Why non-parents make terrible leaders.

Read time: 2½ minutes

Welcome to issue #022 of Unicorn Parents. Each week, I share practical insights and reflections to help you build a profitable business without missing the magic at home. If you’re serious about winning at work while raising great kids, you’ve come to the right place. This is a community built for ambitious parents who want both.

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Before you get offended, hear me out.
I’m not saying every parent is a great leader.
I’m saying every great leader leads like a parent.

In movies, supervillains always have one weakness.
Loved ones.

It’s the oldest trope in the book:

“Don’t let them know who you care about.”

Because once the hero (or villain) loves someone, they’re suddenly vulnerable.

But in real life, it’s the opposite.
Having loved ones doesn’t make you weak.
It makes you unstoppable.

And if you’re a parent reading this? Never forget that!
The very thing the world calls your limitation is actually your greatest competitive edge.

Since becoming a father, I’ve grown stronger—mentally, spiritually, and (yes) physically.

Something inside shifts when your life stops being about you.
You don’t just live. You protect.
You don’t just plan. You provide.
You don’t just dream. You sacrifice.

And I’ll say something that might sound controversial:
I don’t think anyone should lead the world unless they’ve led a home.

Because leadership without love is dangerous.
I wouldn’t trust anyone who’s never tucked a child in at night with the power to launch nuclear weapons.
You can’t understand the weight of power until you’ve felt the weight of a sleeping child on your shoulder.

Leadership (real leadership) isn’t about intellect or ambition.
It’s about sacrifice.
And until you’ve sacrificed for someone more important than yourself, you haven’t yet learned the cost of true leadership.

When you become a parent, the stakes of life change.
Every decision suddenly has a heartbeat attached to it.
Every risk carries real consequence.
You stop chasing vanity metrics and start chasing legacy.

That’s why fatherhood and motherhood are some of the greatest leadership training grounds on earth.
Parenthood isn’t a detour from greatness.
It’s the curriculum.

Sure, this view will invite criticism.
Usually from people without kids.

Unless you’ve felt the fear of losing what you love most (or the joy of watching it grow) it’s hard to understand how deeply it transforms you.

Of course being a parent doesn’t automatically make you wise, noble, or good. But greatness, the kind that endures, requires the experience of loving something more than yourself.

That’s what parenthood teaches best.
To love beyond ego.
To give without keeping score.
To carry weight you didn’t think you could bear, and still show up smiling.

So, no, having loved ones isn’t your weakness.
It’s your superpower.

Think about it.
Every superhero—from Iron Man to Spider-Man to Superman—becomes a real hero only after they have something to lose.

Power without sacrifice is just ego.
But sacrifice born of love?
That’s the kind that saves worlds.

The next time the world tries to convince you that freedom comes from detachment, remember:

• You don’t become powerful by being untethered.

• You become powerful by being anchored—to people, to purpose, to love.

So embrace it.
Don’t envy the ones chasing nightlife and novelty.
You’ve got something far rarer.

A reason worth living (and dying) for.

That’s what makes you unstoppable.
That’s what makes you a Unicorn Parent.

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