Someone recently sent me this clip featuring Jerry Seinfeld on Late Night with David Letterman, discussing fatherhood.
If you’re a dad you need to check out this hilarious 43 second clip.
Usually I blog about what I’m learning in organizational leadership, especially church leadership. But this clip struck me as not only hilarious, but also very “close to home”.
And it has prompted me today to share my learnings in one of the most vital leadership roles many of us ever experience; leading our families.
I believe that, apart from loving our wives, there is no higher calling that God has given to men than to lovingly, patiently, diligently and prayerfully impact the lives of our children.
But I’ve seen too many families where it’s tough for the dad to play that role because, as Jerry describes it, “The kids, they don’t really know what you’re doing there…and they’re trying to figure out, ‘And what do we need this person for, exactly?’”
I won’t claim to have come close to getting this right all the time, but in each season of our children’s lives I’ve always looked for creative ways to remain meaningfully connected with them.
As the kids grew older one of these ways was to have a one-on-one trip away with each one. This priority is particularly poignant for me today, as I’m enjoying what may be the last one of these trips.
I’m in Chicago, taking in the U.S. version of the Global Leadership Summit, and my son Adam will be joining me. I’ve already had my trips with Amy and John, so this trip with Adam would appear to be the final chapter in this parenting season.
Oh, I know I’ll always be “Dad”, and I will always love and support my kids. But in a sense this week I’m celebrating the closing of an important leadership role I’ve been playing for 22 years.
I don’t know how to measure the impact any of this has had on my kids.
But I’m grateful we never had a Seinfeld moment where one of them had to walk up to me and say, “I’m sorry…is someone helping you?”
