The hidden skills fatherhood taught you

The Hidden Skills Fatherhood Quietly Teaches You

Inside this issue

Map the skills you’ve built as a dad
Turn soft skills into standout resume bullets
Time to Sprint: Update your resume
What’s the most unexpected skill fatherhood has helped you build?
From the Podcast: Erin Aldrich Shean on Redefining Success for the Season You’re In
The Last Laugh: Listening skills
But before we get to all that, here’s what’s…

On My Mind

Every dad has a second shift.

You finish the meeting, then help with homework. Answer emails while coaching practice. Calm a toddler before your next call.

It is not easy, but it is training. The same patience, planning, and problem-solving that keep your home running also make you stronger at work.

This week’s podcast guest, Erin Aldrich Shean, talked about how every season of life has its own demands. Some seasons push you to grow. Others force you to slow down. All of them shape who you become.

What struck me most was her point that you cannot chase every goal at once. You have to know what season you are in and let that guide the choices you make.

Fatherhood does the same thing. It sharpens leadership, empathy, and adaptability. Those are not side skills. They are real tools you carry into your work and your life.

This issue is about recognizing the skills you have built as a dad and using them with intention, no matter what season you are in right now.

Map the Skills You’ve Built as a Dad

Why it Matters

You’re developing new strengths every day, often without realizing it. Mapping them out helps you see how fatherhood fuels professional growth.

Why it Works

When you connect what you’ve learned at home to what you do at work, you see the full scope of your abilities, and so will employers, clients, and partners.

How to Do It

List daily challenges. Think about what you regularly handle: schedules, emotions, logistics, decisions.
Translate each into a skill.
- Juggling school, sports, and work → prioritization
- Calming conflict → emotional intelligence
- Coordinating routines → project management
Link to outcomes. “Balanced competing priorities to meet deadlines at work and home” says more than “good multitasker.”

Pro Tip

Ask your partner, friend, or teammate what strengths they notice in you. You’ll often find skills you take for granted.

Soft-Skill Resume Bullets

Why it Matters

Soft skills are hard to measure, but they’re what make people want to work with you. The most effective bullet points turn life lessons into leadership proof.

Why it Works

Concrete examples make intangible skills visible. They show how you apply empathy, communication, or adaptability in action.

How to Do It

Start by identifying one or two moments when you showed strong interpersonal skills at home or at work. Then turn them into action-oriented statements that blend soft and hard skills.

Use this formula: Action Verb + Soft Skill + Result.

This keeps each bullet short, clear, and outcome-focused.

Steps:

Pick a soft skill. Example: adaptability, communication, leadership, patience.
Describe the context. When did you use it? A project setback, a client call, a family schedule crunch?
Add the outcome. What changed because of you? Did you hit a deadline, reduce stress, or improve collaboration?
Write it as a bullet:
- “Stayed calm and productive during shifting client priorities while managing family commitments.”
- “Built stronger team communication by applying lessons from coaching youth sports.”
- “Improved process efficiency by applying planning systems honed through family logistics.”

Pro Tip

Use one soft-skill bullet per section of your resume. It adds depth without clutter. Over time, these examples tell the story of a steady, capable leader.

Time to Sprint: Update Your Resume

Why it Matters

Your story isn’t static. Updating your resume helps capture the professional you’ve become since blending work and family life.

How to Do It

Minutes 0-10: Open your current resume or portfolio. Highlight what feels outdated or no longer reflects your best work.
Minutes 11-20: Add 2–3 new bullets that show soft skills you’ve honed through caregiving.
Bonus (5 minutes): Update your summary line to reflect your broader strengths.

Pro Tip

Try this quick template for your headline:

“ROLE OR TITLE known for CORE STRENGTH and IMPACT.”

Example: “Freelance designer known for managing complex projects and staying cool under pressure.”

Your Move

What’s the most unexpected skill fatherhood has helped you build? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.

From the Podcast: Erin Aldrich Shean on Redefining Success for the Season You’re In

Why it Matters

Every dad goes through seasons. Some are full of momentum and growth. Others feel like everything is shifting under your feet. Erin Aldrich Shean, a former Olympic athlete turned career coach, shows how to navigate these seasons with clarity, intention, and grace. Her story reminds us that you cannot do it all alone and that redefining success is often the first step toward building a work life that truly fits your family and values.

What You’ll Hear

You’ll learn how to:

Understand the mindset shifts needed for big transitions, whether in career or family life
Break free from chasing the wrong goals and reconnect with what actually fulfills you
Build clarity using Erin’s LAND method so you stop guessing and start aligning
Seek help instead of trying to carry everything on your own
Use seasons of life and seasons of work to set expectations, reduce guilt, and stay grounded
Keep growing through networking, reflection, and community support
Balance ambition with presence at home in a way that honors both roles

Pro Tip

Erin encourages taking a solo reset once a year. Even 48 hours away with a notebook and a quiet place to think can reveal what is working, what is not, and what needs to change so you stay aligned with your values and your family.