedIn. Any questions, any inquiries, they can reach out to me on LinkedIn. Also, Mina at happywork.studio, my email. I'm just responding. Sometimes I might be slow getting back because, like, you know, my inbox is really full. But I am like, I'm intentionally again going back. Like, you know, I am spending that time, dedicating time to go back to my messages and try to reply. to the ones that I missed. So that's the the best way to reach out to me. Jamie Schneiderman: All right. Well, listen, thank you so much for your time. I don't need to take up any more of your time because you've got so many other things that you gotta Mine Dedekoca: Yeah. Jamie Schneiderman: do. But I no, it was great. I really appreciate it. I think everyone's gonna get a lot out of this. and so thank you so much. thank Mine Dedekoca: Thank you. Jamie Schneiderman: you to everybody who's watching and listening. and until next time.