Leadership starts at home

Mothers and fathers have long suspected that if they can handle the challenges of raising children, they can handle anything. In Leadership Begins at Home , Ann Crittenden confirms this often-denied truth and debunks the idea that parents operate in a separate sphere, less demanding than the business world.

The author reveals, for example, that the advice given in the best management books is very similar to that found in books aimed at parents. Leadership Begins at Home is the first book to describe the parenting skills that can be applied to the workplace and the leadership lessons that can be learned from everyday life with children.

Drawing on his own experience and interviews with nearly one hundred parents, leading figures in business, law, government, diplomacy, entertainment, and academia, Crittenden discusses how parenting:

• teaches us to multitask and develop the ability to act amidst constant distractions;
• improves interpersonal skills, from negotiating effectively to dealing with difficult people;
• makes us develop the ability to motivate and encourage others;
• sharpens our sense of justice and integrity, among many other benefits.

Packed with management tips and real-life stories about the extent to which corporate culture recognizes the valuable experiences of parents, this is a powerful book that values the work of parenting and offers insightful insights into the qualities caring parents can bring to the workplace.