I recently asked my friend Ron how he was able to enjoy time with his children at his waterfront vacation home while working on all the home maintenance projects he’s undertaken. Ron responded that his father’s one regret was not teaching him and his brother how to do more work around the house when they were young.
Not wanting to have the same regret later in life Ron put a hammer in his son’s hand at a young age and let him make a lot of mistakes while working on the pier. Ron noted that sometimes the pier looked like it had been beaten with an ax. Early on he had to correct a lot of his son’s work; it was time-consuming and required a lot of patience, but with time, patience, and guidance, his son became an expert with a hammer and every other tool in the toolbox. When his son was a young teenager he built a sea-worthy kayak from scratch.
Today Ron’s 16-year-old son does all of the heavy lifting around the vacation home and Ron has become the carpenter’s helper.
Ron gave his son room to grow—which included giving him room to fail. Every leader can learn a lot from this story. Take the long-term view and bring lots of patience when executing your leadership succession and development planning. Invest in those who will carry the torch. You’ll be glad you did.
