Why look to the business world for parenting advice? There are many comparisons, which future posts will show. What got me started on the comparions? Years ago, I had the opportunity to be a founding director of a NAEYC accredited preschool program. During the ten years on the job, I interacted with about 1000 families. Many of the parents either had or were ensconced in very successful business careers. One particular parent stands out in my memory. She was a vice president of a large corporation. During a parent conference we were were discussing some challenges she was having getting her child to cooperate with simple requests. Her very precocious four year old either argued with her or simply ignored her for most requests that had no choice (i.e. putting his coat on, turning the t.v. off, getting dressed for school). Knowing that she was a successful leader in her profession, I asked her how she was able to get buy-in for her ideas at work . “Teamwork,” she said. In the business world, good leaders work with their team towards a common goal, as opposed to telling people their way is is the right way. ‘The same is true for parenting,” I shared. So the “demand” of getting your coat on became the shared challenge about the best method to put a coat on. The request didn’t change, only the method for achieving the request. The method to complete the task became less demanding and more cooperative.
So who do business leaders look to for leadership advice? Here’s one of my favorites – Lessons from Geese. The advice of the geese has been a source of advice and reflection for me in the last three leadership positions I’ve had. I colleague recently noted the lessons to be true for families as well.
Stay tuned for our next post – Parenting Principle #3 (hint: it’s going to have something to do with teamwork).
The Business of Parenting 