[no. 13] Fatherhood & CSR
What do fatherhood and corporate social responsibility have to do with one another? A lot, I have found.
Earlier this afternoon I picked my son and wife up at Logan Airport, having been separated from them for just over 8 days. Less than a month prior I was away for 18 days while traveling overseas. The time away from my family was very tough, especially given my son’s age. He is just shy of one year, and each day seems to bring a huge milestone or accomplishment. I feel like I missed so much of his life during the 26 days we were apart.
After saying hello and herding their luggage into the car, the three of us spent some time driving around and getting lost together. My son napped on and off, and my wife and I had a chance to catch up. Once home, we fed him, played a little, and then my wife gave him a bath (there is a point to all of this…) and I started his bedtime routine of gathering a bunch of books to read to him. Alone in his nursery, he seemed more interested in hanging out than checking out books and heading to bed. I let him play and explore, and occasionally picked him up, held him, or played a little. All the while, I was more happy than I have been in months, simply watching my son explore, enjoy himself, and learn new things.
As it turns out, I’m not the only person I know that finds happiness and fulfillment in raising their children or spending time with their family. Apparently, quite a few people are like that… The point being, at least in my life, being there for my son and wife is extremely important to me, and very fulfilling. And when I feel fulfilled, I am not only more happy, but also more energetic, productive, and ambitious.
…And happy, energetic, productive, and ambitious people make damn good employees and leaders (I have found).
An element of corporate social responsibility for many progressive companies is the duty to enhance and enrich the lives of their employees. Rather than just seeing them as cogs in a wheel, these companies view their employees as resources, individuals, stakeholders, and powerful members of their communities. In turn, these companies make an effort to provide great benefits, ample time off, flexible schedules, and other niceties that go beyond the norm.
There is always the element of giving away too much, or burning all of your capital trying to make employees happy (lavish lunches and daily massages anyone?), so a focus on ensuring that the extra benefits lead to increased returns is always a good policy. And if done well, and combined with good leadership, a greater focus on employee enrichment and happiness will certainly lead to increased returns.
TAGS: This entry was posted on Monday, July 31st, 2006 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Corporate Social Responsibility, On Being A Father.... You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
August 1st, 2006 at 9:01 am
Peter, I definitely agree with what you said about being able to take care of your employees when you become a manager. I see how you made the connection between that and your son because showing people more attention and making them feel wanted is what being a true leader is all about. I wish the company I work for and its management feel the same way, but that’s what separates truly educated people like you and I from them. You don’t know how much I face everyday and become so frustrated simply because they do no understand how to nurture their people in order to reap the most productivity from every single employee working for the company. I think the comparison you make between fatherhood and CSR is wonderful because as a leader, you will take on a more parental role in caring for your people and making sure they perform at their optimal levels. I only wish the management I work for would read your blog posts and maybe learn a thing or two about real management.
August 3rd, 2006 at 6:04 pm
Paul: I think the best thing about your current working situation is that you are going to learn so much (even more than you already have) about what NOT to do in business and as a manager! It’s crazy to think about it that way, but I know that you have grown so much from some of the stories you have told me. You should write some case studies — perhaps the next generation of MBA’s will be able to learn from your experiences as well.