Father’s Day Spotlight: What’s up, working dads?

Ahead of Father’s Day, we caught up with some of the amazing dads at OutboundEngine. What drives them? What challenges them? And what makes it all worthwhile? We asked, and they shared.

Meet these family-focused men who hold it down around the office and at home too.

Q1: How is your approach to work different after having kids? (Or is it?)

Adam: Sebastian is my why and my reason to get up in the morning and give my 100%. I am more grounded and my priorities are to take care of my family and make sure they have what they need.

Austin: It is different. You’ve got someone to provide for, and give the best life to.. that translates well into motivation to keep working harder.

Avian: I think overall I always try to put my best foot forward, but there’s a special motivation that comes from knowing that how I perform at work directly affects their well-being.

Dustin: Pre-kids I was 100% work and career 24/7 all the time. Now, I force myself to come to a stopping point and lead a more balanced life where when I am at home I am 100% dialed into family and enjoying the latest dinosaur craze that my son is into.

Jimmy: My time management at work has spilled over into my time management at home. Everything is on a calendar. I may schedule meetings with my reps between the hours of 8-6, but I have a standing 6:30pm walk to the neighborhood park with a certain toddler.

Meet Theo, that certain toddler.

John: I think my approach has become a little softer. It’s a lot easier to build rapport with our customers that are parents. Anyone around me can attest that I use being a new dad as a rapport builder on a regular basis (mostly because I can’t help it).

Q2: What’s your biggest challenge in balancing work and fatherhood?

Aaron: It’s difficult trying to balance a career and being a good Dad. Finding one-on-one time regularly throughout the week with both of my kids is key to staying connected. We have a bedtime routine that we go through every night, so even if I have to work late and get home after dinner, we still have a connection point at the end of the day.

Benji: I want to spend literally every moment of every day with my kid, but I have to earn income to keep him fat and happy, so I can’t.

Chuck: Managing sales people requires a lot of problem-solving and thinking for them. Sometimes when I get home from work I’m exhausted and I don’t feel like helping my oldest with his homework because I just spent the whole day thinking for people. I always cowboy up and help him but I feel bad for not feeling up to it when he first asks me.

Jimmy: I would love to be at every doctor’s appointment, swim lesson, or haircut, but working at OE allows my son to have those things. The challenge is reminding myself that I don’t need to feel guilty for missing out on some things because my work enables him to experience the world!

Zach: Time, time, time. When I get home nowadays I can’t lounge around and relax for a few hours and send a few emails. I have to make sure my work is done at 5 or 6 so that when I’m home I can focus on dinner time, bath time, and bedtime.

Q3: What’s the best part of being a dad? Why?

Adam: Hanging out with other dads. Seeing smiles and getting hugs. Teaching him. Loving him. Rockin’ an Ergo. Dad jokes…the best part of being a dad is going home and seeing him smile at me when I walk through the door and him crawling to me so I can pick him up.

Chuck: So many things are awesome about being a dad. As my boys grow up they have started to have their own interests and opinions. I love listening to them explain to me why the like what they like or why they think what they do. There’s something magical about that.

Frank: When they get their own personalities and can have discussions with you as people. Everyone who knows me knows I love babies, but I also love that as they get older the interactions you can have. My son is very knowledgeable about politics and was even following the French elections. He is also becoming a very fast runner and I love when we do the same race or just go running around town lake with him.

Joseph: The best part is getting to teach my sons whether it be how to build and fix things or teaching them about math and science and different languages.

Kenneth: Having my little girls say “I Love You, Daddy” and give me a hug.

Q4: What do you wish you had known before having kids?

Austin: How detrimental it can be to forget to pack a change of clothes for your trip to the movies.

Avian: I wish I would have known more about to support my wife throughout the process from conception to birth and beyond.

Benji: Don’t spend money on toys because they only want to play with remotes and other stuff that grown-ups like.

John: There’s so much laundry! I’m never NOT doing laundry. Also, there IS such thing as a kid barfing and it being cute as hell.

Zach: I wish I really, truly understood that I would never get to go out to the movies again. It’s all Netflix all the time from now on. (Or at least the next six years or so).

Q5: What’s the craziest question your kid has asked you?

Aaron: Not a question, but the other day one of my boys told me he couldn’t eat Peanut Butter & Jelly for lunch because his “taste bugs” didn’t like it.

Adam: The only word that Sebastian knows is “ball”. I tell him to say a word and it is always “ball”. It’s the best!

Chuck: Jeremiah asked me why I tell him not to grow up too quickly. Elijah asked me if chocolate milk comes from chocolate cows.

Dustin: There is a new one almost every day which fills my life with a lot of laughs and fun moments. The latest one from our recent vacation is, “Daddy, when we catch a big fish, can we take him home and give him to Byron (our dog) so they can be friends?” You can imagine the complications navigating that one.

Frank: He has always been a really funny kid, one time he wanted me to let him do something and I didn’t, so he created a contract where he told me he was going to hypnotize me and then signed my name and thought for sure he’d be allowed to do it after that.

Guys, your humor, dedication, and drive is inspiring. Thank you for letting us share your experiences here on the blog!

Featured dads:

• Aaron Jones, Data Ops, Dad to Judah (6), Jordan (4)
• Adam Moreno, National Accounts, Dad to Sebastian (10 months)
• Austin Jablon, National Accounts, Dad to Alijah (8)
• Avian Jordan, Customer Success, Dad to Wesley (13 months) + little girl on the way!
• Benji Orlansky, Customer Success, Dad to Maxwell (10 months)
• Chuck Robledo, Sales, Dad to Jeremiah (6), Elijah (5)
• Dustin Sheffield, Business Development, Dad to Owen (3)
• Frank Livaudais, Engineering, Dad to Christopher (15)
• Jimmy Miller, Customer Success, Dad to Theo (22 months)
• John Stizza, Customer Success, Dad to Hank (2 months)
• Joseph Caceres, Engineering, Dad to Nathaniel (4), Andrew (2), Dominic (1 month)
• Kenneth Menard, National Accounts, Dad to Teagan (3)
• Zach Kleinsmith, Customer Success, Dad to Andy (16 months)

Want to be a part of the team? We’re hiring! Head on over to our Careers page.