I just finished a story on the teen summer job market and one thing I kept hearing from business owners was that kids today just aren’t independent, and as a result don’t always make the best employees. One woman who owns a water ice shop in Dover, DE told me parents come in to ask if she has jobs for their kids instead of the kids coming in themselves. “That’s a bad sign,” she said, when it comes to how they’ll perform on the job.

Are we not hard enough on our kids? Do we do everything for them to the point of progeny paralysis?

In the last installment from my book, “From the Sandbox to the Corner Office,” I share one CEO’s experience with stern parents who toughened the executive up for life. (more…)