1 Thought:

The image above doesn’t seem that long ago for me, and in some ways it’s how we always see our children, but they do grow up, and they do it very quickly.

I’m a father of 4, now adults, all in the workplace and thriving thank goodness.

How do we prepare them for the realities of the workplace and adulthood?

It’s a challenging task to raise, and continue to provide support. When the rules to live by as youth don’t apply, because the game they are about to play has none.

Inequalities and inconsistencies in the workspace are endless.

1. Equality drives inequality as bigger companies have to fill a quota rather than hire on merit. Equality is an absolute must, but merit still needs to have a role.

2. Who you know and who knows you is a launching pad that sometimes benefits us, and sometimes hurts us.

3. The inequality gap for the socially deemed attractive people. (future blog..but facts and numerous studies support 11% higher pay for the beautiful).

4. Behavior, habits, and beliefs play a huge role. Some come to work to work and some come to socialize. Is it fair to reward the more social?

These are just a few of the challenges facing us, and more importantly our children. Some of these realities aren’t new to this time period in any way, but I do feel strongly they are only being more amplified each and every year.

We want a fair and level playing field for our children as well as everyone else. I know as a leader I do all I can to make sure everyone has the same opportunities to win but we all know that’s not always the case.

So a few tips that have served my children well as adults that might just benefit yours.

1. Work is work. If you are there for an average 10 hours a day we should be working the majority of that time.

2. You can be social, but keep it always professional and limit your work relationships to solely work.

3. Don’t look busy, be busy. Make sure that the work you are doing is productive. If you feel you’ve completed the task at hand don’t shy away from asking for more.

4. Dress for the role you want, not necessarily the one you have. Sadly, as mentioned before, the pay gap between those found attractive and those that are not is 11%, and studies proved it often was more than $20,000/ year in many cases. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but make the very best of everything you have. Don’t be showy but dress professionally.

5. Manners have never gone out of style. Yes sir, and yes ma’am I don’t think offends anyone. Show respect.

Hope some of this is helpful; I look forward to hearing from some of you with comments and feedback. As parents I’m sure you have some advice you feel might be helpful as well; please share.

– Best

1 Quote: (+1 BONUS)

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

– Proverbs 22:6

” Your children need your presence more than your presents.”

– Reverend Jesse Jackson

American Civil Rights Activist, Minister, Politician. Possibly in a future blog I’ll share a story when I shared a 2+ hour flight with Jesse Jackson; an interesting flight with great conversations.

1 Question:

If your children are already in the work place are you making yourselves available not to judge their situations but to listen and answer questions when asked

If your children aren’t quite at that age yet maybe consider starting to talk about the ethics and character they should bring to their future careers.

Good luck and hope to get some feedback; nobody is above improvement!

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