Ten Skills That Will Help You Be A Wonderful Parent

Today I want to talk about a very important skill-set that can help you excel in many areas of life including, but definitely not limited to, being a parent.

Sometimes, I find people have difficulty recognizing that the same skills they use at work, as a volunteer or even to calm down an upset best friend, can also be used with their kids. The reverse is true as well… the skills that you learn in order to be a better parent, can help you with your colleagues, employees, neighbours and friends.

Of course, it's going to work better for all involved if you use level-appropriate language, but the main idea behind it remains the same.

So, today I'm going to share how you can use the same skills that will help you excel as a boss or leader to be a wonderful parent, because – let's face it, life is already busy enough without having to develop separate skill sets for everything we do.

Just to be clear… You might not be a boss or you might not be involved in raising kids right now…however, the topic I'm going to cover, can help you in all of your relationships…so what we're talking about today can help you land that promotion at work, get along better with the people you volunteer with, create a solid foundation with your loved ones, whether kids are in the picture are not; and they can certainly help you be a wonderful parent.

On top of that, they can also ease your 'to do' list, decrease stress and allow you to multi-purpose in areas that you might have previously overlooked.

Why look at your boss?

Since most of us are familiar with bosses or leaders of some sort, I like to use them as a way to help you zero in on the kinds of qualities that to you make a person great. These might be people you know personally, they can be from a TV show, movie or book…they might even be a blend of several people you know.

Whatever the case, if you focus on the qualities that separate an ordinary boss from a really great boss and then apply them to your own communication strategies, you access some really valuable insider information about how you can excel in life & if you want it, guidance for  which skills you want to expand upon.

Anyone can boss others around…but not everyone will be a great boss. So let's figure out what makes a great boss great in your eyes and then use that information to expand your skills.

Let's start by thinking about a really great boss

Someone who you've admired as a leader – it could be a boss, coach, teacher, club member, team leader, etc… Someone who has authority over you and inspires you to put your best foot forwards

What did you admire about him or her?

How did they motivate you?

How did they make you feel heard, cared for, inspired, loyal?

If you like, grab a pen and paper and jot down your ideas or, for now just think about it and see what comes up.

Chances are, although they were great, they probably weren't perfect if they are a real person, so if you find some of their faults coming up, write those down too in a different list because we can use those things to help us create qualities we wish they would have had.

In fact, if you can't even think of a boss or leader you've admired – no worries; humans are wired to retain the negative more easily than the positive - so don't fight it. Instead, just start your list with the things you didn't like.

First, if you have a great leader you can focus in on, write down the things they did that brought out the best in you. Then jot down the things you didn't care for.

I've had a couple of really wonderful bosses. One of them I liked because she laughed often – even at herself when warranted. She took responsibility for her actions, admitted when she didn't know things, had my back when needed, gave compliments out freely, but only when they were earned, and so on.

I also had several less than stellar bosses…

Listen to the podcast to gain insight on how to use your 'less-than-great' bosses to flesh out your good quality list. I also share 10 of the qualities I think great bosses have that can transfer to every relationship you have and explain how you can use those to build excellent relationships in your life.

If you struggle with any of these skills or are dealing with challenging relationships right now, set up a complimentary discovery call and I'll help you apply some of these skills in your life.

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