#036: The Ultimate Dad Playbook: Setting the Standard with Three Pillars

Embark on a journey of intentional fatherhood with Rob Rohde in this episode, where he introduces the Three Pillars Method—a unique approach to shaping your impact in the new year.

Overview:
In this episode, Rob Rohde shares his perspective on the new year, focusing on the essential elements of fatherhood—connection, protection, and instruction. Ditch traditional resolutions as he guides fathers through a transformative Three Pillars Method designed to shape a purposeful impact in their families.

Key Highlights:

• Discover the significance of the Three Pillars: Connection, Protection, and Instruction.
• Gain insights into evaluating and improving your connection with your children.
• Explore the role of protection, from physical safety to emotional support and provision.
• Understand the importance of active instruction, fostering personal growth and instilling values.
• Learn how to set intentional goals in each pillar, creating a legacy of purposeful fatherhood.

What to Expect:
By the end of this episode, you'll have a fresh perspective on setting intentional goals for the new year, focusing on the core elements that truly matter in fatherhood—connection, protection, and instruction.

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Transcript

Rob Rohde: 0:02

You are listening to The Business of Being Dad. Get ready as we delve into the world of fatherhood, leadership and legacy. I'm Rob Rohde, your humble host and fellow single father, and I'm so excited you're here to join us. This podcast was intentionally designed for you, men who believe they're destined for greatness, those who never settle for excuses but instead take meaningful action, and individuals who reject the notion of being ordinary. We're here for the ones who understand that being a phenomenal leader goes hand in hand with being an exceptional father. Why? Because we believe in you. We believe you hold the power to shape your identity as a man, a father and a leader. We believe you are the architect of your future and you get to determine the impact and legacy you'll leave behind. So get ready to explore the depths of personal growth, strengthen family bonds and create a legacy that resonates through time. Together, we'll rise, inspire and change. Let's get started. Well, hey there, dads, and happy new year to you. I'm Rob Rohde, and I want to thank you for tuning into another episode of The Business of Being Dad. Today, we are going to enter a discussion that is specifically designed for you. It's designed for fathers who are committed to making a significant impact on the lives of their families. We're going to dive into a fresh perspective on the new year with the three pillars method to setting goals, and you can forget about typical New Year's resolutions. That is not what this episode is about. There are a million episodes out there that are designed to help you create New Year's resolutions or the typical methods for establishing goals, but this is going to be something different. This is about honing in on the core elements that define your role and shape your impact as a father, and those elements are connection, protection and instruction. So if you're ready to set your intentions for the coming year and focus on the areas that truly matter, then this episode is for you. Are you ready? Let's go.

Rob Rohde: 2:16

As a single father, I have come to realize that the basis of my journey, the foundation, really lies in three areas. It lies in the strength of my connection with my kids, it lies in ensuring their protection and well-being and it lies in actively engaging in their instruction and growth. These pillars have become a compass. It doesn't only kind of shape my year, but it helps me design what I want to be as a father. So you see, as I developed this methodology, my mission was pretty clear. I wanted to create a framework for fathers like you and me. I wanted to help us set intentional goals in the key areas of fatherhood. Why? Because I believe that by focusing on connection, protection and instruction, we're not just going to improve our present role as fathers, but we are creating a legacy, and it's about becoming the best fathers that we can be and leaving a lasting impact on the lives of our kids. So let's dive in.

Rob Rohde: 3:21

First up, we're going to talk about connection. It is not just about being present, although that is a key piece of it, but it is about establishing a deep emotional connection with our kids. This pillar involves being attentive and understanding, creating an environment where open communication can thrive, and there are some fatherly characteristics associated with connection that include empathy, active listening and quality time spent together. Next up is protection. As fathers, it is ingrained in us to safeguard our children. No one has to tell any father that his role is to stand between his family and danger, between his family and anything that could bring harm to them. And this pillar encompasses that. It encompasses physical safety, emotional support and provision, and the fatherly characteristics associated with protection include providing a safe and secure home for your kids, offering them guidance, being a reliable and comforting presence, and then the financial support and provision that you provide as well.

