Book excerpt: The father factor is the conscious understanding, awareness, and appreciation of the critical influence that your father had, still has, or could have in your career development and future potential. Noting that the father-son or father-daughter relationship is one of the least understood relationships in adult life, Dr. Poulter helps you become acutely aware of the immeasurable impact (negative or positive) that your father has on your ability to relate to other people. From this recognition you will also learn to move past the career roadblocks that frequently stem from the lingering effects of your father''s influence. Defining five main styles of fathering, Dr. Poulter devotes a chapter each to: The Superachiever Father The Time Bomb Father The Passive Father The Absent Father (whether physically or emotionally) The Compassionate / Mentor Father. By becoming aware of how your father related to you, particularly in a destructive relationship, you''ll understand how your career relationships in many ways mirror your degree of comfort with your father''s emotional legacy. In this way, career roadblocks-often based on interactions with people on the job-will be more easily transformed into career building blocks that will lead to advancement and success.