Do you need hand holding for everything?

As business owners, we do need some handholding, but we also need to learn how to survive on our own at some point. I recently was told about a situation where a person had expected extensive hand holding in order to get a certain portion of their business going and was upset at not receiving all of the attention they somehow felt they deserved. They took actions against the other person in very childish ways.

As grown ups, we sometimes don't get what we want or what we feel we deserve. This doesn't allow you to go out of your way to harm others or cause damage to their reputation or character. As business owners, we need to learn to take charge and take advantage of any information we come across.

For example, if you have been offered opportunities for training, take notes and listen. Don't just sit through the training and then expect your trainer or mentor to hold your hand afterwards because you won't take the initiative to use the information you learned and implement it. How do you expect to your business to be a success if you act this way?

I remember when I was first learning how to ride a bike. I was scared at first and wanted my dad to hold the back of my bike so I wouldn't fall. He let go and I fell down. I cried, but then I got back on my bike and kept trying until I was able to take off on my own. I listened to what my dad had told me to do and implemented the information. I learned how to ride that bike within 30 minutes.

In business, you will not always be able to implement everything you learn that fast, but you have to be able to get out there and try what you learned until you get it right. Just as a small child grows up holding their parent's hand until they reach the age of 18, they then need to let go and try to do things on their own.

If you have been holding someone's hand for too long, let go.