Very few people have the perspective Alan Hosking has of human beings, connecting with them at the start of life, during their teen and adult years, and then in their mature years.
He has helped new parents build happy and healthy families, worked with teenagers both inside and outside of the high school environment, trains Generation X and Y leaders in the workplace, is an anti-ageing coach for senior executives to help them “down age”, and interacts regularly with senior citizens in retirement homes.
Alan wears many career caps but there is a common thread that runs through all his career activities – he has dedicated his life to the growth and development of people in all walks of life and all ages – from before birth to death. Importantly, his commitment to people starts with his commitment to his own family.
As a husband, he has invested in his relationship with his wife, Jenny, who he has known since she was nine. He says they have been married for more years than Jenny will allow him to say, as she claims that people will then be able to work out her age! He quips that, if he were able to do it all again, he would do it with Jenny, in a heartbeat.
As a father, he has invested heavily into the lives of his three daughters, Courtney, Kelsey and Brittany, who are now adults and in happy long term relationships themselves. Courtney and her husband Matthew have two daughters of their own, Serena and Luna, who call Alan “G Dad”. He says he had wanted to be called Granddad but Serena wasn’t able to say that so ended up calling him G Dad and the name stuck. He says it makes him feel like he’s an “over-the-hill” rapper!
Having enjoyed the benefits of a stable family life, Alan’s adult daughters are evidence that the guidance and advice he offers new dads has been road tested in real life and really works.
His message is that men CAN have the best of both worlds – enjoy a happy, successful family life, raising children to become emotionally secure, mature, intellectually bright adults, as well as enjoying a successful and fulfilling career.
To that end, Alan is an internationally recognised, multiple award-winning thought leader in Leadership and the Future of Work. He is the Publisher of HR Future magazine, a global human capital magazine, and a leadership teacher who has, since 2001, been preparing companies and their people for the Future of Work, long before anyone else was thinking about the future!
Over the years, his expertise has been sought by a wide variety of well-known brand names as well as organisations like the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
While Alan addresses all stages of parenting, he has a particular passion for first-time fathers who he believes need all the support they can get. He is very concerned about the fact that, while expectant moms get a lot of attention (and he is glad they do), expectant dads do not. This, he says, sends men a very powerful negative message at a crucial time in their lives – that they’re not an important part of the child’s life, causing them to “switch off” when it comes to parenting. He therefore shows new dads how to enjoy being loving and involved dads not because they have to be but because they want to be.
Alan has appeared on national television in South Africa from time to time, both in his capacity as a business thought leader as well as in his capacity as an author and parenting authority.
Alan is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Contact Alan: alan@osgard.co.za
Alan and his happy family - his wish for every father
