Leadership, Babies and Mothers
We've reached the end of our series, The Leadership Compote. After creating a fun, recipe-driven leadership e-book over the holiday break, I wanted to share some of my favorite leadership recipes with you in weekly posts to kick off the new year.
Throughout this series, we explored essential ingredients for a perfect leadership dish, Trust Broth, Motivation Risotto, Conflict Resolution Lasagna, the Leadership Growth Lattice, and, finally, the Strategic Vision Soufflé. Thank you for joining me on this delicious journey!
As we wrap up this fun and light-hearted series, I'm feeling a range of emotions—not only about leadership and recipes (though I love completing projects!), but also about the upcoming birth of my baby girl (due anytime now) and my late mother’s birthday on March 2.
Although I might take a bit of a break from writing after my daughter arrives, I'm already excited to dive into the next topic: The Exhausted Leader. Given my impending parenthood, the timing couldn’t be better!
I concluded The Leadership Compote e-book edition with a dedication to my mother. With her birthday approaching and my own journey into parenthood beginning, sharing this dedication feels timely.
Many of you who know me well understand that I’ve essentially been "in training" for leadership, consulting, and teaching since birth. My mother, Deborah Mackin, had just launched her consulting business when she learned she was pregnant with me. Over the next three decades, she traveled extensively, writing (authoring 4 books), training, coaching, and promoting leadership excellence across the country and internationally. For six formative years in my twenties, I worked alongside her, absorbing many lessons I've shared with you over recent years. Our partnership culminated in the publication of "Survival of The Hive: 7 Leadership Lessons from a Beehive."
The late author Tim Keller wrote about "glimmers"—subtle yet significant moments when we experience brief glimpses of deeper meaning, joy, or transcendence that hint at something beyond everyday life. While Keller referred to divine glimmers, I believe we also experience glimmers of loved ones who are no longer with us.
For anyone who has lost someone special, these glimmers serve as gentle reminders, connecting us to their presence. For me, it’s important when a glimmer happens to stop, bask in its familiar warmth and to honor it.
The glimmers of my mother appear in serendipitous coincidences, in my writings, in leadership moments, in conversations, around the holidays and especially in the kitchen.
From the time I was a little boy helping in my mother’s kitchen, I’ve had a passion for cooking. My mother always said the key to cooking—and to life—was to dive in without fear, to jump right into the recipe and trust the process.
As I brought The Leadership Compote e-book (and subsequent blog posts) together, I couldn’t help but think of her - glimmers. She had a deep love for allegories, especially when they illuminated leadership. She would have enjoyed the interweaving of recipes, time-tested leadership principles, and a dash of tongue-in-cheek humor. I thought about the stories, the connections, and the notes we would most likely be sharing back and forth as we wrote if she were still here.
Mom loved a good story and a great recipe, but most of all, she loved the ah-ha moments. She delighted in seeing young leaders connect the dots, their eyes lighting up as a concept clicked into place—an unmistakable spark of realization and growth. And now, when I see sparks and connections, I too think of her - glimmers.
My hope is that these writings continue to spark some "ah-ha" moments for you too. Leadership should be approachable, adaptable, and inspiring—she would have encouraged nothing less.
Recently, a new executive I started coaching shared why she chose to work with me: “I used to love training sessions with your mom; I respected her deeply. Now I read your writing and see your work—it reminds me so much of her. That’s why I chose you. I’m excited to continue that journey with you.”
Glimmers.
