Leadership Lessons in Caregiving
Earlier this morning I was in the emergency room with my dad.
Thankfully, the doctors were able to take care of things. A long four hours — but a good outcome.
Later in the afternoon, after things settled down, I sat down to write.
For the past several months I’ve been stepping more deeply into the role of caregiver for my father, who is living with Lewy body dementia. What I’ve started to realize is that caregiving has quietly become one of the most powerful leadership development experiences of my life.
It has forced me to confront:
• lack of control
• stalled plans
• unpredictable days
• humility
• the discipline of simply staying at your post
None of these show up in most leadership seminars.
But they shape leaders nonetheless.
I wrote a short essay this afternoon reflecting on some of the leadership lessons caregiving is teaching me.
You can read it here:
Leadership Lessons in Caregiving
If you find yourself in a season where life feels stalled, unpredictable, or heavier than expected, you may be receiving a kind of leadership training you never asked for.
— Jason