Written by Nicholas Sproul
You can earn degrees, attend conferences, and lead massive teams—but nothing will prepare you to manage unpredictable humans quite like raising your own.
There’s no “standard operating procedure” for raising kids. What works with one might totally flop with another.
Sound familiar? It should. Because leading a team isn’t that different. If you’ve ever led a team, you know exactly what that feels like. In the workplace, you’re managing a range of personality types, communication styles, and emotional needs.
Being a dad forces you to adjust on the fly. You learn quickly that motivation is personal. One kid needs structure, while another needs space. One kid thrives on quick direction, while another needs to process it (and maybe cry a little first).
Parenting sharpens the leadership skill set in ways no management training can. You learn to:
-Read the room—even when no one’s talking.
-Name it to tame it. Having them identify an emotion will help them process it and put an end to the emotional feedback loop.
-Pause before reacting (you only have to overreact once with your child to learn that lesson).
-Get comfortable with messiness and still make forward progress.
If you’re a parent, you’re practicing “adaptive leadership” on a daily basis. When you bring that mindset to work and stop leading like everyone needs the same thing, you stop managing by default and start leading with awareness.
So next time you’re troubleshooting a team issue, ask yourself: Would I bulldoze this at home? Or would I stop, listen and tailor my approach to who’s in front of me?
Parenting won’t win you a corner office, but it will sharpen your instincts, stretch your patience, and remind you that influence has less to do with control and more to do with connection.
Because when you’ve negotiated bedtime with a determined toddler or de-escalated a high schooler with finals stress… a performance review just isn’t that intimidating.
More like this on this week’s episode: Dad Mode – Balancing Leadership, Life & Fatherhood
Free guide: 10 Conversations That Matter—And How to Actually Start Them
About the Author
Nick Sproul is a father of three (ages 4, 2, and a newborn) and the Designated Broker of Southwestern Real Estate, leading a high-performing team across Florida. Ranked in the top 1% of all agents in South Florida, Nick is a recognized Luxury Home Marketing Specialist with a reputation for results and relationship-driven service. In addition to his real estate success, Nick is deeply invested in his community—serving on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for both Children’s Harbor and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Cooper City Charter Review Board.
Coming from a broken home and being orphaned as a teenager myself, I could see what a difference Children’s Harbor and Brown’s Harbor was making in the lives of these kids. From working my first Guardian Ad Litem case and being assigned to a set of siblings that was placed at Children’s Harbor, I could tell this facility was here to do something most group homes don’t have the ability to do and that’s to keep these kids together when they can only lean on each other. I’m truly honored to be able to serve on this board because it’s a cause that is dear to me and I believe it can make a huge impact.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-sproul-pa-srs-clhms-62672347/
Website: https://swrealestate.com/
Email: NickSproulSells@gmail.com



































