The Most Challenging Leadership Assignment I’ve Ever Had

My daughters exploring the magic of the water coming from the rocks.

There are tears.

Screams.

Anger.

Wild emotions.

Irrational behavior.

And an infinite number of messes to clean up.

This isn’t for the faint of heart.

It comes with no formal training, onboarding documentation, or PTO. But it does come with the most privileged job title I’ll likely ever hold: Dad.

Parenting, for all its chaos, has a way of revealing what real leadership looks like.

While these not-so-tiny humans can reign terror and spark fear in us with their unpredictability, they also come with:

Hugs that heal.

Smiles that no photograph can fully capture.

Giggles that cut through the noise.

Squeals of excitement you wish you could bottle forever.

Ridiculously random, heart-melting one-liners.

Magic in the minutiae.

And the sweetest “I love you’s” you’ll ever hear.

And the scariest part?

It’s not what they do that keeps you up at night; it’s what the world might do to them.

You want nothing more than for them to be happy, healthy, and whole. For the magic, they bring to keep glowing and untouched.

In business, we don’t usually lead with that kind of emotional investment. After all, we’re not tasked with keeping our teams alive.

You can’t love your team like your kids.

But…

What if leadership wasn’t about control, but about care?

Not about authority, but about responsibility?

What if success meant creating safety, clarity, and confidence so others could grow, stretch, and evolve?

Parenthood has made me a better leader.

Because, in the end, the point isn’t perfection.

The point is presence.

It’s showing up again and again, even when it’s hard.

Especially when it’s hard.

Great leadership, at home or work, lives in how we show up:

Consistently. Vulnerably. And with care.