An executive-coaching client of Sanyin’s recently made an offhand comment that revealed something stunning about parenting over the past year. A busy executive with three kids and an equally busy working spouse, she quipped, “Who knew my kitchen would turn into my executive coach?” When Sanyin asked what she meant, she listed a litany of experiences from around her kitchen table: keeping her kids creatively engaged in their school activities while planning a meal and while, on the other side of the room, her laptop was logged into a virtual strategy session with her team. She reflected, “What I had to learn this past year to keep all my worlds integrated was a crucible I’d never wish on anyone. I know I had it better than many working parents. But I gained some new skills that will serve me well going forward.”
What Pandemic Parenting Can Teach Us About Leadership
Merging our home and work lives was a crash course that none of us anticipated.
June 25, 2021
Summary.
Though there’s no silver lining to be gleaned from the untold strife of the pandemic, as millions of working parents ready for a return to office work, there are key lessons we can all take back with us about leading our teams and how we show up. The authors present four ways not to let your hard-earned leadership lessons from WFH parenting go to waste. First, use peer data to hone quick decision-making skills. Second, learn how to serial-task (not multi-task). Third, manage a diverse team. Finally, trade perfectionism for compassion. None of us would ever choose to repeat the heartache of the pandemic. But it did yield invaluable leadership lessons we shouldn’t leave behind.
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New!
HBR Learning
Leading People Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.