Leadership in a Time of Crisis

It is said that every cloud has a silver lining, and now this mandatory order has become an indispensable part of the future. Human Resources managers agree to see some of the work done remotely (from home) as they move onto a new sparse (social distance) office set up. However, it seems as if it is going to be difficult for all of us in some way or another, to leave office life and give up our old habits.

On the other hand, it is not easy even for a workaholic like me to maintain discipline remotely (from home), study, motivate myself, and finally realize the criteria for success (KPIs)! However, I love teleworking and have even grown accustomed to working remotely.

It has been somewhat prophetic, and I feel fortunate. My highly skilled friends, whom I had trusted with the management of our two primary businesses and Yildiz Holding before Covid-19, became CEOs. When I transferred my post to my beloved nephew Ali Ulker, whom I have worked with for three decades, I decided to work remotely as an activist main shareholder and a consultant in my field of expertise (i.e., innovation, etc.) in pladis, and Godiva, but in real terms, as the chairman of the board.

My goal is not to avoid visiting the office at all, nor to not even extend the weekend holidays by working remotely or only by working remotely on Fridays and Mondays, but for example to give the choice to my senior managers and guests who work with me remotely for meetings at the office, or those losing time in desperate delays, reducing their stress. In short, my goal is to provide satisfaction. Except for the market and facility visits and team meetings, which we can call work on-site, it consists of business reviews (QBR), board meetings, and meetings in the office I have already been doing. After a recent business results review meeting, I have decided to continue these meetings via telework with my CEO friend after the pandemic as both focus and time efficiency are higher. As of yet, I still do not feel comfortable when I join a physical meeting remotely, where everybody else is physically present or vice versa.

I mean that telework will be the accepted norm for the new generations, as some professions that have been eliminated thanks to the use of robotic software (bot) and artificial intelligence (AI) will allow this to happen. In comparison, all current educational systems, with a few exceptions (e.g., Finland), seem to be constructed to train bureaucrats and technocrats for rigid office life.

What I mentioned in the conclusion (see below) of an article I previously shared are important and are the subjects I expect to be pursued and realized. However, the main permanent change will take place when the new youth, who were trained for telework for the necessities of the new work life, as they enter work life.

The new youth that can motivate themselves in this new business life, have self-discipline, and can spread the balance of work and private life into twenty-four hours and the entire year; balancing not only a work agenda but also their personal life; and do not limit work and entertainment to merely physical environments.

In conclusion, our suggestions for the immediate implementation of the above projects are as follows:

1. 1. In order to obtain efficiency from the telework method, firstly, an office should be established in the house with material, technical equipment, and support from the company.
2. 2. The teleworker must have at least one day of work in the company office; this working day should be fixed, and the services such as the central office dining room and service should be adapted. Teleworkers should not take advantage of flexible working hours.
3. 3. Priority should be given to the teleworking staff’s work processes, technology, and software support that enable them to see the whole; this software should be extremely simple, and technological problems and complexities should not be an obstacle. It should not be forgotten that the Teams application is currently widely-used throughout Yildiz Holding.
4. 4. Daily, weekly, and monthly performance management applications should be adapted for employees, and KPIs should be provided through this application. Safety and convenience features should be the most important issues in the applications to be used.
5. 5. Supporting the teleworker to show the entire work, providing communication and cooperation, and enabling them to work fast are the factors that increase the satisfaction of the teleworker in business life. These projects should be put into operation simultaneously.
6. 6. Another important issue is the training, motivation, and mental state of the teleworker and their regular follow-up. These applications should be implemented as soon as possible. At Yildiz Holding, there is now an application that asks the employees “how are you” every day with the help of AI. This application will be expanded.
7. 7. When developing all systems, processes, and applications, utilizing artificial intelligence analysis and bots (robotic processes) should be the primary principle.
8. 8. The fact that telework is a permanent part of our way of doing business depends on the quality of leadership that is put forward when all projects are implemented and afterward. Leaders should be visible, clear, communicate well, and the barriers in the middle should be eliminated with the HR department in order to keep the home employee connected with the company.

During the epidemic, businesses suffered, some went belly up, and some will revive. But how? So the quarterly business results made me suspicious, then research how to make our related business, i.e. B2B revived, and make other successes continue to flourish. However, changing the way we do business will make our business sustainable. Do not be complacent – your turn is also coming!

Experiencing science and positive science means reaching the truth through trial and error. We should not be content with testing and validating conclusions drawn from distilled theories of practical life. It is quite difficult for us to achieve the necessary innovations in today’s competitive conditions at the desired speed! Yet, if we were able to build a single leaf that produces energy through photosynthesis or a cow-eating grass and delivering milk and meat, we would have neither hunger nor environmental problems. Hopefully, one day in the future… Sometimes I ask myself, how did technology develop when there were no wheels?

