On my wedding day, I was given the advice, “be a man for your family.” To a 26-year-old man who was entering marriage already with a child, it sounded like profound advice. I thought, “this is what it takes, I have to be a man for my family.”

If I could just be that man for my family, then things would go well, and I’d be doing what I was supposed to be doing. But over time when life, marriage, parenting, and family become more real, I realized I had no clue.

How can a kid be a man for his family?

The day we got married my wife was 24, I was 26, and we had a 10-month-old baby girl. We were kids a few years removed from college, and still pretty dependent upon our parents, yet starting a life together with a baby who depended on us.

So life, marriage, parenting, and family became real instantly! It didn’t wait for me to figure out how to be a man, let alone be a man for my family. It was all moving at a rapid pace, and I was being dragged along.

My family has always been my priority, but I didn’t always know how best to be or do what my family needed most from me. I was a leader by default, who didn’t know how to lead.

Your most important leadership role

Like most men I found my identity in what I did for work. Early on that was an entry-level data processing position for an insurance company, next an entrepreneur in real estate, and finally a sales professional before settling on blogger/writer/entrepreneur today. Each move was intended to take my career higher, so I could be more of a man for my family.

What I realize now is those career opportunities, those titles, those roles come and go. But a couple roles always remained. The roles of husband and daddy.

My role as family leader was not only the constant, but the most important.

I finally saw the big picture, and my quest to intentionally get better in this role began.

Fulfilling the role of family leader

Although this role is more important, more rewarding, and I was focused on fulfilling it, I still had no clue on how to do it. But I’m not alone. There are plenty of men who are motivated but somewhat overwhelmed when it comes to this giant responsibility.

This is part of what led me to blogging. Through my writing, talking to other husbands and father, seeking wise counsel from men who’ve been there, as well as my own life experience, I now know. And the good part of it is it’s something we all can do.

In fact, doing a few things consistently will help you and me “be a man for your family.” It will help us lead and love our families the way the need us to. Ultimately helping us to be the best husbands and dads we can be.

The Family Leader Manifesto

I wrote The Family Leader Manifesto to help men like you and I do exactly that. To get better as men, as leaders, and husbands and fathers.

If you have the same desire, then The Family Leader Manifesto is the book for you. It’s short, sweet, and to the point. It’ll encourage you and give you the 3-step plan to G.E.T. better as a husband and father.

I’m currently giving it away for FREE to my blog readers and subscribers. Click here to see what other men are saying about it, and get your FREE copy today!

What is the most challenging part of trying to be a great husband or dad? Please share in the comment section below.