Ran across an interesting and new-to-me concept: Re-parenting. The idea is from Gordon MacDonald. As we go through our day, it's not hard to find people struggling with basic issues of emotional intelligence; people struggling to carry on a reasonably ordered life (read self-control). These and other social skills and marks of personal development are set in place, normally, by family and community. When family and community break down, such skills are never developed.

The boomers may be the last generation that was brought up with the benefit of a social matrix or a community of adults from which we developed our view of maleness, femaleness, community, and where one's place was amid it all. It was a context of civilizing influences that were a good platform upon which to build character and good social skills.

How do leaders, employers develop people who lack the proper foundation to begin with? It requires re-parenting. Re-parenting involves immersing motivated people in a new context of thinking and behavior and in an environment that is supportive and designed to build camaraderie. It requires a long term commitment to high standards of thinking and behaving.

MacDonald has identified nine principles associated with re-parenting that are worth examining.

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