Success starts at the top of an organization and trickles downward throughout the business just as it does in a family. In a family, if the father (or the head of the family) is absent all of the time, not paying attention to the children, not teaching, guiding and training, then the children are learning from others what to do and how to do it and that is not the best plan at all. In fact, it is a non-plan. Things just happen the way they do, without control or direction, likely to fail, break apart, disintegrate and not fulfill the family mission as a result of not having the correct goals or a positive success plan, or a directed management source, because there are no leaders. The same is true in a company. The workers, like the children in a family, need a leader to achieve success.

Now, if the father’s job is to teach and guide his children to be able to care for themselves and to be successful in the real world, capable of making difficult decisions, working hard, living with standards and accomplishing goals, his job as a boss, similarly, is to teach his employees how to be successful in his business world, how to make decisions, how to act responsibly, how to be and do, what to say, how to act, how to accomplish goals and be leaders themselves. We call your management duties, “train, plan and review, track, monitor and control,” the job of management and the job of a dad.

If we are successful, our children (and likewise, our employees) can achieve greatness on their own. They can become self-sufficient and independent, capable of making good decisions and learning how to be productive citizens—good children, good employees, strong and successful men and women. That is our job as a dad and that is our job as a business owner and leader, developing strong, self-sufficient, responsible, committed employees. If we’re doing our jobs correctly and effectively, we support the development of successful children and employees.

We must be hard, relentless, and demanding to create strength and self-confidence. We must demonstrate and nurture standards and support our children and employees in breaking through their barriers so they can become superior people in their work and personal lives. This is what it is to be a dad and to be a boss.

And yes… to become as great as they can be, our children as well as our employees require: recognition, love, care, positive support and loyalty. Shower them with these things. Lead them with a hard left hand and a soft right hand. Being a successful dad is not very different then being a successful small business owner, because both are your family.

Happy Fathers Day to all my readers who may be fathers, and never stop telling and showing your children that you love them, or your employees that you care.