Embracing the awkward early years

By Maggie Mowery / Guest Editorial

As the school year begins and my niece heads off to her freshman year at George Washington University, I can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. For me, the beginning of a new school year has always been a time of joyful anticipation, of embracing new opportunities. But when I mentioned how exciting I found this time of year, several people found it strange that I used to enjoy and look forward to school.

Although many people think of their school days as an awkward phase, I think that’s part of their charm. Inc. magazine recently published an article by Leigh Buchanan titled, “How to Navigate Your Startup’s Awkward Middle Years,” in which she compares a growing company to a teenager who is just starting to grow into herself.

The adolescence of a company, like the adolescence of a person, is about learning who you are, how the world works and what you need to do to make a place for yourself in it. Buchanan offers five tips to “ease the growing pains” for startups finding themselves in this developmental position:

  1. Recognize that management is a skill. In startups, management isn’t always viewed as valuable, as there is typically more focus on the people with the skills to make things happen. But our awkward teenage years are when we start to put the basics to use – now that we know how to talk, we need to learn when and how best to express ourselves.
  2. Hire a rock star COO. Young companies put the emphasis on product development, but as they mature, the same amount of focus needs to be put on operations. In high school, we start to learn that while the content of our work matters, if we don’t turn it in neatly and on time, we’ll still get lower grades that we could have earned.
  3. Get comfortable saying no. Startups take any job that comes their way, but as companies mature, they need to draw firmer limits, giving them a stronger sense of identity. Our teen years are all about establishing identity through rebellion against expectations. By telling people no, you learn what you find acceptable.
  4. Be ruthlessly focused on repeating yourself. It can be tempting in a new company to take on all kinds of new projects and test out your capabilities. Reliable growth, however, means becoming an expert. A freshman in college may take classes in every discipline at first, but will eventually declare a major and stick mainly to classes within that program.
  5. Understand that it’s not do-or-die. As long as you’re making money, it’s okay for your company not to grow right away. You can stay put for a little while. Although life eventually means we have to grow up and become adults, there’s nothing wrong with holding onto childhood for a little longer.

 

Ultimately, our teenage years are awkward because the changes we’re going through make us vulnerable. As scary as that can be, I find reason to celebrate that vulnerability. In her new book, “Rising Strong,” Brené Brown examines how falling down can be our greatest call to courage and why owning our stories of struggle gives us the power to write a daring new ending.

I see this firsthand in consulting: Leaders who face their own mistakes can treat them as opportunities for improvement. Those who can’t address problems certainly can’t begin to solve them.

Dr. Brown challenges us to “show up, be seen, live brave.” Even if your student years are over, get in the spirit of the new school year. Grab every opportunity, even if it makes you vulnerable. Celebrate your awkward moments!

 

 

 

Maggie Mowery is with Maggie Mowery Consulting, www.maggiemowery.com.