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Daddy Nickell


How Your Parenting Skills Can Help Your Career

As a proud daddy to six kids between the ages 12 months and 26 years, I’ve found one thing to be true of Daddyhood, it has affected and enhanced every part of my life, including my career.  Here are a few ways my parenting skills have crossed over to my job:

Roll with the punches: If you’re a dad, you know, sometimes (more often than not) you just have to be flexible and roll with the punches. This daddy-induced flexibility has expanded into my work life as well. BK (Before Kids), I was more uptight at work, worrying about every little detail, rather than just seeing the bigger picture. Now, it’s easier for me to take things as they come and to be prepared for unexpected bumps in the road at work and at home.

Did someone say multitask? The act of parenting comes with many demands, needs and activities. Being a daddy has taught me how to juggle my home life as well as my work life more effectively. For instance, I make it point to have working lunches with my staff a few times a week. This allows me to socialize a bit, enjoy a meal, while getting work done multitasking like this allows me to get home earlier to my little ones!

Stay on track: Some tasks and activities are simply more important than others. I’ve been a daddy for 26 years, and I’m now a whiz at task management; making sure each task is accomplished in a timely manner with priority tasks being taken care of first and foremost.

It’s all about timing: It truly is all about timing, and being a daddy has taught me that there is a time to be really silly and fun, but also a time to be serious and maybe even a little tough. This translates to my work life too. BK, I tended to be all work and no play during day, but now, I make it a point to have fun and enjoy myself, my employees and my career.

Daddyhood can do incredible things to a man. I, for one, am proud to be a daddy, and to reflect upon the many great things that being a father has taught me over the past 26 years.



  • Jadelechner

    It is encouraging to us new parents(probably not just me) out there, knowing that more people are starting to look at how being a parent can have its advantages in the workplace. Especially if we decide to be a stay at home parent for a few years, I really am hoping that employers are willing to look at it more seriously instead of looking at being a stay at home parent  gains you no skills.  

  • http://stampinkaty.blogspot.ca/ Katy

    This may be true for men, but I think unfortunately women face a tough time in many workplace environments once they have children.  Just the fact of being a parent it is assumed by your employer that you will not put forward the same amount of time and effort that someone without a child will.  I really hope that this does change for the better and mom’s and dad’s can both be looked at this way where there are skills gained by being a parent.

  • Hlthompson

    This is true, but I think employers look at women with children as a liability as well.  Are you going to take time off work every time they are sick? P.D days? Are you going to be able put in overtime when they request it? etc. etc.

  • Rruntz

    I definitely think that being a parent gives you added skills which would benefit any work environment!! 

  • Janet

    I so much agree with every item. I can multi-task much better now than I could before I was a parent. I also roll with the punches and don’t get as upset as I used to about little things.

  • Donna A

    The patience you learn  being a parent is a great skill to have in your career. We all know  we work with at least one child in our jobs..




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