Texas business leader calls for new conversations about childhood responsibility, personal growth, and character education starting at home and in classrooms.
(Isstories Editorial):- Southlake, Texas Dec 19, 2025 (Issuewire.com) – Bryan Scott McMillan, a Texas-based business leader and leadership mentor, is calling for a renewed national focus on building leadership through early-life responsibility. Drawing from his own childhood experience as the oldest of three in a working-class North Las Vegas home, McMillan says the leadership gap in adulthood often starts with the way we treat responsibility in childhood.
More on Isstories:
- Bryan Scott McMillan Pushes for Early Leadership Development in Schools
- Carolyn Spicer, Recognized by BestAgents.us as a 2026 Top Agent
- Marzena Castillo, Recognized by BestAgents.us as a 2026 Top Agent
- Mica Goehner, FNP-C, Recognized by America’s Best in Medicine as Owner of Summit View Primary Care
- Zach Napier, Recognized by BestAgents.us as a 2026 Top Agent
“We keep thinking leadership starts in college or at work,” McMillan said. “But most of the leaders I know started young — not with a title, but with real responsibility. Watching siblings, helping parents, managing chaos. That’s the training ground.”
The call to action comes at a time when educators and parents are searching for better ways to prepare young people for the future. A 2023 Pew Research study found that 68% of U.S. parents are worried their children are not learning life skills early enough. Another report by the American Psychological Association shows that children who are given consistent responsibilities at home build stronger emotional control and decision-making abilities later in life.
Bryan Scott McMillan’s perspective is personal. Raised in a low-income neighborhood with working parents and high expectations, he had to take charge of daily life early on. From cooking meals to helping with homework and diffusing sibling fights, he learned prioritization, communication, and problem-solving before he ever stepped into a corporate setting. Years later, those same skills helped him lead high-stakes business turnarounds across global markets.
He now believes schools and families must work together to normalize real responsibility for kids — not just grades and extracurriculars, but habits of care, consistency, and contribution.
“We need to stop thinking of chores and caregiving as just ‘helping out,’” he said. “They’re leadership reps. Every child who’s held accountable for their actions is learning how to lead. Every parent who empowers their kid with trust is setting the stage for real growth.”
To support this message, McMillan is working with local educators in Texas to create short workshops for parents and teachers on how to encourage leadership through small but meaningful household tasks. The pilot program will launch in early 2026 in partnership with a network of private and charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“Leadership doesn’t begin in the boardroom,” he added. “It begins at home, when a child realizes they’re part of something bigger — and their actions matter.”
About Bryan Scott McMillan
Bryan Scott McMillan is a business leader, mentor, and early-retiree based in Southlake, Texas. After growing up in North Las Vegas, he built a 30-year career leading large-scale business transformations across multiple markets. He is also the founder of Families with Holes, a nonprofit that supports families through grief and hardship, and a longtime volunteer at The WARM Place and Camp Sanguinity. His work now focuses on helping others live with purpose, resilience, and faith through leadership, service, and intentional living.
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
