If you are frantic at home, will you really be any different at work?

To continue the discussion about setting goals in your personal life so as to be better at work, I am going to start this post with a quote from Patrick Lencioni’s book  "The three Big Questions for a Frantic Family" because I believe it can prove to be an epiphany moment for many business people.

“…most executives claim that family is more important to them than work. And most of them seem to really mean it. However, every one of those executives…would have to admit that they spend inordinately more time thinking about, strategizing about, and meeting about how to run their companies than they do their families. And yet they complain that life at home is far too reactive, frantic, and unfocused. Of course, this makes no sense…It might not occur to us that management tools from the workplace can apply at home. We don’t think about our families as organizations, and ourselves as the executives of those organizations. Additionally, I think many of us feel a little awkward, even embarrassed, at the thought of having a “strategic meeting” to talk about family values or strategic priorities. Who does that, anyway?” (Lencioni, 2008).

When I read this quote it makes me wonder, why wouldn’t a family do this? I mentioned in my last post that my husband and I have a “life’s to do list.” This list is an essential part of a strategic plan because it helps guide our decisions for life’s bigger questions. In addition to this list, we have done planning on a monthly and annual basis so we know what events are coming up, what needs to be done around the house and what we are going to do to improve ourselves. It isn’t a chore as much as cherished time together, talking and dreaming about our life. Yes, some of the conversations maybe harder than others but they help solidify us on our path. Early on in our marriage, we would write everything down in categories such as: health, family, home, careers, church, friends and fun. Using a notebook, we could check off the previous month’s activities and carry what was left undone over to the future. It was a great starting point to planning because we discovered more about each other. I still have that notebook on my coffee table and now we are at the point that has become integrated into our daily conversations. Just yesterday I spoke with him about the numerous family functions we have coming up in March so I am not springing them on him at the last minute – something that he hates. Being proactive about the routine home-life details frees up precious space in our minds for the countless other priorities that come up. We have found that being reactive to those routine home-life details creates chaos if left unchecked.

Now the approach taken in the book, with the use of a fable, has a little more “rose-colored glasses” perspective that might be a little hard to take for some but the overall message is strong. Questions that are posed include: What are your family’s core values and what should your top priorities be? Using questions such as these, in whatever format works best for you, should lay a strong foundation for you to build your family’s strategic plan.

Truly I know all of this may sound “pie-in-the-sky” and if it sounds that way to you then please ask yourself these questions:

Are you really where you want to be?
     If not, do you know where you are going and how you are going to get there?

Are you overwhelmed at home and at work by the sheer volume of everything?
     If yes, how can you change it?

Are you less than your best at work because of life’s other pressures?
     If yes, how will your business ever succeed?

If we are not at our best at home, then we will never be at our best at work. By applying some of our business acumen principles we can create a better balance and achieve greater success in both aspects of our lives.

If you would like more information about "The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family"  here is a link to Patrick Lencioni's website: http://www.tablegroup.com/books/frantic/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”