Introducing John Pacini, our Lead Dad of the Week, from Houston, Texas.
A married Lead Dad of a college student and a high school senior, John has involved his son and daughter in the family business from an early age. After all, having children motivated his wife Carrie to leave another job in 2008 and start Mom Media, which includes Mom 2.0, a community group and event producer, and Dad 2.0.
“Since they were 13 and 10, they worked at the events and I paid them,” John said. Perhaps more importantly for his kids own growth: “they were able to see the good times and the bad, to see the highs and lows. They were able to understand the conversation at the dinner table and be part of it.”
Being a Lead Dad is a role that can be fluid, and that was the situation for this couple. “Who was the Lead Parent was based on circumstances of who was the lead in parenting and who was the lead in business,” he said. “The hardest times were when both of us had to be fully into work. That was the benefit of bringing the kids into the business – it allowed us to travel with them.”
He also embraced something Company of Dads advocates: show, don’t tell, and your kids will learn. “If you have a principled center approach and are involving your children, they’re going to see what you’re doing and live it.”
