A few months ago, Bronny James, son of basketball superstar and billionaire businessman LeBron James, was drafted into the NBA, selected by his dad’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers. This makes them the first father-son duo to play on the same team in NBA history.
Some questioned the dynamics of this. In a recent episode of The Shop: Uninterrupted on HBO, LeBron was asked whether Bronny would call him “Dad” on the court. “No,” LeBron answered, emphasizing they’d already had that conversation. “[He] cannot call me dad in the workplace.” He joked that Bronny was free to call him Bron or GOAT (greatest of all time).
LeBron James is modeling healthy workplace boundaries for parents who either own a business and employ their children or work alongside them in a job. As a father who employs my 22-year-old daughter, I can tell you firsthand how important it is to set boundaries in the workplace.
When my daughter started working with me, our arrangement was too casual. I let her work whatever hours she wanted, attend video calls with clients dressed however she wanted to be, and let her respond to them in a casual time frame.
A client pulled me aside and commented that our working relationship gave off unprofessional vibes. That was a wake-up call and made me realize not only how we were coming across to clients, but more importantly, the bad example I was modeling for my daughter. We had a business meeting where I set new guidelines, and we talked through them as colleagues, not as father and daughter. During working hours, she calls me Kimanzi, and we hold the boundaries I set.
The workplace dynamics you create have a positive or negative effect that can bleed into your personal relationship with your child. Here are three things to know about employing or working with your child(ren).
1. Exchange the ‘parent’ hat for the ‘colleague’ hat
In the earlier interview, LeBron talked about how odd it would be to hear Bronny say, “Dad, pass the ball!” while playing together. That’s a father who understands that you need to take off the “parent” hat and switch to a “colleague” hat to create workplace boundaries.
“I own two businesses, and when expanding my practice, I offered my adult son the opportunity to work with me,” says Angela Kenzslowe, Psy.D., MBA, clinical psychologist and founder of Purple Heart Behavioral Health LLC and Kenzslowe Consulting LLC. “As a psychologist, I understand the complexities of working with an adult child and have set clear boundaries.
“I start professional calls [with him] by saying, ‘This is a business call,’ which helps us shift into a professional mindset. When referring to me with others, he always uses ‘Dr. Kenzslowe.’ Navigating the parent-colleague dynamic isn’t without its challenges, but setting clear boundaries and respecting each other’s roles has allowed us to maintain both our personal bond and professional success,” says Kenzslowe.
By establishing a distinction between your work relationship and what happens at home, you create clarity for yourself, your child(ren), and other coworkers or employees.
2. Maintain boundaries, even when it’s hard
Boundaries are only effective if maintained, which is especially important in a workplace setting. Workplace culture is essential to growing any company, and it can become more complicated if you’re employing or working with your child.
Clear communication avoids confusion and sets a standard for your child to follow. If you have employees, they’ll watch that dynamic closely. These professional values should be upheld, even if they feel hard. Business owners who are doing this are experiencing success.
“We love our family business model, even when we have a tough day. At work, my children use my first name and ‘Mom’ at home,” says Bridgette Chambers, Ph.D., and founder of 2B Associates. “I coach them and build them up. You may struggle with conflict and missed opportunities if you do not create clear responsibilities and communicate openly.”
To create an environment where success can thrive in the workplace, you’ll have to maintain boundaries with your children. Clarity in communication, alongside the keeping of boundaries, is the key to success in any workplace. It also creates respect, especially for your children and other employees.
“People have to respect your kids, and if it looks like you’ve given them a position they don’t have the chops for, [they] won’t get the respect necessary from the ecosystem around them,” says Chambers. “It will make it harder for them to be successful and be happy in their position. Doing something as simple as using your parent’s first name helps a lot to have other people understand that this is a business.”
3. The best professional development comes by modeling
Much of the conversation regarding LeBron and Bronny James playing together has centered on nepotism and whether Bronny should’ve been drafted. These limiting mindsets miss the more important focus—having the opportunity to teach your child personal and professional growth through real-life experience.
LeBron James reportedly spends $1.5 million a year on his professional development in the form of training, diet and recovery. He knows that it’s important to do everything he can to maintain himself in top form and has passed on this leadership lesson to his son.
In another interview he said about Bronny, “The most important thing for him is that he continues to get better and better every day. Games, practices, film sessions, during his individual workouts. I mean he’s 19 years old, so he has so much room to grow, he has so much more to learn.”
“I’ve built a thriving business alongside my children,” says Jenni Graham, founder and owner of the JCHIC Lifestyle Brand. “At the same time, I give them the space to grow while setting boundaries and encouraging them to bring their own ideas and strengths to the table. It’s strengthened not just our business, but also our family bond. I’m their MentorMom.”
Experience tends to be life’s greatest teacher, so give your child the best leadership and success example by setting healthy workplace boundaries, communicating clearly and teaching them personal responsibility.
Photo by ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy Stock Photo
