As the parent of two teens, I’ve become quite accustomed to the Eye Roll. This ocular straining happens most often when I request that a previously agreed upon task be completed by said teen. Me: “Hey, it’s time to empty the trash. Trash pick up is tomorrow.” Teen: “Ugh,” with a healthy helping of Eye Roll.

When the groaning and eye-rolling gets excessive, I sit my kid(s) down and clarify a very important fact of parenting: I don’t ask you to carry out chores because I’m lazy. Believe it or not, I’m teaching you life skills that will help you become a functional member of society.

In a similar vein, leaders in the workplace are called upon to help their employees take on tasks that will improve their marketability in the workplace (as well as providing value to the organization). Leaders who do this are using a coaching leadership style, as written about by executive coach Dana Theus.

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