The Meltdown

I work at home on Thursdays. This morning I was getting ready to begin my day when I heard my 11 year-old son throwing a temper tantrum downstairs. Apparently, we were out of milk and we didn't have enough of his favorite cereal. So, he decided that he didn't want to go to school this morning. It was not pretty.

I went downstairs and did my best to talk with him in a calm voice. When it was all said and done, he ended up losing out on electronics for the next 3 days. But, he ended up going to school. By the way, he also ended up not eating anything.

Some parents might think of this as cruel, but I want Robbie to know there are consequences to his actions, even if he is hungry for a few hours. Trust me when I tell you that I have a long way to go in my parenting skills, but I would rather have him face the consequences from me than from a judge (who doesn't love him like I do) in 10 years.

No matter where you are in your leadership, whether it be at work or at home, I think others want to be held accountable. I have found this especially true in the work place. There is nothing that can destroy an organization's morale faster than a leader who does not hold others accountable. This does nothing but upset the best workers.

I love my son very much, so much that I want him to learn what is best for him, therefore I hold him accountable. When you hold someone acountable you are not being mean-spirited, you are actually showing that person love.