Tips for Innovators from Edna Mode & Our Ops Team
As a leading innovator for animated superhero costumes, Edna Mode keeps The Incredibles safe with the design of her bulletproof, friction resistant suits. She is more than willing to deviate from antiquated blueprints to create an effective, modern product, asserting “NO CAPES!” Capes can get snagged by missiles, caught in jet turbines or sucked into vortexes. Out with the old, in with the new.
So, what does this have to do with Dcode? Edna Mode’s ability to take risks, develop a new product, and take it to market reflects what we value and strive for on the Dcode team as we work to bring top tech from the private sector into the U.S. government to better serve Americans.
Plus, we love to see women leading innovation, which is why our managing director of operations, Whitney Jones, and our talent acquisition and engagement manager, Michelle Chang, spoke at Alphy events. Alphy is a mobile app with a mission to advance women in the workplace, sharing their thoughts and lessons learned surrounding innovation, resilience, and collaboration.
As members of the operations team, Whitney and Michelle design, implement, and scale company-wide processes, policies, and systems to empower us to achieve Dcode’s goals and our own professional development. As the ops team intern, three tokens of wisdom stood out to me from what Whitney and Michelle had to say.
“Yes, words are useless! Gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble! Too much of it, darling, too much! That is why I show you my work! That is why you are here!”
— Edna Mode
Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Discussing the need to disrupt the status quo, Whitney stated, “Be okay being comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Innovation is not meant to feel familiar, and Dcode aims to address an existing gap that impedes commercial innovation in the federal market.
The U.S. government spends tens of billions of dollars on tech each year, yet still struggles to find the best emerging tech companies. For tech companies, entering and scaling in the federal market is expensive, time intensive, and risky. So, we help emerging tech companies, federal agencies, and industry partners understand each other and work together to improve the U.S. government with better tech. Drawing from accelerator, venture, and training models, Dcode is a wholly unique company that cannot be pigeon-holed into one category.
“I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now.” — Edna Mode
Practicing what we preach, Dcode is also constantly iterating to improve the way we work and drive value for our tech and government customers. In just four days in March 2020, we shifted all our training courses to a virtual environment for federal leaders through our partnership with Defense Acquisition University. We changed our accelerator to rolling admissions to meet increasing demand from the U.S. government for commercial emerging tech companies that can succeed and scale in the federal market. We developed a community and e-learning platform, Nexus, to connect tech and government even more.
Collaboration and inclusivity are critical for innovation.
Michelle emphasized the importance of creating an inclusive environment in order to yield innovative ideas. Establishing an open and safe space is essential for people to feel comfortable in boldly solving problems as a team. To assess a team’s dynamic, Michelle suggested measuring whether employees feel as if their voice matters or their opinions are heard. People are more likely to feel confident working with others and creating better solutions if they feel accepted and valued.
Dcode encourages employees to bring big ideas and work together to build one, awesome team. We want Dcoders to test out new ideas, ask for help, and offer their help. No holding back!
Whether showing appreciation to each other, giving and receiving feedback, or improving internal processes, Dcode prioritizes a collaborative environment to help employees flourish.
Innovating is harder when you don’t feel your best, so take care of yourself.
Staying focused during turbulent times is tough, so Whitney stressed the importance of taking care of the mind and body. She said, “Being engaged in work also means knowing you need a rest.” Thinking critically and solving problems are harder when burnt out. Rest is necessary!
As the ops intern, I’m grateful to see my team establish healthy boundaries for the company. Dcode has meeting-free Wednesdays, half-day Fridays, and flexible schedules — and we still get our work done. We also offer company-wide workout sessions, a 24/7 employee assistance program to support mental health, and unlimited PTO with a minimum requirement of two weeks. With these benefits in place, I’m able to rest, take care of myself, and return to work with fresh ideas and ready to do my best work.
If you’re looking to work with an innovative team disrupting the federal market, check out our open roles here!
Stefany Alvarado is the summer 2021 talent operations intern, supporting talent acquisition, employee engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. When she isn’t on a Zoom call or drafting documents, she can be found caring for her six chickens, three ducks, and one dog.
