“I have learned that raising children is the single most difficult thing in the world to do. It takes hard work, love, luck, and a lot of energy, and it is the most rewarding experience that you can ever have.” ~Janet Reno

Many entrepreneurs might say the same thing about their companies.

Nurturing a young company or organization is not unlike nurturing a small child, one who is just learning to walk.

It requires planning, preparation, and persistence.

It is exhausting. It is exacting. It is exhilarating.

It demands constant vigilance, endless observation, and consistent messaging.

And it is perhaps the most meaningful, rewarding work there is.

Someone I know well rose through the leadership ranks in large, public companies over the course of the last 25 years.

A few years ago, he took a new position at a private global business. I asked him how he was adjusting to the switch with no more living and dying by quarterly earnings reports.

His response: “There’s a lot more freedom. This is their baby. Once they know you’re caring well for the baby, they leave you alone to do what’s best for it.”

Maybe, if we treated our job as though it was our baby, we’d be a little more careful with it.

And enjoy it a lot more.