Perhaps, before the theory we should put the goal at the center of life, and the lesson we will learn from life is not to focus on what happens in nature but on how it happens.

Renato Bruni’s book Erba Volant: Neuf Histoires Formidables Et Scientifiques Sur L’esprit Pratique Des Plantes Et Leur Sens De L’innovation explores the issue of learning innovation from plants. Bio-innovation is a branch of science that aims to find solutions to our problems by studying and inspiring nature. It proposes both technological and sociologically sustainable, environmentally friendly solutions. We learn from the book that in bio-innovation, nature is not only an aesthetically inspiring source but also possesses the most suitable shapes, strategies, materials, and more for the field of study of dynamics. In other words, this is a science that uses the knowledge gained by examining other living things to design products that are both beneficial to people and is environmentally friendly. Importantly, it may be wrong to consider bio-innovation as just a copy of ordinary nature because biological structures are too complex to be imitated. Therefore, experts working in this field are experts who search nature extensively to find and understand the functions and systems that can be transferred to products.

A second good example is James L. Adams’, Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas, which also makes us aware of the mental and physical obstacles that prevent us from creating value. Based on the human body, he tells us about our biological miracle. In order to develop a new thought, we first put ourselves and/or remove the obstacles that exist around us, allowing us to realize ourselves and our capabilities, and teaching us ways to develop new thoughts. In this book written by James L. Adams, a professor of Stanford University, almost thirty years ago and updated this year, how one can find a good idea is explained in great detail. We call this innovation, but how one finds the initial idea is very important. Access to information has become very easy today. When we were students, we would have to walk around the library to find resources. We used to tour through magazines so that we could come up with different ideas. Is it like that anymore? No, you have Google, the world’s wealth of information, right in front of you, at your fingertips. How can we find a good idea with such an abundance of resources? The answer is Adams.

Adams continues his academic career as a professor of both industrial and mechanical engineering. Prior to his academic career, he also took part in the team that designed the first spacecraft produced by NASA. Adams published the first edition of this book in 1974 for his problem solving course and has instructed for many years. This book, which has produced many editions over the years, is still up to date with the author’s own recent additions. In fact, although many topics have been taught to us, we understand that no one has taught us how to think and cannot teach it. Adams suggests that we can gain better problem solving and idea finding, especially by recognizing the various obstacles. Choosing strategy as the best way out of many ideas or concepts can work in problem solving. That’s why there are many interesting mental exercises and puzzles included in the book.

Adams talks about six basic obstacles: perceptual, emotional, cultural, environmental, intellectual, and expressive. The author emphasizes how these obstacles can occur and how they should be worked out in order to eliminate them.

Perceptual obstacles are related to more people perceiving a subject. To solve a problem, it is necessary to first define it. The inability to identify a problem or access information or data required to solve a problem actually falls into this category. Our minds can create these barriers in various ways. For example, generalizing or stereotyping is a perceptual obstacle. Apart from that, defining a problem or isolating a problem is a common obstacle. Having too much data, not being able to evaluate a subject from different perspectives, or using sensory inputs can also prevent us from solving a problem; it can prevent us from finding the ideas we want. Perceptual obstacles are described in detail in this section, with examples from different fields.

Emotional barriers are those that take away your ability to prevent you from solving problems. Because emotions are mixed and not always easily identifiable, we can get drowned in emotions. We feel dark or feel happy. Apart from that, we also have fears. Emotional obstacles consist of all kinds of fear, anxiety, insecurity, and other emotions that take us away from the perspective that will solve a problem. We can be afraid of taking risks, uncertainty can make us uneasy, and it may be easier to judge rather than think of something new. Adams says: “… It is not easy to notice the emotions you have that hinder you, but noticing what emotions you are exposed to will definitely improve your problem solving skills.”

As a social entity, we are a part of many cultures. We can be influenced by different cultures socially, ethnically, locally, and even globally. A culture’s habits, ways of living, and thinking may also differ. Cultural obstacles are also the obstacles created by the cultures we are affected by and in which we live as a part. Discourses such as “Let’s not discuss taboos,” “Playing games is only for children,” “There is no room for humor when solving problems,” and “Problems are solved with budget and money” are actually cultural obstacles.

Such obstacles are embedded within our own cultural codes.

