Who's Your Daddy Now?
The Kid came home from school puzzled and needing explanations. Let's see, he asked, if Sven (his bio-Dad and Mama's second spouse) is Bobby's (his older brother) stepfather, is Hector (Bobby's bio-Dad and Mama's #1) my stepfather? No, said Mama. Then, The Kid wondered, who is my stepfather?
There is a societal issue that deserves further attention on another day. In The Kid's world, his friends are watching and worrying about their parents' impending divorces - or are terrified of the behaviors of their stepfathers, picked up in the resilient recovery from earlier divorces.
The issues are, in fact, complicated. The answers to questions are difficult and awkward. And, the impact on young offspring, and its pull on them away from what should be the golden years of youth. Chipping away at their attention to what it will take to build successful relationships and succeed in life.
We see parallel situations in the workplace. Staff seem to lose focus, slide into error proclivity, and can't maintain consistent performance.
It is a leadership responsibility to understand the factors at work in the lives of their people, and how outside conditions might be contributing to a situation that seems to cry out for coaching and counseling. That leadership responsibility extends to team leads, shift supervisors, managers, directors, even to motivated colleagues who will be leaders on some future day.
You cannot begin too early to connect at a human level with those around, above, and under you. There's a lot at stake: unit performance, peoples' jobs, and your future as a long-term leader.