I spend much of my time speaking and writing about the role that choice plays in our ability to reach our leadership potential. I often tell my clients that true leadership starts with choosing to become a leader. As with all rules, there are always exceptions. There will always be leadership roles that are thrust upon us. For me, that was the case with fatherhood. When my wife and I chose to become parents, we considered many things, but we never thought about the leadership implications. During the past fifteen and a half years, I have learned that being a father is the most important leadership role I will ever play. Even though I didn’t choose to lead when I chose to become a father, I have chosen how to grow into this vital role, and I hope fathers everywhere will do the same.
So this Sunday, when my family is honoring me as a father, I will reflect on the choices I have made and will make in how I lead my children. What lessons am I teaching them about how they will lead? How am I helping them prepare themselves for the leadership challenges they will face? Am I teaching them to know who they are and how to live in a way that reflects that knowledge? Am I helping them learn what they want? What do my behaviors teach them about earning and retaining the trust of others? What kind example am I setting for them?
I was lucky. I had a great example to learn from, my father. Moe Moran was and remains the model I aspire to. Although we lost Moe back in 2009, he continues to influence me in many ways. His love, wisdom and strength made him an extraordinary father and leader. Consider the leadership of your own father, or seek out other father leaders as role models. They are there. You just need to look. They may be people you know, or they may be people you’ve read about or studied in school. They may even be fictional characters. Here are a few historical and fictional father leaders worth investigating:
Whoever they are, learn from them and invest in becoming the father and leader your children need you to be. By the way, even if you aren’t a father, you can still lead like one. Happy Fathers Day!
Glen Schwier
May 6, 2013 at 12:30 amWhether you’re expecting your first child or your kids are grown and on their own, being a dad is a new experience. When my wife was pregnant, we decided to have a homebirth. We hired a doula and two midwives. I won’t tell you how much it cost. According to them and other experts, labor was going to last 10-12 hours. My son had other plans. My wife’s labor was so short that the only other person in the room when he was born was – guess who? – me. After nine months of preparing to support my wife in the birth of my first child, there I was, with no medical training, serving as midwife, doula, and doctor. I fought off the strong desire to run out of the room as fast as possible. When I caught Joaquin, I experienced pure exhilaration and love. :^
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