Environmental barriers, like cultural barriers, develop outside our sphere of influence. These are the obstacles imposed by our social and physical environment. Anything that distracts us physically can be included in the environmental barrier category. An ongoing phone call can prevent us from focusing on message notifications, the weather, the features of the place where you work, and more. Environmental barriers also include topics such as the environment of the non-supportive person and limited resources.

Intellectual obstacles are another type of obstacle. Lack of mental tactics and functioning or approach error fall into this category. For example, if you do not have the necessary information to solve a problem or lack mental ability, you cannot solve your problem. Or you try to solve a problem with a mathematical language, but if the problem is essentially a visual problem, the obstacle you are experiencing is of an intellectual type. To eliminate such obstacles, Adams again informs us regarding important topics such as the choice of problem-solving language and flexibility in using strategies.

Expressive barriers are like intellectual barriers, but those that are related to ourselves. Barriers that suppress your ability to express your ideas not only to others but even to yourself verbally or in writing. Especially difficulties with expression are explained through very important exercises.

The value of this book emerges in the section, especially regarding the language of thinking. Do we think visually or sensually? Or do we think conceptually? Adams portrays the importance of determining the language of problem solving through exercises on these issues. As you think about the conceptual issues in the book, review and practice with your own experience, and your mind becomes more prone to finding new ideas. Do you think of “brainstorming” when it comes to finding ideas? Finding ideas or solving complex problems doesn’t always happen individually. The book, which has two different chapters for teams and organizations working in groups, explains the dynamics of the group, leadership, and the methods of finding ideas and problem solving that can be applied in institutions very fluently. The book is not a guide. It is also obvious that you will force your mind while reading the Adams because the exercises in the book and the chapters that question your habits make us better problem solvers than we are today.

Esranur Kaygin’s Inovasyon mi Dediniz? (Did You Say Innovation?), was written very concisely as a guide for the business world. Practical, realistically written are: the fundamentals of digital conversion, measures to create an invention culture, and the threats to be taken against the destinative innovation threat. Disruptive innovation, which I call “upside- down” innovation is a real threat, and still, many businesses ignore it. However, with digital transformation, this can become an opportunity, not a threat. Companies innovate at unprecedented speeds, and competition grows exponentially, so the need for innovation is no longer a “make/do”; it’s a question of how to do it. Approximately two-thirds of the innovations made in the sector we are in will disappear within three years. This equates to a serious waste of resources. Consumers understand new experiences from innovation. So the story behind innovation and the scenario ahead is very important. This road is also a big challenge for us. In order to accomplish this path successfully, we need a spirit of creativity.

The reason why we create disruption groups at Yildiz Holding is not that we do not innovate, but is to be more disruptive, to make the results more predictable, so the value can be improved, and our business improved and our innovations that strengthen our bonds with our consumers also improved. In other words, how do we internalize the innovation process by overcoming the limitations in our own minds without losing our core values, our purpose, our authenticity, and the invisible obstacles that the processes have uncovered over time and are inspired by each other? Seek the answer to the question. If it is not known, it’s time to invent it; ‘not possible’ is impossible!

How can we connect those who have an idea to contribute to a problem, consumer need, and/or efficiency towards a more systematic process? Radical inventions or ideas that affect people can sometimes involve a large amount of technology, sometimes uncertainty. When you have a radical invention, you may not be sure how to proceed at first. But don’t let this stop you. In other words, I want the ideas that will facilitate our way of disruption, make it clear, and guarantee success. What do we do, and how could our innovations disappear in three years?

Esranur Kaygin summarized the basic texts of innovation in an eclectic way in her nearly 100-page book. The basic logic of the book is in the article “Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave” written by Professor Clayton M. Christensen. In this article, Christensen first describes two distinct definitions of innovation that disrupt. The first is to move from the lower segment of an existing market to the upper segment, and the second is to create a new market with an innovation that upsets the new market. For example, Tesla is an upside-down innovation starting from the upper segment of the market and moving to the lower segment. In addition, the disruptive business models such as Spotify, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, Alibaba, Uber, Apple, and Netflix are examined, and it is seen that each is one of the two approaches mentioned by Christensen. Another brand that turns the upper segment upside down is Dyson.

When Dyson launched its first vacuum, it was at the price of 3,000 dollars. With its modern design and water absorption feature, it was astonishing for many people in the upper segment. Today, the price of the vacuum is 300 dollars because Dyson has reduced its price using technological progress. Thus, it started to take a share from the lower segment. The important thing in innovation is undoubtedly to know which type of innovation will be suitable for the company’s innovation strategy. In order to comply with the strategy, it is necessary to ask two questions: (1) How well did you describe the problem? (2) How well defined is the area?