Stewart Friedman: How to be a Better Parent The Sydcast

Summary of the Show 

With Father's Day (and Mother's Day) just recently celebrated, it seems a good time to talk about parents and their unwavering role as leaders in the household. That's right, leaders. My friend Professor Stewart Friedman has spent a good part of his career advising leaders on life, and in his most recent book, Parents Who Lead, he connects the dots between parenting and leadership. It’s a fabulous idea, immediately practical and meaningful for so many of us. Stewart and I discuss what parents do and how they can do it even better, why striving for work-life balance is the wrong goal, and what practical exercises couples can do to be happier individuals, and parents.

Syd Finkelstein

Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Masters degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the bestsellers Why Smart Executives Fail and Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, which LinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman calls the “leadership guide for the Networked Age.” He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management, a consultant and speaker to leading companies around the world, and a top 25 on the global Thinkers 50 list of top management gurus. Professor Finkelstein’s research and consulting work often relies on in-depth and personal interviews with hundreds of people, an experience that led him to create and host his own podcast, The Sydcast, to uncover and share the stories of all sorts of fascinating people in business, sports, entertainment, politics, academia, and everyday life. 




Stewart Friedman

Professor Stewart Friedman is a podcast host, program leader, and author of the book Total Leadership as well as Co-author of the book Parents Who Lead, a new publication. Stewart has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and has presented doctorial work within the area of Organizational Psychology. Stewart spent some years of his academic career working at The Wharton School where he developed the Wharton Work/Life Project which was an initiative that collected data from students and alumni in hopes of uncovering the intersection between career and life interests. 

In 1999, Dr. Friedman took his academic findings to the corporate world where he worked at helping organizational leaders to better integrate home life with work life. While working at Ford Motor Company Friedman was the senior executive for leadership development, there he created Total Leadership which is a program to help leaders develop not only qualities for work but also everyday home life. 

In the latest publication, Parents Who Lead, Dr. Friedman, and his co-author translate their experiences and research findings into helping parents who are leaders within the household- although that may not be how they see it. 




Insights from the episode: Information on how leadership can help people to become better parents not only for their own kids but for communities as a whole. Details on tactics that can be implemented to improve partner relationships such as activities that ask people to write a leadership vision statement.Advice for people wanting to be successful while raising kids - Work-Life Integration. How to create a sense of harmony, consistent with your values and living the life you want to live. Advice for parents working from home with kids who are now homeschooled during COVID-19. Information on the importance of creating boundaries for the family as well as creating boundaries for employer-employee relationships. Strategies for managing and maximizing time both for work-life and parenting. 


Quotes from the show: On creating a work-life balance and why Stewart Friedman prefers to use the term ‘work-life integration’. - “The idea of balance is faulty and impossible” - Stewart FriedmanOn creating