My father’s formula for leadership 

With Father’s Day just behind us, I’ve found myself reflecting on the lessons my dad taught me — lessons that have shaped not only who I am as a person, but also how I lead.

Growing up, my father had a reputation for being a math whiz. Numbers seemed to come naturally to him, and he believed they should come naturally to his children too. Much to my frustration, he rarely let an evening pass without challenging my siblings and me with math problems and complex scenarios.

After a long day at school, all I wanted to do was play outside or relax. Instead, I would often find myself sitting at the kitchen table solving equations or answering questions that sounded more like word puzzles than homework assignments.

“If a boat leaves the port at this speed and a train leaves at the same time traveling another route, which arrives first?”

At the time, I viewed those exercises as unnecessary obstacles standing between me and a carefree evening. What I didn’t realize was that my father wasn’t just teaching math. He was teaching me how to think.

Years later, I understand that those kitchen table lessons provided the foundation for two leadership principles I rely on every day: preparation and logical reasoning.

First, preparation matters.

My father taught us that success rarely comes from luck. It comes from being ready. The more we practiced solving problems, the more confident we became when facing new challenges. Leadership works the same way. Effective leaders don’t wait for problems to appear before they begin thinking about solutions. They gather information, anticipate obstacles, evaluate possibilities and prepare for multiple outcomes. Preparation creates confidence, and confidence creates stability during uncertain times.

Second, logical reasoning is a leadership superpower.

The problems my father presented weren’t always about finding the right answer. They were about understanding the process. He wanted us to break challenges into smaller pieces, analyze the facts and think critically before making decisions. As a leader, I draw upon that lesson regularly. Complex situations often require us to make decisions with incomplete information. The ability to think methodically, weigh options and remain objective is invaluable.

Looking back, I am grateful for those evenings that once felt so inconvenient. What seemed like math lessons were actually life lessons. My father was preparing us for a world where challenges are inevitable and solutions are rarely obvious.

As we move beyond Father’s Day, I encourage you to reflect on the lessons someone invested in you long before you fully appreciated them. Often, the wisdom we resisted the most becomes the wisdom we rely on the most.

For me, though I lost my father over a decade ago, every leadership challenge I encounter still feels a bit like one of his equations. The answer may not be immediately clear, but with preparation, critical thinking and persistence, a solution can always be found.

Michelle D. Tucker is president and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis.

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