You know how some moms’ kids seem to listen to them and others don’t? What is it that makes some kids listen and follow directions more than others? What is it that allows the parent to have more ease in those moments?

I believe leadership has a huge impact. In today’s episode, I’m talking about leadership energy in parenting and how it can shift the dynamic of your home (in a good way!).

We’re getting into:

• The benefits of bringing leadership energy into parenting moments
• How to get more compliance and ease in your family (and less chaos and arguing)
• How to build the leadership traits of clarity, commitment, confidence and calm

This episode is an invitation to you to see the value of leadership and the value of connecting with your own leadership energy.

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What kind of energy are you bringing to your parenting, the decisions you make and the way you show up with your kids?

I believe leadership has a huge impact on how well your kids listen to you, the ease you feel and the overall dynamic of your home.

Individuals with leadership energy seem to be able to get people to work together and motivate people to follow their vision and plan. What I’ve seen with parents is that when you bring that leadership energy, there is a lot more compliance and ease and less chaos and arguing.

Why Is Leadership Important in Parenting?

You may not be a leader in your job, but inside the four walls of your home, someone has to be in charge (and it’s not the kids). As the adult, you know what’s best. You understand time and money and nutrition and sleep. Your kids don’t. Plus, kids are wired to look to the adults around them for safety and to be guided and taught.

The energy that you bring to that role will impact the way your kid responds.

Imagine a situation where you ask your child to do something (get dressed, clean up their toys, get in the bathtub, etc.).

When you tell your kid what to do, they will have some kind of response to it. They’re humans, after all, with their own personalities, desires and interests.

If they don’t want to do what you’ve asked, you’re going to see some resistance and protest. This might look like ignoring you, saying “no”, complaining or negotiating.

What happens next can go a couple different ways…

Without Leadership Energy

Your kid’s resistance makes you feel powerless, overwhelmed, angry or resentful. You might think, “I don't have any control over this kid.”

Often, the parent then tries to get the kid to buy in and agree to what they’re being asked to do. It turns into convincing or coercing them to behave a certain way.

You might notice yourself explaining why something is important (and they usually start arguing back). Or maybe you try to bribe them with a promise of some future reward (which they’ll also try to negotiate). Or the threats of punishment come out and you use fear to try to get them to comply. Shame or comparison might even make an appearance. “Other kids get to school on time. Why can’t you?”

When we get into these convincing strategies, we’re communicating that we feel out of control and we’re not sure how this is going to go. And it actually makes your kid feel unsafe because they’re looking to you to be the grown-up. On some level they know they shouldn’t be the one in control.

These ineffective strategies come out when you feel like you’re backed into a corner and you don’t know what else to do.

I want to offer that you DO know what to do. You have tons of evidence from times when your...