Mentorship and Human-Centered Design Principles with Micha

Micha, an expert  from Google Cloud, talks with INCO about his time working with Social Tides. He discusses his experience as a mentor and trainer, from design principles in mentor-mentee relationships to the importance of mentors in all areas. 

INCO: Could please introduce yourself briefly and tell us about your current role at Google?

Micha: My name is Micha, and I work at Google Cloud. What we're trying to do is to create a world where any company, no matter how big or small, can use the same technology that powers Google Search, YouTube and everything that we  offer. 

When we think about Spotify, for example, my favorite app, it's really amazing how many songs you can find and discover through their smart recommendation system, and all of that is powered by Google Cloud. So instead of spending years and lots of money building their own foundational technology, they can focus on what they do best, which is connecting people with music.

And that's where I come in. It's my job to make sure that our team is ready to help companies like Spotify use these tools to do these amazing things that they do. I create training programs that turn our Google employees into experts so they can guide their customers on that journey.

Thank you so much for giving us this example! As you have supported Social Tides since 2022 both as a trainer and a mentor, we would like to learn more about your approach to mentorship. We are extremely grateful for all your generous contributions and we would love to learn how the process looks from your perspective. 

First of all, it's been an incredible pleasure on my side as well. Knowing that I can contribute to initiatives that I feel are making a real difference in the world is deeply rewarding, and I think that the Social Tides program provides a really great platform to support these purpose driven organizations. It's an honor to be a part of it. 

I'm currently mentoring the founders of AI for Accessibility, AI Get It, and their mission is to enhance digital accessibility for the visually impaired, which really inspires me. It's shocking that 96% of websites lack proper accessibility support, effectively shutting out millions from fully participating in our digital world. What they're doing is to develop a really innovative new solution powered by Gen AI that aims to bridge this gap. 

When I think about what's been most rewarding for me, it's connecting with the founding team on a personal level, witnessing their passion for creating this more inclusive digital world. They've rightfully understood  the importance of getting as close as possible to the real user, to their stories, to their feedback, to their emotions, and for them then to translate all of those user insights from the many, many, many interviews that they ran, into very tangible prototypes. That, I would say, for me, has been the greatest of this journey so far.

Björn and Fredrik are absolutely amazing, and we all have our fingers crossed for their mission. It's mind blowing that this problem is still not solved, unfortunately.

Can you please tell us what initially inspired you to become a mentor? Why do you think mentorship is important in this entrepreneurial journey of impact organizations?

That's a difficult question. First of all, I would say that there's just as much in there for me as there is for them, or at least that's what I like to think. It's very much built on a shared commitment to learning. I recognize that I can learn from their experiences and perspectives just as much, and I think very often much more than they can learn from me, so it creates a very collaborative and very enriching experience for the both of us. 

Ultimately, there are so many setbacks, challenges, just things that you would have never guessed will be coming at you in that journey as a social entrepreneur in particular, and just being able to help them get past a few of these challenges, being there for them, supporting them, knowing that I got their backs and that many people are really rooting for their success is really important. 

In that entire process, I learn so much from them. It's really rewarding for me personally. 

You mentioned the word “challenges”, and that's also something that we would like to talk about. Have you encountered any challenges while mentoring, and how have you managed to overcome them? Do you use any of the design thinking principles while mentoring?

When I think about challenges or setbacks, there are some very personal setbacks that, of course, the founders of this particular enterprise have. But when I think about some of the challenges that we might have in between ourselves, it can also just be tricky to find the right balance between offering guidance and encouraging their independence. Like we all know, we should be asking more open ended questions that really empower them to find their own solutions, but still being very supportive and sharing expertise when needed.

So I think some of the challenges that I have personally come across here is one of the core aspects of being a good design thinker. It's really being an incredible listener, showing empathy, understanding their aspirations, their challenges, before offering any type of advice. And it's very much about them and their journey, not about me imposing my solution. So while theoretically, all of this is very clear to me, it still remains quite difficult in real life to live by those rules. 

