Leadership Lessons Learned as the Parent of a Graduating HS Senior

My oldest son is reaching a pinnacle milestone in his life as he is about to graduate high school and embark on the next stage of his journey. Over the course of the past ten months, I have experienced and observed many invaluable lessons, as a parent and Human Resources leader.

"It is not what you do but how you did it that defines you". My son has shown me on numerous occasions this year that it isn't the outcome that defines you, it is what/how you did that does. My son chose to take classes/participate in activities that were not necessarily going to boost his GPA but were those to which he could have an impact (or were meaningful to him) long after high school. Rather than join every club to impress a college application review, he selected those to which he could actively engage in to learn and be of value to others. - As a leader, it is our role to support those in the organization by placing value the skills learned and applied as a result of career experiences and not the "experience" alone.

"Not Everyone is a Good Leader". When leaders play to win at any cost, no one wins. No one wants to work for a leader who is only concerned about their own ego. This plays out every day, not just in organizations but in high school clubs and teams everywhere. We spend our entire childhood learning to lead by watching others, whether it be parents, teachers, coaches, those in the media and in our first experiences in the workforce. During this transformational period of learning, we often pick up negative behaviors or are rewarded for them and they become the norm. Changing rules, subjective interpretation of the rules to benefit or achieve a desired outcome may have short term benefits for winning (or achieving a goal) but result in these individuals alienating themselves or being labeled as the "company **hole" that no one wants to work with. These behaviors, like karma will eventually come back to haunt them at some point in their careers (if not multiple points). In one experience this year, an observer commented "good luck to that person in ever finding or keeping a job". My son has showed me how to live, lead and learn with integrity because doing the right thing, just feels right!

"Every experience, positive or challenging is preparing us for what comes next". There are let downs, disappointment and struggles, successes, victories and wins. Each of these experiences is preparing you for what is to come. You can take what you want with you, learn from it and leave the less desired behind. This is similar to our career experiences and interactions in the work place. We can reflect on those experiences to say "this is not how I will choose to lead" or "this is the leader I strive to be" and choose to take from those experiences what we want to the next chapter in our journey. My son has self reflected on his high school experience and chose to take those experiences, lessons learned, relationships and achievements with him as he embarks on the next journey.

As a proud Mom, I have learned alot from my son this year and celebrate the man he has become and the leader and mentor he will be for others in the future!

Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2024 and welcome to the workforce!