Uprising: Göksel Gözener’s Solution-Oriented Mindset
“I didn't even know the industry I’m working in existed,” says Havas Germany’s Göksel Gözener when recalling his early years. “I was a very high-spirited and curious kid who gave my mother a lot of grey hairs at an early age,” he jokes. With passions for drawing and painting, as well as an enthusiasm for cars, there were many creative interests he pursued in his childhood.
Growing up in the Münster region of Germany, two cultures played a part in shaping who Göksel is today. He explains, “I would describe my cultural background as Turkish with an Islamic influence. The Islamic aspect, in particular, has shaped my views and ways of thinking. For instance, I hold values such as compassion, patience, and honesty, coupled with my ambition to become a better person each day.” These values are something that he’s mindful to incorporate into his working life, as well as his personal.
“In the face of challenges, I maintain a patient and resilient mindset, and seek constructive solutions,” he explains. “Honesty and transparency underpin my communication, promoting trust and open dialogue. By integrating these values into my professional endeavours, I aim to achieve not only individual growth but also contribute to a harmonious and successful collective effort.”
With an ambitious mindset and keeping resilience high on his priority list, it’s no surprise that Göksel’s nature is quite extroverted. He says, “I would describe myself as a hopeless idealist.” But, before establishing a career, it was media and cultural studies that he studied at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. Experiencing this during the covid-19 pandemic meant that it wasn’t always smooth sailing, but he made the best of it. “I discovered the profound impact of media, how it has been shaping our lives for centuries and how new media is being handled.”
At this time, a formative experience was his introduction to cinema and early screenings – particularly one of a train pulling into a station.“Despite its relatively low quality and black-and-white format compared to today's standards, it caused panic in the cinema as people ducked or ran away, believing the train was coming towards them. This incident highlights the powerful influence that the media can have on our perceptions and reactions,” Göksel notes.
Keeping this in mind, he refers to today’s advances rooted in artificial intelligence and the impact it has had on society, comparable to the aforementioned cinema experience. “It serves as a reminder of how media, in all its forms, continues to shape our lives and elicit strong emotional responses, sometimes even blurring the line between reality and fiction,” he reflects. “For this reason, I aspired to enter the media industry at a young age, seeking to be actively involved in triggering such emotional reactions and making a positive impact on people's lives.”
He further explains, “I aspire to not only satisfy our clients and their customers but also to exceed their expectations and make a meaningful difference.”
Now, he works at Havas Germany as he embarks on a journey to create impactful responses… although he admits he stumbled into the industry by chance, thanks to a loving kick in the butt from his fiancée. Nevertheless, since starting, Göksel has made sure to read around the subjects he’s interested in, allow his mindset to be expanded by new ideas and interactions, and of course, learn from his mistakes.
“One of the most valuable lessons I learned early on in my career was the importance of maintaining a solution-oriented mindset and embracing transparency when it comes to mistakes,” he says. This feeds into his ability to find the solutions to mistakes, and in turn, gain valuable insights from them, allowing him to feed them back into his team. “Practising transparency regarding mistakes fosters accountability and trust within the team, cultivating an environment of continuous improvement.”
The first campaign Göksel worked on was for an automotive client, with a particular focus on the technical aspects behind the piece. During this project, he learnt how being prepared is always key. “In future projects of a similar nature, I would prioritise the creation of a risk matrix at the outset,” he says. “This invaluable tool enables proactive risk assessment and mitigation strategies, ensuring that potential challenges and uncertainties are identified and addressed from the early stages.”
Reflecting on the experience, it was the most valuable learning lesson for Göksel, as it was his first immersive encounter with having ownership of a product. “I learned the significance of agile methodologies and practices, and the benefits they bring,” he says. This also lends itself to his favourite aspect of the process, the traceability and measurement of what he does. He explains, “I simply enjoy putting things in order and solving problems. I have a strong inclination towards organising and problem-solving, which drives me to establish systematic order and enhance efficiency in various facets of my work.”
However, despite Göksel’s love of tackling problems, streamlining processes and finding practical solutions, challenges inevitably come with the territory. “When minor issues escalate to avoidable levels, it can be quite frustrating,” he explains. “It requires additional time, effort and resources that would have been better spent on working towards a productive solution. As someone who values efficiency, these aspects, naturally, bother me.” But often, the team he works with finds growth from these difficulties and works together to create something better, showcasing their shared goals.
The same cannot be said of advertising as a whole. Across the industry, as change is being championed by some, others are resistant and favour pre-established practices - a point that frustrates Göksel, who believes the industry could be pushing for better. He says, “People who argue: ‘This is how we have always done it’ hinder progress and also impede the industry's ability to adapt to the evolving landscape.”
Rather, it’s in embracing new concepts like AI developments and advancements in tech and machine learning models which not only excite him, but in which, he believes, the future lies, allowing for what he describes as “creative content with precision” for advertisers.
Expanding on this, he explains that stakeholders in all companies should be championing the change, and making sure they do it as quickly as possible. While it’s easier said than done, Göksel has considered how he would approach this: “To overcome the resistance to change, companies and agencies can start by fostering a culture of openness and communication, providing comprehensive training and education, leading by example, creating cross-functional teams, implementing change incrementally, providing resources and support, and, of course, celebrating successes.”
At Havas Germany, Göksel explains how agile principles are embraced alongside collaboration and adaptation to the market. With his viewpoint on work and fostering creative environments, it’s no surprise that he looks up to the agency’s CEO, Peter Mergemeier, as well as his supervisor, Mario Lohe. He jokes, “Don’t worry, I was not paid or forced to say that!” He continues, “Both are, in my eyes, are exceptional leaders with innovative ideas and principles that I wholeheartedly endorse. I am genuinely inspired by their vision and fully committed to advancing their goals.”
However, an important part of working hard is knowing when to prioritise passions outside of this time. When he isn’t doing his day job, Göksel is an avid reader, takes moments to fulfil his aforementioned religious duties and works on cars too. “Additionally, I am venturing into the realm of cooking, dedicating time to honing my skills with varying degrees of success,” he says. Furthermore, games such as ‘Pokémon’ on the Nintendo Switch and watching YouTube videos also fill his time, his favourite content creators being gamers as well as Donut Media – ‘Real Mechanic Stuff’ in particular. “This channel delves into the world of vehicles, offering a mix of humorous and informative content,” which holds his attention.
Everyone has a motivating factor in life, and Göksel’s are rooted in his loved ones: “My purpose is shaped by the desire to be a positive role model for my younger siblings and to make my parents and my fiancée proud. These cherished relationships and responsibilities drive and motivate me to continually grow, evolve, and make a positive impact on the lives of those around me.”
