The Six-Month Mark: When Innovation Needs a Boost
When professionals reach six months at a new company, something interesting happens. The excitement of being new has faded. Daily routines have settled in. And for Turkcell's team members—experienced professionals who joined from various companies—this was the perfect moment to reconnect with what makes Turkcell unique: its innovative, forward-thinking approach to technology.
Rather than hosting another typical corporate session, Turkcell partnered with us at Bitti Gitti to create a hands-on experience that would spark creativity at exactly the right moment.
Why Notebooks? Why Handmade?
The centerpiece of our workshop wasn't chosen by accident. These weren't just any notebooks—they were wooden-covered journals that participants would design, paint, and bind themselves. Here's why this approach made perfect sense:
- Creating a Year-Long Companion: Each participant crafted a high-quality notebook designed to last the entire year—something they would actually use for capturing ideas, not just another branded item headed for a drawer.
- Learning a Repeatable Skill: The workshop taught a complete process that participants could later use with their own teams. Several have already hosted mini-workshops, passing the creative approach forward.
- Making Abstract Ideas Tangible: Instead of just talking about "innovation" and "future thinking," participants physically expressed these concepts through drawing and painting—bringing big ideas into the real world.
As one leader put it: "I've sat through countless talks about thinking differently. But actually making something with my hands unlocked a different kind of creative thinking I hadn't accessed in years."
The Workshop Experience
Led by our founder Erbil Sivaslioglu—who worked at Turkcell in mobile marketing and data analysis a decade ago—the day unfolded in three connected parts:
Part 1: The Future in Your Hands
Erbil's keynote wasn't a typical presentation. As he spoke about future trends and innovation, participants sketched their thoughts in booklets he had hand-bound that morning. Right away, this set the tone: this was about creating, not just consuming information.
Part 2: Personal Vision, Visible Form
Each participant painted their wooden notebook cover to represent their unique perspective on Turkcell's future. The room buzzed with conversation as people shared ideas and helped each other bring concepts to life through color and design.
Part 3: Binding It All Together
Using our step-by-step 3D tutorials, everyone learned the ancient Coptic binding technique to assemble their notebooks. This part was particularly powerful—people who claimed "I'm not crafty" discovered they absolutely could create something beautiful and functional.
Why This Matters for Leadership
Most of the participants either already lead teams or will soon. The workshop gave them more than just a notebook—it showed them a different approach to leadership:
- Hands-on learning works: They experienced firsthand how making something can lead to deeper thinking than just talking
- Creative confidence builds leadership confidence: Mastering an unfamiliar skill in the workshop setting built the confidence to try new approaches with their teams
- Physical tools prompt ongoing creativity: The notebooks serve as daily reminders to make space for innovative thinking
The Results: What Changed After the Workshop
The impact has continued well beyond the day itself:
- The notebooks appear regularly in meetings across Turkcell, often opened to pages filled with new ideas
- Several participants have introduced hands-on elements to their team gatherings, moving beyond slideshow-based meetings
- Cross-department collaborations have emerged from connections made during the creative process
- The notebooks have become conversation starters, with other colleagues asking about them and the stories behind their designs
A Different Approach to Development
What made this workshop stand out was its practicality. Instead of vague inspiration, participants walked away with:
- A beautiful, useful tool they continue to use daily
- A concrete skill they can share with others
- A refreshed perspective on how their individual creativity contributes to Turkcell's innovative culture
- A tangible reminder of their place in shaping the company's future
Is This Right for Your Team?
This approach works particularly well for teams that:
- Need to keep innovation alive beyond initial orientation
- Want to bridge the gap between different departments or backgrounds
- Value practical, usable outcomes from development activities
- Recognize that the best professional growth often happens through doing, not just listening
Want to energize your team with a similar hands-on creative approach? Contact Kerem at [email] to discuss how we can design a workshop that fits your company's specific needs and goals.