Rob Rohde: 4:30

Now we come to instruction, and this is not just about education or what we might think of in terms of school. It's about actively promoting their personal growth. It's about instilling values and providing the tools they need for a successful future, and the fatherly characteristics under instruction could include mentorship, being a positive role model, as well as actively engaging in their education and personal development. So those are the three main components, the three pillars of this method, and now I'd like to dive into the actionable part. So we start with a connection check-in, and this involves reflecting on the quality of your connection with your kids over the past year. You need to take time to identify moments that have strengthened your bond with them, as well as the times where there might be room for improvement, and then you can look at setting a goal, or rather setting your intention to actively engage in activities that foster this connection. Maybe that's dedicated one-on-one time, maybe that's family outings or, you know, deep conversations, but it's about checking in and evaluating the past and then looking at where have I done a really good job and kind of doubling down on that and what are some areas that I need to focus on or some areas where I've fallen short, and looking for opportunities to improve that.

Rob Rohde: 5:52

Next is a protection assessment. So during this part of the process, we evaluate how well we've provided a safe and supportive environment for our kids. We consider instances where maybe we've offered guidance and comfort during the challenging times, and then set a goal or our intention to improve our role as a protector. Maybe that's through enhancing safety measures, maybe that's through providing better emotional support or being more available when our kids need us. Next, we need to take an instruction inventory. So this involves reviewing our involvement in our children's education and personal development and involves setting a goal to incorporate intentional instruction. Maybe this is as simple as helping them with their homework or sharing life lessons or, you know, encouraging them in their pursuit of personal interests or discussing values and helping them identify their own personal values.

Rob Rohde: 6:52

And here's where the magic really happens. As you set these goals, as you establish your intention, consider not just the impact on the coming year, but the legacy that you are beginning to create. The three pillars aren't just about now. They're about the future that you're building and each intentional step that you take in the areas of connection, protection and instruction becomes kind of a brick in the foundation of that legacy that you are building. Since we're at that point where we're looking at the full year ahead, I encourage you to break it down into quarters and I encourage you to choose one pillar to focus on during this first quarter of 2024. So think about the season of your life that you're in, think about what is most relevant and will make the greatest impact in the lives of your family, and then I encourage you to attack that goal during this first quarter.

Rob Rohde: 7:48

After you choose that goal, after you set that intention, then the next step is to really make sure that you are allocating your time, your energy and your efforts towards really strengthening that particular aspect of fatherhood that you choose to focus on. And remember, the beauty of this method is its ability to adapt to your unique situation. These goals aren't meant to be rigid. They are meant to be flexible. They are meant to serve you. So a solid goal will allow you to adjust and recalibrate it based on the evolving needs of you and your family. So this isn't really about setting goals, even though we've talked a lot about that and used that word several times really is about intentionally shaping your roles of father and ways that truly matter to you and to your children.

Rob Rohde: 8:34

So your task for this week is consider the three pillars connection, protection and instruction and think about the specific areas within each that aligns with your current season of fatherhood. What steps can you take to strengthen these pillars in the coming year? And then choose that one singular pillar that resonates with you the most right now and commit to focusing on it during quarter one of 2024. In closing, I'd like to leave you with a personal thought Fatherhood is the journey of a lifetime, and the beauty lies not just in reaching the destination, but in each of our ability to savor every step along the way. So I encourage you to let the three pillars be your compass. Let them steer you towards the richness of connection, the strength of protection and the wisdom of instruction.

Rob Rohde: 9:25

Nice job, men. Here's to a year of purposeful fatherhood and until next time, take care, dads. Thank you for joining us for The Business of Being Dad podcast. If you found value in today's episode, I encourage you to share it with a friend who could benefit from our discussions on fatherhood, leadership and legacy. Together, let's build a community of like-minded men who embrace ownership, commit to growth and make an impact. And now, before we go, remember greatness is within your reach, so stay strong, stay focused and create your legacy. I'm Rob Rode, and you've been listening to the Business of being Dad, where fatherhood meets success. See you in the next episode.