For a kid and a business, here's a lesson on 'maturity'.

The weekend evening sees me whipping up a snack (its ramen, of course!) for the kids. Soon its served and the kids dig in. Brooklyn raises her hand for water and I oblige. I decide a single glass would be enough for them to share. Jaden reaches for the glass first. I tell him after he's done, he should pass the water on to his sister. He forgets, finishes the snack and gets up to leave. I say, first move the glass of water so your sister can reach it, and then leave. He does.

So here's the lesson from this incident.

The transition from adolescent to adulthood requires a move up into maturity. Pray, what is maturity? Very simply, it is the ability to see beyond yourself. That is, the ability to consider others and not be shallowly obsessed with only what's best for yourself. As a boy Jaden will need to be conditioned to see beyond himself. That's so he matures with age. Of course, the struggle to see beyond oneself is a lifelong one (hey, I know this all too well having done the selfish routine multiple times myself!). The ones who consistently can, are the ones who ace the lessons of maturity.

'Mature' firms are those that move up from mere selling to marketing. Firms that sell obsess with their products. Those that market know its about consumer solutions. The latter know that products don't matter as much as how they solve a customer's problem, fulfil a need, or pander to wants. Everything they do including their belief in internal marketing is about creating superior value for their customers.

With time I am confident Jaden will mature. He will begin to see the world as vastly more than himself. Here's hoping business firms too take a similar road to 'maturity'.