Parents Who Lead: The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life

by Stewart D. Friedman, Alyssa F. Westring

Overview

How working parents can lead more purposeful lives, characterized by harmony, connection, and impact.

Parents in today's fast-paced, disorienting world can easily lose track of who they are and what really matters most. But it doesn't have to be this way. As a parent, you can harness the powerful science of leadership in order to thrive in all aspects of your life.

Drawing on the principles of his book Total Leadership—a bestseller and popular leadership development program used in organizations worldwide—and on their experience as researchers, educators, consultants, coaches, and parents, Stew Friedman and coauthor Alyssa Westring offer a robust, proven method that will help you gain a greater sense of purpose and control. It includes tools illustrated with compelling examples from the lives of real working parents that show you how to:

• Design a future based on your core values
• Engage with your children in fresh, meaningful ways
• Cultivate a community of caregiving and support, in all parts of your life
• Experiment to discover better ways to live and work

Powerful, practical, and indispensable, Parents Who Lead is the guide you need to forge a better future, foster meaningful and mutually rewarding relationships, and design sustainable solutions for creating a richer life for yourself, your children, and your world.

For more information, visit ParentsWhoLead.net.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633696501
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	03/10/2020
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,036,108
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Stewart D. Friedman is an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School, where he has been since 1984. He founded Wharton's Leadership Program and its Work/Life Integration Project. Bestselling author, award-winning teacher, former head of Ford's leadership development center, consultant, policy advocate, radio show host, and in-demand speaker, Friedman is widely recognized for his impact in the fields of leadership, work/life integration, and talent.

Alyssa F. Westring is Associate Professor of Management at the Driehaus College of Business, DePaul University. In addition, she is Director of Research at Total Leadership. An award-winning educator, Westring shares her expertise on work/life integration and women's careers in leading academic and popular outlets, and is a frequent speaker at Fortune 500 companies.

You can find authors at:
Stewart Friedman: twitter.com/stewfriedman?lang=en and totalleadership.org/
Alyssa Westring: linkedin.com/in/alyssawestring/ and twitter.com/alyssawestring

Table of Contents

Preface: Why We Wrote This Book xiii

1 The Leadership Challenge of Your Life 1

Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life 6

Get Started 12

Find the Right Support 16

Part I Your Partnership

2 Envision Your Future Together 21

Value Values 23

Craft a Collective Vision 29

Picture Tomorrow 34

3 Embrace the Four-Way View 41

Examine the Four Domains 44

Notice How the Strands Weave 49

Overcome Inhibitions to Creative Thinking 54

Explore Both of Your Four-Way Views 57

Take the Leadership Leap 61

Part II Your World

4 Engage Your Children 69

See Parenting in View of Your Whole Life 71

Know What Children Need 81

Get on the Same Page About Your Children's Needs 87

Discover Your Children Anew 94

5 Connect with Colleagues 99

Navigate Relationships with Bosses 101

Send the Right Message to Your Direct Reports 107

Find Support Among Coworkers 110

Reach Further Out 114

6 Cultivate Your Community 121

Define Friends and Neighbors 123

Honor Childcare Providers and Teachers 127

Seek Out Members of Community Organizations 131

Take In Extended Family 135

Part III Your Evolution

7 Try a New Way 145

Think Like a Change Agent 147

Pursue Family Four-Way Wins 151

Collaborate in Creating Change 163

8 See Yourself Differently 173

Grow as a Family 181

Teach Each Other 185

Welcome Surprises 187

Postscript: Speak Out 193

Appendix: Build a Coaching Exchange 195

Give and Receive Coaching to Improve Performance 196

Launch a Coaching Exchange 197

Mind the Four C's 200

Notes 203

Index 221

Acknowledgments 233

About the Authors 237

Editorial Reviews

Advance Praise for Parents Who Lead:

"If you feel overwhelmed by the demands of work, family, and the rest of life, take back control with this insightful and compassionate book." — Daniel H. Pink, author, When and Drive

"Parents Who Lead is brilliantly done—a must-read guide that offers real solutions for working parents who strive to be values-driven leaders in today's fast-paced world." — Dave Lissy, Executive Chairman, Bright Horizons

"An inspiring guide for parents who want to succeed in their careers and make the world better for their children. It's a crucial resource for organizations committed to attracting and retaining the best people who also happen to be parents." — Anne Erni, Chief People Officer, Audible

"Parents Who Lead does not disappoint! Read this book, put it to practice, and see the results." — Samuel Allen, Senior Vice President and COO of Marketing, Salesforce

"If struggling to meet work, family, and social demands means you feel too busy to read this book, then you really need to read it! It will help you unlock creative steps to live a more grounded, spacious, and fulfilling life." — Grace Ho, Regional Lead, Women’s Recruiting and Development (Asia), McKinsey & Company

"Friedman and Westring masterfully translate social science evidence into practical steps for building the leadership capacity to cultivate our relationships with our children and all those important to their development." — Susan J. Lambert, President, Work and Family Researchers Network

"What a marvelous book! I wish I'd had it when I was a young parent, but it's equally valuable at the empty-nesting stage. The application of the Total Leadership approach to parenting shows how we can grow and lead in every area of our lives." — Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America

"The skills that define great leaders at work are surprisingly relevant to becoming a great parent at home. This book won't just help you identify those skills—it's a step-by-step guide for putting them into practice." — Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take

From the Publisher