What can you learn in your personal life in business

This material was written Patrick Lencioni, entrepreneur and owner of the consulting firm. The material was transferred to the Russian team Megaplan mailing.

11 years ago there were two things in my life: my wife and a family and I started my own business - management consulting. In the first four years, I'm much better able to cope with their company than with my family. I struggled to grow your business and then come home - and there is how it goes.

A few years ago it dawned on me that this is the wrong approach. Family - is also an organization, and it is important for me. Most likely, this idea has prompted me to phrase what I said at the time of the strange tide of self-irony:

Oh, dear, if my clients are so ruled by their companies, how we manage at home, they would have long since collapsed.

Without going into unpleasant details of my subsequent conversation with his wife, except to say that in the end we have to think how to apply my principles of management of the company in the management of the house. It turned out all applicable.

1. Identify the key values. Companies do it to have a support for decision-making on all issues. To apply it in the family, think that a husband and wife most appreciate in each other. My wife has a quality: it is quite fearlessly defends his position, not afraid of anyone or anything. We wanted to make this feature was and our four sons. We have made this one of the values ​​courage. Others - a creative approach and a genuine interest in his case. Now our son is the director of the school for the fact that he got into a fight, he stood up for a classmate. We have made it clear that we support his action.
2. Definition of the main priority. When you say that everything is important, in fact it does not matter anything. Too many companies have left the stage due to the fact that they tried to be everything to everyone, wasting energy in all directions. Answer the following question: "In addition to our daily duties, how one big goal we need to achieve in the next month or two?" And think about the answer. It can be anything: from the "help dad get well" to "spend more time together."
3. Keep your priorities and values ​​in sight. No need to order a marble slab engraved with, but be sure to mark somewhere in their values ​​and priorities. When my wife and I met, we discussed over dinner in a restaurant these very values. At the end of the meal she pulled a piece of paper tablecloth on which all this was written, and carefully hung it on the refrigerator at home. This piece of paper every day to remind us of the values ​​that we have laid the foundation of the family.
4. Do not take instant decision. Companies (like family) tend to make quick hasty decisions because of feelings of guilt or pressure others. This is not necessarily something big - it can even be just a visit with overnight guests. But it is precisely these things add to the chaos of family life.
5. Be aware of the possibility of price. When a company decides to do one thing, and because of this, can not do anything else, this is called opportunity cost. Based on this principle, we have taken a right decision to allow children to get out of the scout troop (an opportunity), classes which ate output (the price). Why scouts, not guitar school? Because scouts - organization regulated, with strict rules and customs, it did not fit our lifestyle. Since one of our values ​​- creativity, we had no doubt that the most important: the Scouts, or guitar.
6. Determine what can wait and what is not. Some tasks may seem important and urgent, in fact, they can wait. When we were preparing for the birth of their fourth child, I was suddenly flooded desire to engage in landscaping our lawns and doing yoga. And I thought, if our house is overgrown with impenetrable forests? Not. Is it important for me to be able to get hands-to-toe? Sometime later - yes, but not now. Now it is important to prepare the house to the appearance in it of the fourth child. The rest can wait.
7. Do not confuse long-term strategy and short-term tactics. The family is as follows: we are discussing what to cook for dinner in about the same situation and the same mood as the decision about changing jobs. Or trying to make an important financial decision while brushing your teeth. Vytseplyat need to learn such important issues and give them their due time and attention.
8. Meet and chat about how things are you doing. And do not moan. Family members should meet once a week and discuss what is happening in the family that you want to change, how to prioritize. We noticed that our boys from such meetings are clarity and a sense of purpose achieved. They like to understand their role in the family.
9. From time to time get out of the "cabinet". The majority of directors, with whom I work, produced addicted to rush jobs: they are sure that they can not in any case escape from the routine and look at the work as a whole. Like, it's too much to do. It ends all that are safely burned, and in their place come new director. Parents also need to occasionally take time off from their children and to look at the little family from the side. Turn off the radio in the car. Go out of town or something. Stay together. Calmly consider the situation in the family. The benefits of this huge - not a pity to spend money on the babysitter.
10. Do not be afraid of productive conflict. When directors can not see any possibility to argue with each other, they lose the ability to make good decisions and protect them. The family is the same. Much of what I have described in this article, was born in the heat of a big row, which, in turn, began with my clumsy jokes about it with our family.