That's what I think about when I think about some of the challenges that personally I've come across in this relationship so far. And by the way, by no means am I perfect, so it takes a lot of internal reflection to get to a point where you start to feel that what you're doing is at least a better job than what you did last time. It's all about that learning experience and being open to moving forward in the right direction.

Nobody's perfect! We believe that the real difference is self awareness and understanding how we act, so that with every next step, we can do a little better. Thank you so much for this answer. And a bit similar question, but how do you approach building a strong and effective mentor-mentee relationship?

I think it just comes down to building a strong relationship with the people and just understanding what it is that they need, how you can help, how you can support, listening, and connecting on a personal level. Because ultimately, in this type of environment, you need a lot of passion, a lot of motivation to continue what you're doing every day.

If anything, sometimes I feel like that's my most important job, just rooting from the sidelines for their success. I know there are so many things that they have to overcome, and if I can give them that little push to help with some of those challenges, I'm incredibly happy. 

Ultimately, it very much comes down to building a personal connection. I'm not their dentist. I'm really trying to help them in a different way, and it is incredibly important for them to know that I am there for them, that I am in their corner, that I'm always there to support them.

And have you ever had a mentor yourself?

Yes, I have had many, and many at the same time as well, because I think that all individuals can add something really special to your life and to your career. There can be very personal mentorships, there can be very career focused type of mentorships. 

I typically always have about two mentors who support me, preferably one inside of Google Cloud, and preferably also one that sits outside. And they have been incredibly supportive of me as well, and I think that there's a difference between having a sponsor, having a mentor, having a really good friend as well, and possibly a friend with some more experience. 

But I certainly believe deeply in this model. I think we should do more when it comes to mentorship. In the olden days, most typical jobs were done by a master and by a student. Of course I do not mean to move back to these times. But I do feel that when you are really crafting a unique skill, your ability to do that really well depends on what you've been able to learn and to gather from people that have done that job or that have that experience, that they can pass on to you. 

I believe it's a very healthy relationship as well for people to give something back. I think it's a really rewarding experience, and I will, throughout my entire life, both receive and help other people as a mentor.

Thank you for underlining that you can be both a mentor and a mentee. What advice would you give to someone who's considering becoming a mentor for the first time? Because a lot of people would wonder if  they are ready, and if they have the necessary skills to become a mentor? So when to start, and how to start?

Ultimately, I think you can start any time. I understand that there is some uncertainty around this idea of you suddenly being in a position where you're trying to help others, while at the same time, you might feel like you just mostly need a lot of help yourself. But in the process of being a mentor, I think you will find that you will get similar lessons, that you will essentially receive a lot of help in your personal growth through that relationship. 

So while I understand the question of when would be the right time, I think that if you get excited about the idea of getting to know new people that are doing something really fun or inspirational that you'd like to contribute to, if only in a tiny bit, just try it out. 

You may have heard this advice many times before about many different things, but also here it applies. Just try it out, there is no perfect time. You will never truly feel like you're doing an amazing job, and being critical to yourself on that front, it's a good thing. It means that you are aware of your potential to become better. If you would think that you would already be perfect, I would have less trust in your ability to be a good mentor than if you feel a bit uncertain about that journey. So just go ahead and try it out.

Thank you so much. We hope it will empower some people who may still hesitate to actually start and try. 

As we are reaching the end of the interview, we would really like to repeat that we are extremely grateful for all your contributions to the Social Tides program. We remember that when we reached out to you at the beginning of 2024 to ask you if you could mentor one of our beneficiaries, you expressed your enthusiasm, but you also shared that you're extremely busy. And still, you managed to make time for this. Your support has been instrumental for AI for Accessibility - thanks to your guidance they have managed to rethink their approach and create a better prototype. Thank you so much, Micha!

Thank you.