What I Hope My Children Understand About My Work
Introduction
As founders and business leaders, we often spend years building companies, solving problems, and helping organisations grow. But when I think about the future, I don’t think about titles or revenue milestones. I think about something much simpler.
I think about what my children will say when someone asks them what their dad does for a living.
Not the technical explanation. Not the strategy. Just the essence.
A Simple Explanation
If my children had to explain my work when they were young, I imagine it would sound something like this:
“Daddy helps people become better.”
That might sound simple, but it captures exactly what I care about. My work has always been about helping founders, leadership teams, and businesses improve what they do and how they do it.
Helping Businesses Become Better
Most of my work sits at the intersection of strategy, growth, and leadership.
Sometimes that means helping founders sharpen their thinking. Sometimes it means helping teams work together more effectively. Other times it’s about improving the systems, processes, or decisions that drive a company forward.
The goal is always the same. Make the business better than it was before.
When a business improves, it affects everything around it. Teams perform better. Leaders make clearer decisions. Customers receive better products and services.
Improvement compounds.
Translating Complexity into Impact
Business can be complex. Strategy, growth models, revenue operations, and leadership decisions can become incredibly technical.
But when I think about explaining my work to my children, none of that complexity really matters.
What matters is the outcome.
Did I help people solve meaningful problems?
Did I help leaders grow into better versions of themselves?
Did I leave businesses stronger than when I arrived?
If the answer to those questions is yes, then the work was worthwhile.
The Legacy That Matters
The older I get, the more I realise that legacy has very little to do with status.
It has far more to do with impact.
If my children grow up believing that their dad spent his career helping people improve their businesses, their teams, and themselves, then that would mean far more than any job title or achievement.
Because in the end, the most meaningful work is the work that helps others grow.
Final Thought
Business is often measured in numbers: revenue, growth, and valuation.
But the deeper measure is simpler.
Did you help people become better than they were before?
If my children remember that about my work, I’ll consider the mission accomplished.