You Can’t Just “Change the World” | 3 Tips from David Turkell (ScaleHealth)

Did someone say, “Yes We Can”? David Turkell, former Field Organizer on the Obama campaign trail & the Director of Communications at ScaleHealth in LA, shared his two cents on budding startups seeking to promote positive change in our recent episode of Demo Day. 

ScaleHealth is a global health innovation ecosystem at the nexus of healthcare, government and entrepreneurship. If this sounds like your company, listen to the full episode with David or read our top three takeaways below!

1. Meet the people who completely disagree with you.

As a tried-and-true progressive, David nearly scoffed at the idea of meeting with Newt Gingrich—the politician named Time Magazine’s 1995 Man of the Year for “his role in ending the four-decades-long Democratic majority in the House.” In spite of himself (and his many Twitter followers), David took the meeting and learned that Gingrich sought to start a crowdsourcing idea machine to end gridlock. 

Although it was never launched, this could’ve been a major innovation to bridge the partisan schedule. David realized that change can only happen through communication—and not just with those who agree with you. If you’ve hit a lull, or truly want to affect change with your business, you’ll have to step outside your comfort zone and collaborate with different points of view. 

2. You can’t just “change the world.”

One thing that bugs David is when a couple of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed founders proclaim that they “want to change the world,” without first considering those in their own neighborhood. ScaleHealth believes VCs should help their community—the people and stories close to home. 

If you have a startup seeking to “do good,” start with considering for whom, then work to demystify the barriers that affect them. A great starting place is to consider your own team: does the demographic of your office reflect the demographic of your city?

If not, how can you change it?

3. Always ask how you can support people.

David learned this on the campaign trail—while he and his colleagues worked seven days a week for “chump change.” It’s a fool-proof way to help with work-life balance and cohabitation—especially in a chaotic startup environment where your team is like family. When you trust, empower, and support your team—they’ll be more likely to take ownership of their work and your company. 

It’s a win-win situation…and David certainly knows a thing or two about being on a winning team. 

Want to Learn More?

Hear David talk about his time on the Obama campaign trail, “vulture capitalists,” the art of community, and more. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our Demo Day Website.

And let us know in the comments below what you learned from David!