I came across an interesting article in the Wall Street
Journal titled Family, Inc. The message
was that some families had success treating their family as a business with a
mission statement, regular meeting to drive continuous improvement, and
decision making that included all members of the family. The comments to the article were largely
negative, but the article really resonated with me.
I tend to be a formal person who enjoys logical decision
making. My interests are very diverse
and if left unchecked, my attention to work, family and hobbies can quickly go
out of whack. I have worked in corporate
America for the past 15 years and enjoy having goals and vision. This often makes decisions easier to
make. I have found that when I do not
have goals, I settle to the lowest common denominator of reacting rather than
focused progress.
I usually set personal goals as well. These are often in the form of resolution
type goals to watch less television, plan date night once per month or stop
eating snacks after 7:00 PM. I do have a
personal strategy to “Support my family with time and financial
contributions. I intend to keep a full
time job and participate in swim bike run events as possible during the
year. I want to take an active role in
the kid’s education and activities. I
want to support my wife at home and in her endeavors.” However, I only look at this on a quarterly
basis. As I read it now, improving my
health, family relationships, personal relationships and community involvement
are conspicuously absent. My vision is
to be an “Active Husband and Father.”
I have never thought about making goals for our family. My kids are still young, but down the road it
would be a great experience for them to be involved in decision making. Most of our family decisions are made ad hoc
and rarely have a theme. Decisions of
note in the past year include vacation plans, remodeling the kitchen, and enrolling
the girls in activities such as piano, gymnastics and swimming. If I think about the characteristics I would
like to see in our family, my own personal values come to mind. I have yet to appreciate a family vision. Just because I see hard working as an asset,
does not mean it is important to our family.
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