Parenting Like a Boss

The other day I read an interesting article called, “How Being a Good Boss is Like Being a Good Parent.” It was an interesting concept from a business consultant who wanted to encourage those who lead in the business world to treat their employees and teams the way a good parent would treat their own children.

As someone who constantly navigates the tension of home life and work life, sometimes it’s easy to feel like what I do at work has little to no bearing on what I do at home. But it was a good reminder not to think compartmentally about these two worlds. What if, instead of viewing my work as something completely unrelated to my parenting, I began to consider ways I can improve as an individual that will affect both the way I lead and the way I parent. It’s a win/win.

In the article, they identified three ways a good boss is like a parent:

• They both give positive stress. – At work and at home, leaders and parents provide the right kind of stress to help stretch others so they can grow and develop new skills and abilities.
• They both give public support. – Kids and co-workers need to be recognized publically. They hear the way we talk about them with others. Public loyalty and appreciation earn relational change for when you have to have harder conversations one-on-one.
• They both let others look good. – When your kid looks good, you look good. When your co-workers look good, your whole team looks good. Pretty simple.

So, what if in some areas you really can improve personally in a way that affects your professional life and your parenting? I’m sure there are more than just these three. What are some ways you are learning to lead that you can apply to your parenting this week?