Blog

Number 118

After years as a well-staffed senior federal official, Sherry Little was nervous when she contemplated becoming one of the first partners in a new company. Not only did she have to quickly learn to behave like an entrepreneur, but also she had to perform effectively without the expertise and structure she had come to take for granted.

The first year is now behind her, however, and Sherry has played a key role in founding a promising company. Here are some of the points that Sherry kept in mind as she navigated her transition year:

• Try an M&M&M. When she was feeling stress, Sherry reminded herself to stay focused on “the 3 M’s”:
  • Mentors. Sherry sometimes found it difficult to address administrative and organizational issues now that she no longer had professional staff support, but what made it easier was her wide circle of friends and mentors. She regularly borrowed expertise from others. For example, when she had to make early choices about office technology, she sought help from her tech-savvy best friend, Andrea Wilkinson.
  • Mistakes. As she took off in new directions, Sherry gave herself permission to make mistakes. Instead of freezing at the thought of a false step, Sherry told herself that missteps are a natural part of moving forward. She says that she made plenty of mistakes in 2009, but interestingly they sometimes provided her most important learning opportunities.
  • Moxie. Even though she was sometimes frightened, Sherry tried to consistently act like a woman with “moxie,” which she defines as including enthusiasm, energy and vision. When she was uncertain, she tried to imagine how she would behave if she actually felt a surge of moxie, and then she acted accordingly.
• Help others. Sherry has been around Washington long enough to be turned off by the climbers who engage in tunnel-visioned self-promotion. In her government jobs she frequently tried to give others a boost, and she promised herself that she would keep up that practice, even when feeling the pressure to launch a new business. As she looked back on the year, Sherry realized that several great opportunities actually developed from steps that she took simply to assist other people in their careers.
• Exercise. Recognizing that she would miss the structure provided by her government job, and knowing that she needed to be fit in order to work at a grueling pace, Sherry decided to build exercise into her daily calendar. She selected a series of yoga classes, hired a trainer, and committed to work out every weekday.
• Make lists. Sherry built her success one list at a time. She started every day by reviewing and refining her “to do” list, and she used lists to keep track of projects, to coordinate with colleagues and clients, and to keep moving even when she didn’t feel like it.