What if the secret to extraordinary leadership was hiding in your parenting style all along 🤔

Let’s be honest: whether you’re leading a team meeting or negotiating bedtime with a toddler, both roles require nerves of steel, a sense of humor, and the patience of a saint. As a leadership coach and parenting strategist, I’ve spent years watching C-suite executives and parents alike sweat through high-stakes negotiations, sometimes over quarterly budgets, sometimes over broccoli. (Spoiler: broccoli negotiations are tougher.)

That’s why I developed the P.A.R.E.N.T. Model for Leadership - a framework inspired by the real, messy, hilarious, and deeply human world of parenting. Because let’s face it, if you can survive a toddler’s tantrum in the supermarket, you can handle just about any boardroom drama.

 Meet the P.A.R.E.N.T. Model: Your New Leadership Superpower

 Here’s the secret sauce:

 💎 Patience: Growth takes time, whether you’re nurturing a team or a tiny human. Leaders who practice patience recognize that real change doesn’t happen overnight. (Unless you count the time my children learned to say “no” in three languages. That was fast.)  

💎 Adaptability: The only constant is change. Adapting to new circumstances is crucial in both parenting and leadership. If you’ve ever had to pivot from “we’re having a healthy dinner” to “fine, it’s pizza night,” you know what I mean.

💎 Resilience: Setbacks are inevitable. Overcoming obstacles, whether it’s a failed project or a Lego underfoot at 3 a.m., is what makes leaders-and parents-stronger.

💎 Empathy: Emotional intelligence is your best friend. Understanding and managing emotions (yours and others’) helps you resolve conflicts and motivate your team. Or, in my case, resolve who gets the last cookie.

💎 Nurturing Growth: Encouraging independence and learning isn’t just for kids. High-performing teams thrive when leaders nurture their growth and independence.

💎 Trust: High-performing teams (and happy families) are built on trust and psychological safety. If your team trusts you, they’ll follow you anywhere - even if “anywhere” is the land of last-minute deadlines and surprise PowerPoint presentations.

My Story: From Playroom to Boardroom

 I used to believe leadership was all about charisma, strategy, and having the right answers. Then I became a parent. Suddenly, my “leadership training” involved negotiating with a three-year-old over whether pants were really necessary for preschool. (They are, by the way. Most of the time.)

That’s when it hit me: the skills I was honing as a parent - patience, adaptability, resilience, empathy, nurturing growth, and trust - were exactly the same skills my executive clients needed to lead their teams through uncertainty and change.

Parenting wasn’t a distraction from leadership; it was a masterclass in it!

Why This Model Works (and Why You’ll Love It)

The P.A.R.E.N.T. Model isn’t just theory - it’s a practical, evidence-based approach that bridges the gap between home and work. Research shows that humour, flexibility, and emotional intelligence aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re essential for effective parenting and leadership alike. And let’s be real: if you can use humour to defuse a tantrum, you can use it to break the ice in a tense meeting.

Try It Yourself: Are You Ready to Lead Like a Parent?

So, here’s my provocative question for you: What if your next leadership breakthrough comes from embracing your inner parent? What if the skills you use to raise resilient, independent kids are the very same ones that will make you an extraordinary leader?

I challenge you to pick one element of the P.A.R.E.N.T. Model this week - maybe it’s practicing a little more patience or showing empathy to a struggling colleague - and see what happens. And if you need a little inspiration, just remember: if all else fails, there’s always pizza night. 😉

Ready to Transform Your Leadership?

 If you’re curious about how the P.A.R.E.N.T. Model can help you or your organization, let’s connect! Whether you’re leading a team, a family, or both, you deserve support, laughter, and a proven framework for growth.

 👉 What’s your biggest leadership (or parenting) challenge right now? Drop me a message - I’d love to hear your story and help you turn chaos into confidence!

P.S. If you ever want to swap stories about boardroom blunders or bedtime battles, I’m all ears. After all, leadership is a team sport - and sometimes, it takes a village (and a sense of humour) to raise a leader.