The worst (and only) argument I’ve ever had with my Dad.

My Dad, in general and very specifically, is a people person. He is not just the life of every party but the life in it. He is the person everyone wants to speak to and get to know. He’s also the one that is feared the most by anyone who crosses him. Knowing him behind closed doors, I’m sure his goal has never been to have anything but positive connections with people because that’s who he is, but he will never tolerate disrespect. Therefore, those boundaries with people have always been surgically administered in all aspects of his life, especially and mostly with his children.

As a recipient of this reasonable and clear expectation of my father, there were challenges I had to overcome by managing myself internally to live up to what my father always knew I could be. I had to do so without allowing myself to be overtaken by the fear and respect I had for his quiet, intense, observational nature and sharp ability to call things exactly as they are clearly, directly, and accurately. Whether he’s identifying something within himself and/or externally, he always does so in the calmest, most genuine, and most open way with uncompromising honesty. This always struck fear in me as a child because no matter how smart I thought I was, my Dad was always (and I mean always) 20 steps ahead but never announced it unless it was absolutely necessary. While I had…