Father's Day: Lessons From Dad

This Father's Day, let's take a moment to appreciate the journey of balancing fatherhood and professional work. Each role enriches the other, creating a dynamic blend of love, responsibility, and inspiration.

To celebrate fathers and father figures, we asked employees to answer one of two questions: 

• What lessons have you learned from parenting that you've found applicable or beneficial in navigating challenges or leading teams at work?
   
• Can you share examples of skills or wisdom passed down by your father that you've found particularly valuable in your career?

Happy Father's Day to the superheroes balancing fatherhood and careers with grace and love. Your dedication and hard work are an inspiration to us all!

1. Josh Smith, Content and Communications Manager, Food Away from Home, North America. "Patience is a key skill that I have had to learn as I get further into my parental journey. This is exceptionally valuable at work when I’m navigating challenges or leading my team toward success. Reframing problems, taking small steps toward the overall goal, and deploying a strong process that allows us to track our progress has proven time and time again to be the winning formula. Remaining patient with myself, my team, and cross-functional inputs is not only vital for success but for enjoying the day-to-day journey as well."


2. Mauricio Rojas, Supply Chain Manager, McCormick Mexico."Be the person (or leader) you want your child to be. There is so much power and resonance in setting the example of who, how, what kind of person you would like your child to grow towards to." 


3. Paul Nolan, Vice President, Tax, Government Affairs & Strategic Real Estate. "With rapid changes in technology a constant, a major lesson that I have learned from parenting is how much more quickly my (now adult) children were and remain adept at grasping the benefits and the speed of new technology. That learning is directly applicable daily as we work in multigenerational teams and collaborate using technology. I have found that we learn and move much faster as a team on technology issues when we seek out of the ideas of the 'younger' generation."


4. Alessandro Del Panta, Flavour Analytical Sciences Manager, McCormick Flavour Solutions, McCormick Italy. “If you can think it you can do it. The important thing is to be responsible. And always try to work smarter, not harder. This has allowed me in my working career and my personal life to always stop and think about how much that action, or that series of actions, could be valuable, or somewhat necessary, and consequently how to make it smarter."


5. Manuel Saavedra, Plant Manager, Supply Chain, North America. "Lead by example! Rather than listening to what parents say, children imitate us. The same thing happens with our teams. If you want your team to be passionate, committed, dedicated, and motivated, you go first!"


6. Valeria Camera, HSE System Manager, McCormick Flavour Solutions, McCormick Italy."There are many things that I carry with me as lessons but at this moment here is what I remember about my father: 'Smile and be positive not because you don't have problems or difficulties but as a choice of how you want to face life whether private or work.' and 'Correctness and kindness always: as a strong point and never a weakness!'" 


7. Radosław Ociepa, Process Automation Team Leader, Central Capabilities, McCormick Poland. "Every day, in safe and supportive environment, we are teaching our children to take responsibility for their actions and understand the consequences of their own decisions. At the workplace encouraging team members to take ownership of their work and be accountable for their actions fosters a culture of responsibility and reliability. Children are growing so fast that it’s very easy to overlook the most important moments in their lives you should always celebrate together."

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