Childhood experiences shape business outcomes

I am pondering what the future of work will look like beyond digitalisation, AI, holistic living and the redesign of jobs. Aside from technological advances and productivity gains we are also seeing a considerable cognitive and cultural shift in life and work expectations. Where has this come from? I am reading a book called ‘Parenting for a Peaceful World’ by Robin Grille which has prompted these questions.  The book is a chronological exploration of parenting norms dating back to 15th century and explores how childhood experiences shape adult behaviours and expectations, social norms and world events. No pressure parents! Without going into the full chronology of parenting, the current chapter is discussing the shift from ‘socialising’ parenting mode to ‘helping’ parenting mode. 

• Socialising parenting encapsulates authoritarian themes of controlling children’s behaviours through discipline to instil compliance. This parenting style leads to generations that look for rules, instructions and validation from others. 
• Helping parenting encapsulates authoritative themes such as encouraging your child to see you as a person (opposed to an authority), encouraging self expression and exploration, celebrating what makes the child happy rather than celebrating achievements and so on.   

By shaping our children to have increased emotional intelligence and empathy and less of a compliance mindset, what will this shift mean for future leaders and workplace operations more generally?