Leaders & Parents
- Advoco
- Feb 25, 2022
- 2 min read
I have always approached my role as a leader the same way I approach parenting. I personally feel like leading is very much a part of developing the other person. Isn’t that fundamentally the same as a parent’s responsibility?
Yes, the things we are developing have some things in common and some not in common. For example, I may be teaching software as a leader, but as a parent I might be teaching proper table manners. But there is lots of overlap! As both a leader and a parent we are teaching ethics and honesty.
I came across a poem by Gemma Douglas that captured this overlap between leader and parent so well. I simply replaced every “parent” with the word “leader,” and it fit perfectly.
I try so hard to gentle parent.
But I don’t do it all the time.
Because sometimes I’m the impatient parent,
the reactive parent and the struggling parent.
Sometimes I’m the anxious parent,
the exhausted parent and the overwhelmed parent.
But I’m also the committed parent,
the loving parent and the forever-trying parent.
If you want to be a great leader, think about the responsibility you are taking on, but also be realistic that we aren’t perfect. Look back on your childhood, did you parents do it all exactly right? Well of course not, but they didn’t stop trying.
So, why would we do anything different or expect anything different as a leader?
Until next time, we are Advoco…make every minute count.
About Michelle: It’s hard to find someone that doesn’t like Michelle – she’s easy to talk to, she’s a wealth of knowledge about EAM, she’s relatable, and to top it all off, she’s fun to be around! Her Infor EAM life started at a university that used the product to manage facilities. She has since built up and manages our Post Implementation Consulting team. When Michelle isn’t helping our customers, you can find her in her garden preparing vegetables for canning or touring the Upstate on her motorcycle! Have a question for Michelle? Send her an email!
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