people are told not to run their family as a business, but a parent is essentially the CEO, CFO, and COO of their family. Those same skills that lend success in a professional setting can spill over and actually improve the operational success of your family unit and even your own emotional happiness and well-being.Difficult/disgruntled people
In the business world, dealing with difficult people is a normal occurrence, even when the complaint is justified. Sometimes the people under your management are the ones who are disgruntled. Outside of the office, it is easy to find yourself at odds with your children, spouse, or a family member. Good management skills will lend insight to any of these situations. Having the ability to identify the issue and assume responsibility for your share of the cause is essential. It is rare that a complaint is completely unjustified as mostly people are rational.
People in all areas of your life can take issue with a lack of being motivated and the feeling of stagnation. A good manager, friend, parent, and spouse all serve the same role in this situation – to propel the other party in the direction of their own personal greatness. This needs to be done tactfully, otherwise you can come across harsh and harpy. Making the other person feel as if you are judging them will not help to resolve the issue; it will only lead to bitterness and resentment.
Common attributes of a great leader
- Those who are followed, as mentioned, inspire others to be great as well.
- There is no lack of confidence from a true leader; otherwise, people would have no confidence in them.
- A great manager listens completely and then reacts. It is impossible to fully resolve an issue or solve a problem if you lack the information to do so.
- Smile, because a positive attitude can diffuse a growing situation whereas being aggressive will only make matters worse.
- Respect the people you surround yourself with, often times this respect will be returned.
Create a method of action
Leading by example is necessary no matter what your role. The old adage “do as I say, not as I do” will not work in your professional life and it will not work in your family life either. In either facet of your day-to-day, you need to have a planned mode of attack. In order to develop this you need to know a few things:
- Where are you now?
- Where do you want to be?
- What is preventing you from achieving this?
Once you know the answers to these questions, you can come up with a plan to progress and accomplish your goals. Once you have a plan, revisit it from time to time and reevaluate whether or not you are getting the desired results. As you can see, this is applicable for anything from climbing the career ladder, growing in your current position, improving your health or even increasing the quality of your home life. Create a plan on how the household will be run in order to alleviate stress; if in a month nothing is improving, try another method. By constantly measuring and analyzing your personal and professional life, it is possible to pinpoint areas that need improvement. If these areas of concern are made better, then it is possible to avoid potentially explosive situations, which contributes to the happiness of all those involved. It also creates a guideline of expectations and let everyone know undoubtedly what their role is.
Very few people are born with the skills that are necessary to succeed in a leadership role, and that is okay. That does not mean that you are destined to be in the trenches. There are a number of options for improving your skills, or for learning new skills. Both online schools and those with brick and mortar campuses offer strategic management courses. The different methods of delivery make these courses easily accessible for anyone. After the classes, take your newly developed and improved skills for a test drive. This is just a guideline as to what is possible with the right tools. After you build the confidence in yourself, you will be able to feel good about the decisions that you make.
About the Author
Kate Simmons is a freelance journalist and full-time consultant mainly interested in topics related to education and business.
