Leadership Lessons from an Unknowing Leader - My Mother!

Much of who I am today can be credited to how I was brought up and I have my parents to thank for that and more specifically, my mother - Dina Antonios . While reflecting on my upbringing, as I strive for being a better father myself, I realized that my mother has taught me many lessons in leadership, two of which have tremendously impacted the way I care for my children and live my life.

She ...

... cultivated a safe space for me to grow. Growing up, I always felt safe to be anything I wanted to be, and was made to believe that no dream is ever too big. I was allowed to try new things and fail at many of them. She was always there to support me in my conquests and defeats. She often played the role of the devil's advocate to challenge me to think more thoroughly, but she never shut me or any of my ideas down. When I decided to pursue a new idea or passion or trend, she made sure to read up about it to further show her support, regardless of what she thought of it.

... promoted open and regular communication. I don't recall my mother ever using the words "Because I said so ... " or any version of that statement. Quite the opposite was true in our household, I was pushed to ask "WHY", something she may have regretted later because that meant I could never shut up and was in constant probe mode. Whatever I was going through, be that emotional, physical, mental, and/or existential, I could always openly talk about it and, more importantly, I felt heard without prejudice or bias. We would argue, negotiate, discuss, agree, disagree, compromise, win some, lose some .. as long as we talked!

Now imagine having that attitude adopted by your boss at work, how would that make you feel? Let me know your thoughts ...