What's the Boss Supposed to Do? Ask These Favorite T.V. Dads

We just celebrated Father’s Day a few weeks ago and we thought we would continue the celebration. Father’s Day is a holiday to honor the traditional head of household. And whether or not a father actually fills that role in your home, you can learn a lot about making money in your business from the head honcho who brings home the bacon.

Traditionally, we think of good fathers as the people who stepped up and provided well for their families, emotionally and financially. Before I ruffle too many feathers, hang in there with me. I’m a great mom, if I do say so myself, and I have a million dollar business, so of course I know women are more than capable of running things and making lots of money.

What I’m talking about here is stepping into the role of leadership and responsibility in your business. What can we learn about being in charge from fathers? When asking yourself, what the boss is supposed to do in a given situation, what better place to turn for inspiration than to our favorite T.V. dads we grew up with?

1. Let your moral compass guide you.

Andy Taylor of The Andy Griffith Show wouldn’t let Opie off the hook, would he? You make a mistake? You own up to it. You take a shortcut? You do it over again. You’re dishonest? It’s going to come back to haunt you. The father approved business lesson here: Always operate in integrity.

2. Persevere no matter what life throws your way.

Charles Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie showed us how to head off into the unknown with a pioneering spirit. He lost his crops to fire and tornadoes, left Walnut Grove for the big city when the town economy went bust, comforted a daughter who lost her sight, stood up to gun wielding neighbors… you name it, he faced it. But he always stood up for what he believed in and kept going with Ma by his side. The father approved business lesson here: It’s not going to be easy, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and keep going, half-pint.

3. Lay down the rules, and they’ll love you anyway.

Can you imagine the trouble the Huxtable kids would have gotten into if Cliff Huxtable didn’t lay down the ground rules on The Cosby Show? Mrs. Huxtable held her own, for sure, but every time Theo, Vanessa, or one of the others wanted to follow the crowd, dad was there to listen and keep them in line. The father approved business lesson here: People are going to challenge your authority, but stand your ground. You know what you’re doing.

4. Joint ventures can be better than flying solo.

You probably saw this one coming, but who can teach us more about steering two ships in a mutually beneficial direction than Mike Brady of The Brady Bunch? The premise behind the show was learning how to complement each other and thrive in relative harmony. The whole bunch was better off with his or her counterpart standing close by. The father approved business lesson here: Partner with others to achieve an even greater outcome than you can create on your own.

5. Find out what people need, and give it to them.

This one might make you giggle, but think about it. Fred Sanford of Sanford and Son was an entrepreneur in every sense of the word. Am I right? He made a living selling what he had access to – junk - and raised his son proudly to follow in his footsteps. Sure, they didn’t live in a mansion, but they lived pretty comfortably on their own terms, which is much more than many of the other people in their community were able to say at that time. The father approved business lesson here: Entrepreneurship isn’t always glamorous, but if you’re selling what people need, you can make it work.

I could keep going. Hollywood is always churning out new characters and story-lines for us to follow. As you can see, my examples are from years past (because I’m too busy making money to spend a lot of time in front of the television). Think about the lessons fathers have taught you about business, both in real life and on T.V.

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