Tips to be a better parent (From a parent, not me!)
Enjoy!
DK
I am a fan of the show Undercover Boss.
In case you have never seen the show…
CEO’s of major corporations go “undercover” and work as new employees in their own organization to check on the health of their own organization and employees!
I am telling you, if you have never seen the show…it’s must see TV for sure.
So last week, Stephen J. Coolbeck, the CEO of Diamond Resorts International slapped on a hideous wig, grew a gotee and put on some retro 80′s eye wear and went under cover.
And what he found was astonishing!
He found employees that risked life and limb for his organization, employees that cared as much as he did, employees that had been under trained, employees that weren’t making a fair wage, employees that sucked, employees that were over worked and employees that had no business working in his business.
So at the very end of the show, Stephen invited the employees he worked with to his home to reveal his true identity as well as encourage or confront their behavior.
This is the part of the show where you need a box of Kleenex! On this particular episode I had to fight back tears in front of my family to keep my macho image intact.
To one man that had recently lost his savings in a bad business deal…Stephen paid off his 150k mortgage and gave him an extra 50k cash.
To one young lady that was taking care of her sick mom…Stephen gave her a significant amount of cash to offset some medical expenses.
To the young lady that did a horrible job…Stephen paid off her school loan and helped her get the training she needed to advance in the company.
So you may be wandering what does Undercover Boss have to do with parenting. Well, I learned several leadership lessons from Stephen Coolbeck that inspired me to be a better parent.
1. Irrational Generosity: This man went above and beyond the call in duty and was irrationally generous with his employees and he inspired me to be irrationally generous with my kids. Most importantly I was inspired to be generous with my time. Some parents buy into the QUALITY over QUANTITY theory when it comes to time. Nice try mom and dad! Your kids need your time more than they need anything else.
2. Blessing In Failure: This man blessed those that didn’t deserve his blessing. This is Jesus stuff here. My heavenly Father blesses me when I don’t deserve it as well as when I fail. Stephen taught me that in the midst of my kids failures, they need my blessing…so that I can prove my love is not based on their performance.
3. Honest Compassion: As I watched the show, this multimillionaire had a pure and honest compassion for the hurts and struggles of his employees. As a parent, I can get so busy that I forget to have compassion and “feel” the hurt of my kiddos. Yeah, I feel the “tough” stuff they are going through…but Stephen inspired me to have compassion in the smallest of details in my kids lives.
4. Intent Listening: As Stephen worked alongside his employees, I was amazed…because he truly listened. He took note of names, challenges and loves of his employees. I must admit…many times in conversations with my kids I am a “distracted listener”. Stephen inspired me to be an intent listener and to really pay attention to the voice and stories of my kids.
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