Family Leadership 101
Leading Your Brood
Are you your family’s leader?
Whether your answer is yes or no, this post is focused on you.
Why does leadership matter?
Well, first let’s consider the following questions.
Is your home just a collection of people going separately about their own lives? Is this what you had always dreamed that it would be like? Are you and your loved ones bonded together in a way that brings each of you positive energy, strength, and a sense of true belonging?
Chances are, if your home isn’t what you’d like it to be you or your partner aren’t doing a very good leadership job. Most families, I believe, drift aimlessly and lack a strong bond because they are leaderless. No one has taken responsibility for the family’s direction. Without leadership, there is no common goal or purpose.
Before a family can truly bond there needs to be a catalyst – a key personality – around whom everything else rotates. This person sets the tone for the family and spearheads the direction of its activities. If there are more than one of these leaders there will either be very effective leadership or these two alpha-types will compete and pull the family apart.
Most of the time, the problem is that there is no leader. It seems that most adults do not understand that a family is like a team. A team without leadership, a clear goal, and teamwork, is just a loose collection of individuals. Close knit families don’t just happen; you make them happen.
If you want to have the family of your dreams either you or your partner is going to have to step up to the plate and take on the leadership role.
Hugh DeBurgh, The Passionate Warrior, has dedicated his life to the achievement of the ultimate family lifestyle. You can find him writing about Creative Family Lifestyle Design over at his blog, The Way of the Passionate Warrior. Currently he is on the second leg of a worldwide travel adventure with his wife and four young children. Follow Hugh on Twitter or sign up for his RSS feed and don't miss an update!