‘Give Away Your Legos’ and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups

http://firstround.com/review/give-away-your-legos-and-other-commandments-for-scaling-startups/

Embrace the "Give Away Your Legos" Philosophy

The central metaphor of the article is that in a scaling startup, your job is like playing with Legos. Initially, you have a lot of Legos and can build whatever you want. As the company grows and new people are hired, you have to share your Legos. The natural instinct is to hold on to what you've built, to micromanage, or to feel threatened. The key learning point is to fight this instinct. To grow personally at the same pace as the company, you must be willing to give away your responsibilities, the "Lego towers" you've built, to others. This allows you to move on to building bigger and better things.

Understand That Scaling is Counterintuitive and Uncomfortable

Scaling a company is an inherently chaotic and stressful process. It's filled with ambiguity and constant change. A key takeaway is to recognize that the emotional turmoil you and your team feel is normal. Leaders should actively communicate this to their teams. When employees start asking questions like, "Why did we hire that person?" or "Is So-and-so taking over my project?" it's a sign that it's time to talk about the "give away your Legos" philosophy.

Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy

http://waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy.html

The Happiness Equation

A core concept of the article is that happiness can be understood with a simple equation: Happiness = Reality - Expectations. When your reality exceeds your expectations, you're happy. When your expectations are higher than your reality, you're unhappy. Generation Y yuppies (or "GYPSYs," as the author calls them) often find themselves in the latter category.

Why Expectations Are So High

The article suggests that Generation Y was raised by Baby Boomer parents who, after experiencing significant economic prosperity, encouraged their children to "shoot for the moon." This led to a generation that is wildly ambitious, not just seeking a stable and prosperous career, but a fulfilling one. They were often told they were special and could achieve anything, leading to a sense of entitlement and the belief that a great career is a given.