Parents - Better Managers??
Do Parents make better managers? Forbes has this to say:
“According to new research, parents--at least those committed to family life--actually perform better in the office. Researchers from Clark University and the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C., interviewed 347 managers and executives, mostly from large public companies, about their family lives. Then they talked to the participants' colleagues, subordinates and bosses about their work performance. Those who were committed to family life achieved significantly better reviews. The reason: Parents learn to multitask, handle stress and negotiate, says Marian N. Ruderman, research director at the Center for Creative Leadership, and one of the study's authors.”
Hmm – this doesn’t mean that procreating alone makes you a better manager. Most managers/executives where I work have families – but of course they are all great – Hey! Maybe this study is right.
Seriously, parenting has helped me be a better worker/manager – it has given me perspective (trivial work problems often pale in comparison to life’s larger family/home problems), it has (probably) made me more patient, and it has helped me juggle responsibilities better.
On the other hand, parenting also exhausts me – somedays leaving me with less energy to devote to work. I’m often grumpy at work because of something at home – of course the opposite is often true.
In the end, I suspect it’s not as easy as saying that parents make better managers. Probably closer to the truth is this: Good parents make better managers – whatever good means.
Via: Business Pundit.
“According to new research, parents--at least those committed to family life--actually perform better in the office. Researchers from Clark University and the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, N.C., interviewed 347 managers and executives, mostly from large public companies, about their family lives. Then they talked to the participants' colleagues, subordinates and bosses about their work performance. Those who were committed to family life achieved significantly better reviews. The reason: Parents learn to multitask, handle stress and negotiate, says Marian N. Ruderman, research director at the Center for Creative Leadership, and one of the study's authors.”
Hmm – this doesn’t mean that procreating alone makes you a better manager. Most managers/executives where I work have families – but of course they are all great – Hey! Maybe this study is right.
Seriously, parenting has helped me be a better worker/manager – it has given me perspective (trivial work problems often pale in comparison to life’s larger family/home problems), it has (probably) made me more patient, and it has helped me juggle responsibilities better.
On the other hand, parenting also exhausts me – somedays leaving me with less energy to devote to work. I’m often grumpy at work because of something at home – of course the opposite is often true.
In the end, I suspect it’s not as easy as saying that parents make better managers. Probably closer to the truth is this: Good parents make better managers – whatever good means.
Via: Business Pundit.
Comments