One of my favorite songs in recent years is “Turn It Around” by the band Lucius. As much as I had loved listening to it, I never bothered to read the lyrics until months after hearing it the first time. And while I know the two women behind the band intended to tell a different story, I couldn’t help but draw parallels to our work at Junto, and to entrepreneurs, in general. Here are the lyrics.
She felt comatose waiting for this thing to grow
She’s impatient ’cause she wants it now and so it shows
She can’t be bothered by the ties that bind her
She’s united when it strangles everything it holds
She’s looking through the wrong end
She’s looking through the wrong end
She’s looking through the wrong end of the telescope
Turn it around, turn it around
She closed the door with the intention of not looking back
But missed her step because she didn’t have a steady track
She can’t be bothered by the mistakes she has made
She’s forgetting that’s what guides you to the rightful path
[chorus]
As suspected back at home it grew out of control
Well, that can happen when you leave things to a little girl
So now she’s left without an option at hand
She better tend to it or she won’t have another chance
While I expect that some of the lyrics will resonate with most founders and entrepreneurs, it’s the chorus that relates to our work at Junto.
Perhaps the most common feedback we get from our members is that they gain a new perspective on their companies, especially from mentors, all of whom are seasoned operators who have “been there, done that.” But it’s also the peer-to-peer learning that provides that benefit.
Most of the the wisdom and shared experiences they hear is a result of mistakes and failures that all those people have made. And they often lead to “a-ha!” moments when they realize they either need to zoom in and focus on something, or zoom out and see the big picture.
In other words, they learn that they may have been looking through the wrong end of the telescope.
