The Business of Being Dad with Rob Rohde

#047: Leadership at Home: Applying Business Principles to Single Fatherhood

• Rob Rohde • Episode 47

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Empower single fathers to lead with purpose and intentionality, overcoming the challenges of single parenthood with confidence and clarity.

Overview:
Episode 47 of The Business of Being Dad explores the crucial theme of leading with purpose in single fatherhood. Host Rob Rohde delves into the parallels between effective leadership in the workplace and within the family dynamic, offering insights and practical guidance for single fathers striving to create meaningful connections and foster a legacy of love.


Key Highlights:

  • Drawing insights from renowned leadership experts, Rob emphasizes the importance of clarity of vision and intentional action in guiding our families.
  • Through candid reflection and personal anecdotes, he addresses the common struggle of balancing professional success with meaningful engagement in family life.
  • Practical strategies are offered for single fathers to align their actions with their values, prioritize relationships, and model authenticity for their children.
  • The episode underscores the ripple effect of purposeful leadership, highlighting the profound impact single fathers can have on future generations by leading with conviction and love.

What to Expect:
Listeners can expect to gain valuable insights into the principles of purposeful leadership and how they can be applied to the unique context of single fatherhood. Through actionable steps and heartfelt encouragement, Rob empowers single fathers to embrace their role as leaders of their families, fostering environments where children feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive


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Rob Rohde:

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. Hello everyone, this is episode 47 of The Business of Being Dad, the podcast dedicated to help single fathers lead their families with impact and find fulfillment in every aspect of their lives. I'm your host, Rob Rohde, and I am here as a single father myself, a single father who understands the unique challenges we face, and I'm here to provide you with inspiration, support and practical guidance designed to help you thrive in your life as a single father. So welcome Thank you for joining us. I'm excited to be here and to jump into this conversation with you.

Rob Rohde:

Today, we're going to talk about a subject that I believe all fathers heck, all parents could probably benefit from. We're going to talk about how to lead with purpose and, more specifically, how to lead your family with purpose, with the same purpose and the same specifically how to lead your family with purpose, with the same purpose and the same intention that you would lead your team or department or organization. So are you ready? Let's go. Before we jump into today's conversation, I want to take a moment to just think back of what we talked about in our previous episodes. In our last episode, we dived into the power of mindset and how it shapes our journey as single fathers. We discussed the importance of taking ownership of where we learned how to leverage proven business and leadership principles in our personal lives in order to become better fathers and the fathers that we want to be. So now let's shift our focus back to the concept of leading with purpose. What does it mean to lead with purpose. Well, let's take a minute and hear what some of the industry experts have to say about this.

Rob Rohde:

John Maxwell, best-selling author and leadership guru, often emphasizes the importance of having a clear purpose or vision as a leader. He suggests that effective leaders are intentional about setting goals, aligning their actions with their values and inspiring others to pursue a common purpose. Simon Sinek, well-known author of Start With why, believes that effective leaders inspire action by communicating a clear sense of purpose or belief that resonates with their team members a clear sense of purpose or belief that resonates with their team members. Research professor and best-selling author, brene Brown, emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and authenticity in leadership. She suggests that leaders who lead with intention are willing to show vulnerability, that they connect more effectively with others and they create as trust among their teams. And then Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and life coach. He often talks about the significance of having a compelling vision and purpose-driven goals. He believes that effective leaders are passionate about their mission, that they inspire others with their enthusiasm and they remain focused on making a positive impact in the world. And then, to put a cap on this, according to the Harvard Business Review, leaders who lead with intentionality are proactive in shaping their organizational culture. They make deliberate decisions that align with their values and goals, and they prioritize authenticity, transparency and ethical behavior in their leadership approach. So that's what the experts have to say about leading with purpose.

Rob Rohde:

But what does all of this actually mean within the context of leading our families? I want you to tell me if this sounds familiar. You wake up early, you're excited and ready to tackle the day ahead. You have your morning routine down to a science and you are so prepared for whatever challenges might come your way. As you head to work, you're mentally reviewing your priorities. You're making sure that you're focused on the tasks that will move you and your team closer to your goals. You're laser focused Throughout the day. You're intentional about how you spend your time and you make the most of every opportunity because you know how much that makes a difference. But then, as a workday comes to a close and you start to head home, you begin to relax and the shift in focus is so noticeable.

Rob Rohde:

Instead of approaching your family life with that same level of intentionality, maybe, you find yourself reacting to the demands of the moment instead of being proactive. You throw dinner together quickly and quality time with your kids just ends up being kind of sacrificed, and maybe you just turn the TV on. Meaningful connections are replaced with scrolling through your phone. Despite your best intentions to live a purpose-driven life, the transition from work to home leaves you feeling completely disconnected and unfulfilled. You realize that while you've mastered the art of intentional leadership in the workplace, you failed to apply these same principles in your family life.

Rob Rohde:

And so why do I bring up this scenario? Because I think that it highlights that contrast between intentionality in our professional lives and really the tendency to become more reactive in our personal lives. And I'm speaking from experience. And yet if anyone asked you what is most important to you, what is your top priority, you wouldn't even have to think about it. You would immediately respond with well, it's my family, it's my kids. That is absolutely the most important thing to me. But if we follow you around often, if people followed me around, maybe they wouldn't see that in how we live our lives, maybe our actions don't accurately reflect our intentions. Although we have good intentions, we are not being intentional with how we're spending our time and resources.

