Not long before having my first child, I completed my MBA. Back then, I thought I knew a thing or two about business and could manage my way along my journey to conquering the world.
Then the kiddos came along and I became the CEO of my family, if you will.
Nine years into this parenting gig and it’s really quite astonishing how valuable my business training and continuous business learning, mostly through books and online resources, has proven to be.
For moms and dads, the art of parenting calls for a skill set the business world has long touted as its own: finance, leadership, innovation, marketing, productivity, operations, accounting, strategy, information technology—whether we realize it or not, we parents are concentrating in all of them!
What’s more, the world is changing rapidly. Current economic trends offer incredible creative and educational potential for our families if we know where to look.
‘Getting Things Done, The Art of Stress-Free Productivity,’ by David Allen
When it comes to getting things done, parents face special kinds of challenges, and these change continuously with the ages and stages of our children. Luckily, we have access to the wisdom of David Allen and his tried and true methods of getting our inboxes to empty and achieving a “mind like water.”
Go whole hog and apply the entire system or choose from the book’s many helpful and simple tips, like the “2-minute rule,” which states if a task can be completed in two minutes or less, do it immediately.
‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,’ by Stephen Covey
Covey’s first three habits: 1. Be proactive; 2. Begin with the end in mind, and 3. Put first things first, focus on the individual. The next three: 4. Think win/win; 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood; and 6. Synergize, center on working with others. The last: 7. Sharpening the saw calls for continuous review and improvement.
‘The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?’ by Seth Godin
What on Earth does this have to do with parenting? So much.
First, if you’ve had your head down changing diapers and watching Elmo for a while, you might not have noticed the extent to which the world is changing. Seth Godin brings us up to speed.
Second, Godin’s book is an encouraging call to action—to see our work as art, an idea we can manifest in our work as parents and pass to our children as they embark on their own creative pursuits.
Bonus Godin:
‘The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness,’ by Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey declares, “Debt is dumb. Cash is king. And the paid off home mortgage has become the status symbol of choice,” on his radio show in which he doles out practical financial advice, he quips, “your grandmother would give.”
‘The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles,’ by Steven Pressfield
Pressfield states, “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.”
He defines resistance as “an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.”
In “The War of Art” he encourages readers to break through the resistance, offering practical advice on recognizing it and working past it. “The War of Art” offers invaluable insights to parents who aim to create anything for their families and who wish to foster an environment of creativity for their children.