1- The Right Approach to Social Entrepreneurship
Social enterprises are very popular these days. Everyone’s talking about it, and there are many young people taking action or trying to do so. We constantly see articles about social enterprises in various media outlets. Some of these articles may contain misinformation. In other words, I believe commercial organizations that don’t meet the criteria for social enterprises are being promoted as social enterprises.
My view aligns perfectly with the views of Uygar Özesmi, one of Türkiye’s leading experts on NGOs and social enterprises:
While social enterprises have commonalities with traditional enterprises, they also have many differences. Entrepreneurship is the process of an individual or group creating value through organization, starting or expanding a profitable business, or offering a new good or service to the market. Just like entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship recognizes problems and opportunities, takes risks, and develops innovative solutions.
The most important difference is that commercial enterprises are focused on profit, while social enterprises are focused on social benefit. Another important difference is that imitation and modeling are frowned upon in commercial enterprises. Because the goal of social enterprise is social benefit, modeling is an important and desirable tool for maximizing the reach of its influence.
A social enterprise is an organization that aims to be part of the solution, not the problem. It creates opportunities from problems recognized by individuals or communities. It is based on local culture with innovative ideas. It prioritizes sustainable, adequate income over profit. It creates value for a segment of society or the entire society, that is, for nature and all living things within it, including humans. Social entrepreneurship requires taking responsibility for the world. Therefore, social entrepreneurship is also a form of activism.
I will also write a new blog post detailing the topic of Social Entrepreneurship.
2- Debates Become Ego Wars
I am involved in many projects that prioritize sustainability. Even in these environments where education levels are high, debates can devolve into ego wars. Naturally, everyone reflects their own perspective in some discussions. However, those who insist on their own thesis without respecting the other party constantly bog down the discussion. They may even resort to subtle insults. So, as you can see, even in places where intellectual competence is high, people can lose control and insist on presenting distorted information to prove their point. In arguments, I generally continue to state my truth without losing my cool and without getting emotional. This only further infuriates the other party with a high ego.
Educated people who can make a significant contribution to society need special training to control their egos. Some do this through meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and sports.
To maintain control and maintain a sense of love and respect, I recommend developing your own approach.
3- Don’t engage in unnecessary polemics
I was on vacation in Akyaka. We were going to unwind and have a good time with my dear friends in a kitesurfing environment. One evening, while enjoying appetizers at Olta, a famous fish restaurant there, an argument broke out about something I couldn’t quite grasp. When the topic of discussion turned to energy, mining, NGOs (and even Soma), I continued the discussion. When someone spoke incorrectly on topics I was well-versed in and knew firsthand, I corrected them. As I corrected them, the other party lost control and started insulting me. When the insults became a factor, the situation changed. Everyone warned the kid, and eventually, he apologized to me. One of that child’s friends continued to attack me, and he was silenced by the other people at the table. What could have been a very enjoyable evening was spoiled. I encounter these situations in my personal life and at work.
My general approach in arguments is that if I’m unfamiliar with the subject, I prefer to listen to the other person to learn something. If I’m knowledgeable and well-versed in the subject, I stand by my words and correct any errors. I advise everyone to enter arguments with these principles.
4- Traffic problems
The Şile Highway passes in front of our office in Çekmeköy. To get to our office, you have to take a side road. On the side road in front of our office, which is right next to the highway, cars continue to race against the vehicles on the highway. We’ve started to experience serious problems with this. Buses, minibuses, and mostly business vehicles, driving like kamikazes, have hit vehicles exiting our office several times. One accident was very severe, but thankfully, no one was hurt. Drivers are also driving very fast on the side roads behind the office. Unfortunately, we’ve all experienced heartbreaking accidents there. We constantly discuss the necessary measures, but the only way to correct those who drive recklessly and at high speeds, other than our own, is to raise collective awareness in our country. Perhaps it will take another generation to achieve this. It’s a shame.
Another way to address this problem without waiting for generational change is technology. I eagerly await the release of autonomous vehicles. There’s no other way to take the steering wheel from the hands of so many sick people. You can be sure that I will do my best to accelerate technological advancement.
Now, let’s give examples from our own employees:
5- Trying to get to the front of the line
When I’m at work, like everyone else, I go down to the cafeteria and get my food. One day, I was in line at work when a call center employee quickly stepped in front of me and pushed ahead of everyone else just as I was reaching for a tray. I told him, “You need to ask permission before you get in front.” He didn’t recognize me, turned around angrily, and said, “I have a friend here, she was holding the line, and I came to her.” I said, “In such situations, the best practice is to ask permission from the person behind you within two seconds.” He looked at me strangely. “From now on, try to follow these etiquette rules,” I said, and to avoid making those behind wait any longer, I added, “Go ahead.” Her friends must have warned her who I was, because she continued without saying anything else. If I weren’t the CEO of all companies, she would probably have continued arguing with me and tried to get ahead.
After that, I called the HR managers at the call center and other companies and told them that these children needed to be taught etiquette and procedures. They started the necessary work.
6- Trying to get in the elevator before someone else gets out
This is a problem I constantly encounter in the office and in any building with an elevator in Türkiye. People try to enter the elevator without exiting. This is actually a very simple rule: Wait first, let people disembark, then enter. Otherwise, it’s always chaos. We will address this simple matter in the office training sessions.
7- Not greeting each other
This is a common problem. Everyone walks with a straight face, passes each other without greeting, and gets on the elevator. However, in developed countries, everyone greets each other. This mutual greeting and communication are beneficial in every way. First, it shows respect for the other person. Second, it increases positive energy and is psychologically beneficial for everyone. Finally, if you have a topic to talk about, it’s easier to initiate it. Using the elevator example from earlier: It’s appropriate to say ‘Good Morning’ as you board the elevator in the morning and ‘Good Afternoon’ as you exit.
8- Meetings or phone calls taking too long
One of the things I struggle with at work is that I used to avoid interrupting out of politeness, but now I intervene when I sense the conversation is dragging on. Talking about the same topics over and over again is both a waste of time and a drain on your energy. Some people try to stick to the classic introduction-body-conclusion trilogy. However, that introduction can get so long that it takes far more time than the actual topic itself. Or there are those who just keep repeating the same points in the body, skidding along. Finally, I usually intervene with, “Okay, I get it. That’s what you mean. What’s your proposed solution?”
9- More royalism than a king
I see this a lot. You give someone authority. They can lose control. That polite, decent person can suddenly turn into a slacker. This is a behavior I don’t like. I intervene the moment I see it. First, I’ll politely warn him twice. If he continues this behavior, I will, without hesitation, either revoke his authority or fire him. After all, we’re all human, and it’s completely wrong for someone to feel entitled to mistreat and dominate another.
10- Respect for Women
Since the founding of the Republic, older generations have always prioritized women and shown them the necessary respect. Unfortunately, when we look at the new generation, we don’t show them the respect they deserve. Our mothers, wives, sisters, older sisters, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers—women hold a crucial place in every aspect of our lives. Without women, there would be no men. We will explain to the men working in our companies in training sessions that we absolutely must show them the respect they deserve. Let’s start by giving women priority when passing through.
Naturally, since everyone needs to organize their own home first, we will prioritize in-house training within our companies.
Furthermore, when I have time, I will prepare a life guide with people whose wisdom and opinions I trust. This guide will include everything we can envision about life. I will share the details of this later. We will make this life guide available to everyone in the future.
Sincerely…
Tags: lifestyle
