“The fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” (Jeremiah, Book 31, Verse 29)

“When fathers are actively involved with their children, children do better,” explains Paul Amato, a sociologist who studies parent-child relationships at Pennsylvania State University. “Research suggests that fathers are important for a child’s development.”

Studies have shown that when fathers are affectionate and supportive, it greatly affects a child’s cognitive and social development. It also instills an overall sense of well-being and self-confidence. Fathers, like mothers, are pillars in the development of a child’s emotional well-being. Children look to their fathers to lay down the rules and enforce them. Research on Motherhood has dominated the past but now there have been many pieces of research done on the Father effect as well which is now objective and documented Phenomenon.The effect is immense in the presence of Father but presence alone is not enough but the quality of time spent is much more important than the quantity of time.

The characteristic which one develops in any of the roles in their life whether in personal or work life surely impacts other areas as well. Thus when I see any of the definitions of leadership and see from a father’s point of view, it does not seem to be different. Few definitions below which are common to both Fathers and a Leader in an organization who are Indispensable part of different families.

Leadership is not wielding Authority-It’s empowering people – Becky Brodin

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality – Warren G. Bennis

The size of the Leader is determined by the depth of the convictions, the height of his ambitions, the breadth of his vision, and the reach of his love – D.N. Jackson

There are different attributes which are common to a Father and a Leader and those are many but some of the most important qualities for being an effective dad can be especially useful when leading a team or an organization. Let me list down my top 5 of them which helps one to become highly effective in their Journey of life.

1. Vision

For a Father getting the first glimpse of his child, is one of the most beautiful and magical feelings one could have ever felt and the moments he holds his child in his hand, there are different feelings at the same time but a Father creates a Vision in his mind for the child and then throughout he sees the potentials and interest of the child to support to achieve what they want to and whatever their natural gifts are and accordingly supports to achieve the best future their child can have. Visionary Leaders also have the very important traits of seeing things beyond others’ visibility and thus he identifies when, where and how resources are to be used for mutual benefits of both the Team members as well the Organizations. Leaders must have some very important traits of being persuasive, charismatic, and have high emotional IQ. Leaders who are visionary can articulate a vision for the future, and the path others must take to reach it.

2. Trust

Steven Covey in his book The 7 habits of highly effective people mention a very captivating topic as Emotional bank account and he describes it as we deposit money in a Financial account and build up a reserve from which we can make withdrawals when we need to, similarly an Emotional bank account is a metaphor that describes the amount of trust that’s’ been built up in any relationship. If one makes deposits into an Emotional bank account with somebody through courtesy, kindness, honesty, and commitments, a reserve is built up. Trust becomes higher and this built up reserve will compensate in the future even if any mistake is made. When a trust reserve is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective. This is so relevant for any relationship and thus if a large reserve is not sustained by continuing deposits, any relationship will be deteriorated.

3. Empowerment

Empowerment is about instilling and encouraging the people around you and I believe Father has a huge role and responsibility to empower his child gradually by understanding and anticipating what and when a child needs to get the confidence to accomplish anything throughout their life. Empowering is about allowing the mistake to happen, investing in skills required, being transparent, Shared responsibilities, distribution of power so that there is the freedom to decide, have the competence to do any job with purpose in their mind. Any leader has exactly the same responsibility to empower their team members so that they have a sense of Impact, can create the difference, and gain confidence.

4. Integrity

Integrity is defined as the “quality of being honest and being consistent on strong morals and Values”. Children watch Parents’ behavior all the time much more than parents realize. One of the most important steps to prosper a child’s integrity is to articulate family values and live by it and the Man of Integrity has a major role in being a role model consistently.

Similarly, Leaders who adhere to their moral, values, and honesty consistently, inspire the people around more than others. When one demonstrates integrity, people get drawn as you are principled and will be counted on to behave ethically under any circumstances.

If you don’t value YOUR values, YOU will not be Valued -Divesh

5. Courage

There are many instances in life when a father manages risk foreseeing it in advance by taking some courageous decisions or help his child take some decision to achieve what they aspire for. A father needs courage for many aspects of crafting a meaningful life – a life that embodies your personal values and has a positive effect on the child

“Courage is not about being fearless; it’s about making brave decisions despite fear.”-Mark Twain

Leaders inspire others by the way they manage risks, take decisions with confidence. As Aristotle says, “Courage is the first virtue as it makes all virtues possible”. In a book called The Courage Map by Franziska Iseli mentions “Committing to courage means making a plan to grow and taking action. Understand your goals. Identify the areas of your life in which you’d like to become more courageous. Then pick and choose; don’t try to grow in every area at once. Master one or two areas and move on to new challenges.”

A person has multiple roles and responsibilities in their daily life and each one is expected to be played perfectly and on a consistent basis which is not at all easy but it may become easier and effective when one identifies the Core Val-YOU which integrates with all the roles to inspire either as Father or Leader or many more.