Leadership & Parenting.

Leadership & Parenting.  I had a couple of good PR breaks last week. To clarify, PR is when you are mentioned or contribute to an article which is a form of marketing, but not paid marketing like an advertisement or paid for placement.

The two came to be in different ways:  one was submitted as a contributed article, written entirely by me and run in full on The Mother Chapter.  It was submitted and we waited.  And waited.  Never sure it was going to run.  The other came about quickly and ran on Newsweek. It was in response to a reporter’s request for comment on an egregious incident at a company.  The timeline was tight, and it ran within hours of submitting my perspective.

Both articles were initially about parenting, but through a different lens, both are also lessons on leadership.  In my coaching, I often equate what it is like to lead with what it is like to parent.  You want to be consistent as a parent or leader; and you want to meet your children and your employees where they are to provide the support they need when they need it.  In both, you want to be present and empowering; knowing when to teach and when to push your child or your employee outside of their comfort zone to facilitate growth.

While The Mother Chapter asked for tips for returning to work after parental leave, the principles are sound for anyone starting a new job or returning after any type of leave: sabbatical, extended vacation, medical leave.  Re-enter by listening and coming up to speed.  Lead with ‘what if’ and ‘for now’.  Realize that the work and the company have advanced in your absence, so come up to speed with where they are now and how you can add the most value.  Most of all – show yourself grace.  Actionable tips for all employees.

Similarly, while the Newsweek article was about a woman who was in active labor and made to feel as if she had no choice but to stay for an ‘important meeting’ to show her commitment to her boss and the company, it was really about a lack of leadership.  My comments were not about the fact that she was pregnant, but instead about a workplace culture where leadership lacked empathy and compassion, where an employee did not feel safe to maintain a healthy boundary, and where inappropriate comments were allowed without recourse.

So, whether you are a parent or are a leader of people, projects or processes, there is much to be learned from the correlation between parenting and leadership.  Do you agree?  What other ways do you see similarities in the two roles?