Rob Rohde:

So now let's go back to the question what does leading with purpose look like in the family Similar to how it looks in business. It's about having a clear vision for our families and guiding them with a sense of intentionality and conviction. As single fathers, we have this unique opportunity to lead by example and to instill these values that can shape the future of our children. Leading with purpose means prioritizing our relationships, setting meaningful goals and making decisions that are aligned with our values, and really to go back a step. Leading with purpose requires us to really define what our values are and to become really clear on that, because I believe that our values become our compass as we're making decisions in life.

Rob Rohde:

Leading with purpose is also about being present, being engaged, being connected and actively involved in our kids' lives. It's about creating an environment where our children feel safe, supported and are encouraged to be their selves, their authentic selves. But this is what leading with purpose is not. It's not about perfection. It's not about having all the answers or never making mistakes, and it's not about being an authoritarian, and it's not about being an authoritarian. It's about showing up as our authentic selves, embracing vulnerability and learning from our failures, and it's about being humble enough to ask for help when we need it and courageous enough to admit when we make mistakes.

Rob Rohde:

So if we want to be effective leaders within our families, it starts with preparing ourselves. At its core, leading with purpose requires us to lead ourselves with purpose. It's important that you know who you are and what you stand for and where you're heading in life. It requires you to be intentional with your time and your energy and your resources and investing in your own personal growth and development, because we all clearly know this that we cannot effectively lead others if we are not leading ourselves first. And it also involves preparing our mind. Perhaps this is the most important aspect Leading with purpose starts with mindset.

Rob Rohde:

Our entire last episode was on the impact that mindset has in the lives of us as fathers, especially as single fathers, and so I'm not going to rehash all of that information. But we need to adopt a leadership mindset, a mindset that sees challenges as opportunities for growth, a mindset that views setbacks as lessons that we can learn and a view success as a journey, a continuous journey, not a final destination. A leadership mindset requires us to build resilience, to have adaptability and to develop emotional intelligence so that we can guide our kids through the ups and downs of fatherhood with grace and with confidence. So once we prepare ourselves by getting clear on what we stand for and leading ourselves effectively, and then we address our mindset and we ensure that we are adopting this leadership mindset, then the next thing we need to do is clarify our values and priorities as a father. What matters most to you? What kind of legacy do you want to leave for your children?

Rob Rohde:

Once you identify your core values, you can then begin to make decisions that align with your vision for your family, that align with your vision for your family, that align with your values. As I said earlier, our values can become our compass, and when we are crystal clear on what we stand for, what our values are, then making decisions becomes easy. Next, we need to communicate our vision and our values to our children. Effective leadership requires solid communication. There is no way around that. So we need to let our kids know what we stand for and why it's important to us, and I have found the best way to do this is by encouraging open back and forth dialogue and by actively listening to their points of view, their perspectives, because I have found that our children are much more likely to embrace our vision and embrace the direction we want to see our family go, when they feel heard, they feel respected and they feel that they were a part of it.

Rob Rohde:

And then, third, it is important that we model the behaviors we want to see in our kids. Our kids do not care what we say, but they do care what we do. Most of the time, especially as they get older, they barely even listen to us. But I promise you they are still watching everything that you do. They're watching how you respond to failures. They're watching how you respond to successes. They're watching what you do when somebody cuts you off in traffic and they're watching what you do with your resources, your time, how you spend your time, where you spend your money. Over the years, it has become so clear to me that the best way to instill values and character and behaviors within our kids is to model those behaviors before them and to take the time to have conversations about this with our kids.

Rob Rohde:

So, as we know, being a parent is not easy and leading with purpose is not always going to be easy either. There are going to be obstacles we're going to face, there's going to be challenges along the way and, again, this is what our kids are watching it's how we respond to those challenges that define us as leaders. So, for instance, when we face adversity, when we get punched in the mouth, how do we respond? Do we stay true to our values? Do we remain resilient or do we start veering away from our values? Do we start blaming other people when we fall short on a big goal, do we then hold back from dreaming and from trying to achieve big things, or do we keep powering forward and take time to reflect and learn from that? When we take the time to lead our families with intention, the impact that we can make is huge. Leading with purpose is not just about the actions we take. Our actions matter, for sure, but it's also about the intention behind those actions. It's about being present every single day and showing up as the best version of ourselves and then inspiring our kids and our families to do the same.

Rob Rohde:

So, as we wrap up this episode, I just want to encourage you, men, to embrace your role as a leader of your family. Step into it and be purposeful, lead with intention, lead with conviction and lead with love. Let's create an environment where our children feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their full potential. Because, remember, leading with purpose is not just a choice. It's a responsibility, a responsibility we owe ourselves and our children. So thanks again for tuning into this episode of the Business of being Dad.

Rob Rohde:

Until next time, stay strong, stay focused and make an impact. Take care, men. 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 Rohde and you've been listening to the Business of being Dad, where fatherhood meets success. See you in the next episode.

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Rob Rohde

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