14 leadership activities of a parent (and all) and coaching tips to support them
Business isnt the only place leadership is used to best effect. Parents (for children and animals and partners) are building and learning skills all the time.
Its mothers day this weekend here in the UK and what better way to celebrate the great skills that are fine tuned in the domestic ‘workplace’.
- Listen
Its important to listen and allow the conversation to happen rather than to jump in and as my daughter would say “presume”. Unless you allow each member of the family to talk and more importantly for you to listen actively there can be a tendency to miss the point and make the wrong choices.
Take the time to stop and listen whist looking at the person who is talking. I am as guilty as the next person trying to do things around the house while people are trying to talk to me.
Does it remind you what you do at work to?
I wonder what would happen if I stopped what I was doing, which may mean a 5 minute delay for food, and listen?
2. Learn
The love of learning is one of my top values. I love the idea that what I learn can transform me to the best I can be a home and work. I would like to give the best start to my children and by gaining new nuggets I aim to add to that continuous development journey myself.
I read newspaper articles, nutrition and wellbeing books, listen to podcasts whilst doing the ironing and share stories with local parents. This is no different as to how I approach my more work orientated content its just for a different audience.
What are you learning today that can support you be the best leader at home?
3. Adjust
Just because you have always done it this way or that, doesn’t mean its right now. I can here people in business say well it works why change it. However we can get drawn into our own little ecosystems sometimes and miss the cues that we need to encourage the evolving ways we need to do things.
So just like in business we as parents need to stay conscious of the needs of our audiences and be supported by people asking questions or reminding us of this.
At home I have two great children who are great at keeping me on the straight and narrow and making sure I keep up with the times and we evolve together appropriately.
What are you consciously adjusting to continuously build a happy home?
4. Recognise your skills and knowing you
Knowing what your strengths are and your preferences can help where to place your energy and when to find different resources to fill the gaps.
At home is no different. We work as a team so the jobs get done in busy schedules and at the same time lessons are learnt together.
What are the activities that you love to do at home?
How are the home tasks shared and does this reflect peoples strengths?
5. Find others better than you
Listening to a great young entrepreneur today, Julianna Ponan, today I was reminded of the great skill of working with people who are better than you.
At home I am always looking at ways at improving us as a team and so I have people around me who are better. Sounds very business like it isnt as bad as that but my children seem to know their way around some things we have than I!
My Children amazing me on a regular basis and shown this is the case for which I am extremely proud. We havent fine tuned it yet but we are working on that.
Who in your home network act as those better than you?
How can you reciprocate that for others in your community?
6. Surround yourself with armour ‘sisterhood’ — they make you believe
My children are now of an age that support and encourage me what I am doing to be the best I can to support others do the same. My children are my why and also my sisterhood in cuddles, smiles and words.
Who are your sisterhood? Who are your sisterhood with your work?
7. Be authentic
Many a time what and how I do has been described as ‘Lizzie’ however being an introvert I usually keep things close to my chest. I dont want people to hear about my trials and tribulations as I am conscious everyone has their own stories to tell.
However in a world where we are connecting more with social media this feels the way that people are building trusting relationships.
I am conscious that the skill of authenticity at home is allowing me to build an open relationship with my children. Gone are the days when the ‘stiff upper lip’ is seen as the best way to work together. Keeping an open dialogue on the way back from school or in the car on the way to a hockey match is really treasured.
How are you making authenticity in your home? community?
What adjustments are you making to allow authentic relationships to build?
8. Give
Great leaders give. They give their time to share, nurture and support others in their growth.
We as parents have the same role. Sometimes this happens consciously in a conversation and others subconsciously in the acts and behaviours we display.
Giving is another value of mine and so I get energy from this. This is a fundamental act of a leader and I for one particularly love to do this.
What have you done to give this week? How has this benefitted your team at home and work?
9. Be resilient
No family is without its pain and I am very much part of that . I have a reputation of being resilient. Reflecting and acknowledging in bereavement but also keeping the energy levels high as you navigate through lifes challenges .
Keeping fit in body and mind is key to this and every leader at home or in the workplace has an important health role to play here. Starting with getting enough sleep!
What are your resilient practices?
How have you over come challenges in the past? and what strengths and lessons have you gained from these?
10. Demonstrate the behaviours that represent your values
At home is the place we should be living and representing our values as we technically have more control. There is always the concern that we are driven my our local community. Or as my Dad use to say “keep up with the Jones’
I challenge you to sit down without any distractions and ask your self.
a. What do you most like to contribute to?
b. What activities do you get most energised when doing these activities?
c. Try this questionnaire if you are still unsure
Then take the time to connect with yourself and your heart and see if what you are doing at home aligns with your values. We all know when this doesnt happen life is more stressful and hard work..make your home a happy one and leader by example.
11. Share the pain
When things go wrong, tragedies happen and change is afoot. People at work value your honesty (as much as is possible) so they can feel more empowered.
Home is no different.
I am learning to be more open with my own children and in doing so have a more open communication style. Its not always easy as you sometimes feel you have let the side down or people wont cope but its amazing even when young how supportive they can be.
I remember my mother phoning me to tell me my father had died (not unexpectedly). I was understandably upset. My son went off and returned to me having drawn this beautiful picture of me holding my fathers hand on a hill. He was only 4!
Remember people rise to the occassion and in fact you can see peoples true colours in a crisis. Home is no different.
What opportunities can you share at home that allows people to learn and ‘rise to the occasion’?
12.Give yourself time — time think, time to reflect and time to recharge
No leader is a full proof machine. When you have small children you so recognise the benefits of sleep as your little people wake in the night. The stress of making the ‘right’ choices and decisions for these special people can also keep you awake at night.
Sounds familiar as a leader? We are all human and although some people like to feel that leaders have no heart. However hard people come across on the outside no one likes to hurt a fellow human.
Its so important to give yourself ‘me’ time. It might be a modern cliche but it you dont your human machine will likely not work as well.
What are you planning today, this week and this month to allocate time for you?
We are all leaders whether at work as a professional, a leader of people, in the community and or at home. The perception of what a great leader can be different for us all but they share similar characteristics.
These characteristics I have shared with a few coaching guidelines have been my give for today.
What are yours to share and can you add any other leader characteristics for parents / home life?
I love rolling my sleeves up and getting under the skin of a significant challenge working with high energy, new and established teams (mostly entrepreneurs, tech and small businesses) to be productive, high performing and prosperous (healthy and happy).
