When we think of leading, most of us think of that role in professional/business terms, in the job we hold. But, having led almost all of my life, I’ve realized that leading on the job isn’t NEAR as tough as being a parent, which is the ultimate leading job. Luckily, we celebrate Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June, and that makes up for all the stress and work that goes with being one... a Mom or a Dad. My Chosen Brother, Chad Ziegelbein, posted on Facebook that “Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.” Being a Dad (and Mom) is hard, Man! Here are some comparisons:
At work, you have duty/business hours! Yeah, I know some of you work more hours than you’re supposed to. But in the end, it’s a choice. Yeah, yeah, argue with me all you want. I’ve been there, and it was always my choice. Some folks will say their work requires them to work 24 hours a day, well, I ain’t buyin that! You may be on call for 24 hours, but you’re not actually working days without end. Being a parent IS a 24-hour-a-day gig! And you NEVER get a day off, EVER! NEVER! I have two wonderful daughters whom I love more than words can express. One is 44 years of age and the other 40. I remember thinking, on nights I couldn’t sleep all night worrying about them for one reason or another, how one day they’d be someone else’s responsibility, and I would be able to sleep again like I did before they were born. AIN’T HAPPENED YET! They’re both married to good men and have children of their own, but I still worry about them. Especially in this crazy world we now live in.
At work, you have rules! You know what everyone is supposed to wear and what everyone can say and do, and the consequences of not living up to those rules. One being that you can get fired! You can’t get fired from being a Mom or a Dad! Trust me, I’ve tried! You have no one to complain to when your kid doesn’t live up to the rules you set, even the ones they agreed to follow. And they don’t give you notice that they decided to change the rules. That doesn’t happen at work.
At work, you have some way that your performance is measured! Whether it’s some type of customer feedback or your periodic performance assessments, you (almost, should) know where you stand at the job. The measure of whether or not you’ve succeeded as a parent, if it ever comes, is often too late. Not that it’s always bad, but you can’t do anything about it. You expected your kid to be a doctor, but instead, became a lawyer. Man, where did you go wrong? At work, if you’re messing up, actually, usually, after you’ve MESSED up, you will hear about it. Your kids won’t tell you you’re a goofball. Well, maybe their friends will, but if your kid doesn’t tell you, you won’t believe it.
Leading at work can be tough at times. Leading a family is tough MOST of the time. Again, not that the outcome is always bad, but you have NO idea what it will be at the end. At work, the chances of producing what you’re getting paid to produce are pretty high. You hope and pray that you produce a good kid. But you’ll be wondering for a long time.
I’ve always said that the true measure of a parent’s success is this: when you tell your kid, “I love you,” and they reply, “I know.”
Be GREAT! You ARE!
¡HEIRPOWER!
bob vásquez!
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