Parent as leader - How to carry your leadership skills with you in all domains of life

If leadership is defined as the process of social influence that maximizes the efforts of others and leads to positive outcomes, should it be limited to the workplace?

I believe that leadership goes way beyond the office walls. Practicing leadership skills in everyday life can help build better relationships with family, neighbors, and community members.

The leadership principles of Connected, Valued, and Empowered from MCG’s Dynamic Engagement model can also assist parents in their attempts to become nurturing mothers or fathers.

At first sight, this might sound counterintuitive as parents may believe they need to leave all work-related skills at work. However, applying these principles to the parenting arena is highly beneficial, as raising children can be compared to leading others in the business setting. And here’s why.

• Great leaders are capable of offering guidance, training, and encouragement. And that’s exactly what great parents do, planting the seeds of well-being in their children and nurturing kids’ ability to spread their wings.
  
• Leadership is all about providing just the right amount of autonomy. A good leader knows how to empower an employee and when to step in. Good parenting skills are also both about giving children autonomy and setting healthy boundaries.
  
• Great leaders and parents alike built relationships based on open and honest communication.
  
• Just like employees incorporate the values and attitudes of their leaders, kids are likely to mimic parents’ behaviors and grow up a lot like their parents. Thus, both leaders and parents can either stimulate or undermine personal growth and performance outcomes.
  
• To be successful, an effective leader and a great parent need to develop such competencies as self-awareness, empathy, social skills, and the ability to manage emotions.
  
• Great parents and influential leaders focus on building trust in their relationships, are clear about their values and have a vision of where they’re headed and why.

We’re not saying to treat your employees like children and treat your children like employees, but rather notice how you show up in challenging situations both at work and at home. What better way to grow as a leader than to experiment with leadership behaviors across all domains of your life?

Do you, as a parent, think of yourself as a leader? 

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