Advice for Working Dads (HBR Working Parents Series)

by Harvard Business Review, Daisy Dowling, Bruce Feiler, Stewart D. Friedman, Scott Behson

Overview

You can have a successful career and be the dad you want to be.

Finally, we've moved past the days when providing for your family meant taking a backseat role in your children's lives. Still, many of us aren't finding the support and flexibility we need, and the time-management challenge of performing at work while being a present dad at home can feel impossible.

Advice for Working Dads will help you balance and integrate your career and fatherhood, navigate always-on work cultures, and find success and fulfillment in one of the toughest—and most important—jobs you’ll ever take on.

You'll learn to:

• Set reasonable expectations and limits
• Carve out quality time for family, even when you're at your busiest
• Stay true to yourself, your friends, and your personal interests
• Communicate better with your spouse or partner about careers, parenting, and chores
• Model your work and life values for your children

The HBR Working Parents Series with Daisy Dowling, Series Editor, supports readers as you anticipate challenges, learn how to advocate for yourself more effectively, juggle your impossible schedule, and find fulfillment at home and at work. Whether you're up with a newborn or planning the future with your teen, you'll find the practical tips, strategies, and research you need to make working parenthood work for you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647821012
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	06/08/2021
Series:	HBR Working Parents Series
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,029,877
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, 12 international licensed editions, books from Harvard Business Review Press, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact.

Daisy Dowling, Series Editor, is founder and CEO of Workparent, the executive coaching and training firm, and the author of Workparent: The Complete Guide to Succeeding on the Job, Staying True to Yourself, and Raising Happy Kids (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021). She is a full-time working parent to two young children. She can be reached at workparent.com.

You can find HBR at: hbr.org
Twitter: @HarvardBiz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review
Facebook: @HBR
Instagram: @harvard_business_review
YouTube: youtube.com/user/harvardbusinessreview

Table of Contents

Introduction Starting a New Conversation xiii

Dads shouldn't go it alone at work. Daisy Dowling, Series Editor

Section 1 We Can Do It, Too!: Burying Old Working-Dad Clichés

1 The Three Types of Working Father 3

Are you traditional, egalitarian, or conflicted? Brad Harrington

2 What's a Working Dad to Do? 15

We need to be the change we wish to see. Scott Behson

3 It's Time for Working Dads to Lead by Example 21

Rule #1: No work calls when your wife is in labor. Tim Allen

4 End the "Nice Guy" Backlash 29

How men get penalized for straying from masculine norms. David M. Mayer

5 Dads, Commit to Your Family at Home and at Work 37

Start with an honest assessment of what's working and what isn't. Haley Swenson Eve Rodsky David G. Smith W. Brad Johnson

Section 2 Planes to Catch and Bills to Pay: Navigating Fatherhood and Your Career

6 Breaking Out of the "Working Dad's Career Trap" 47

Paths to consider to be a more present father. Scott Behson

7 Mastering the Dad Transition 57

Update your life story at home and at work Bruce Feiler

8 When Your Boss Doesn't Respect Your Family Commitments 67

Know your rights and have a plan. Rebecca Knight

9 Why Dads Need Parenting Allies at Work 77

Push for change together Han-Son Lee Hugh Wilson

10 How to Identify a Family-Friendly Employer 87

Understand the organization's culture before you come on board. Suzanne Brown

11 When a Stay-at-Home Dad Goes Back to Work 95

Plan your reentry before your exit. Whitney Johnson Roger Johnson

Section 3 All Work and No Play…: Dedicating Time to Your Family and Yourself

12 Four Ways to Make More Time for Family 105

Being present for the little things matters. James Sudakow

13 Commit to a No-Work Weeknight 111

Routine and rituals are essential. Mark McCartney

14 Five Questions New Working Parents Should Ask Themselves 119

Have open discussions about the roles you will play. Jackie Coleman John Coleman

15 Win at Work by Leaning In at Home 127

Small adjustments can benefit your work, home, community, and yourself. Stewart D. Friedman

16 Working Dads Need "Me Time" Too 139

Fathers feel as much work-life conflict as working mothers. Alyssa F. Westring Stewart D. Friedman

17 Bringing Your Dad Network Together 145

Don't fool yourself-dads need friendship and peer support. Scott Benson

Section 4 Finding the Sweet Spot: Succeeding Where Work, Values, and Family Intersect

18 How Our Careers Affect Our Children 157

Choose quality of time with your children over quantity. Stewart D. Friedman

19 Four Ways to Teach Your Kids About Work 163

Without adding more to your plate. Sabina Nawaz

20 How to Spend Your Parenting Time and Energy Wisely 171

When was the last time you checked in on your kids' priorities? Amy Jen Su

21 How Working Parents Can Regain Control over Their Lives 181

It all comes down to your values. Stewart D. Friedman Alyssa F. Westring

Epilogue Take Things One Day at a Time

22 Lessons in Entrepreneurship from a Gay Father of Triplets 191

You never know what the future holds. Dan Pallotta

Notes 197

About the Contributors 209

Index 219