It’s about the journey, not the mistakes
As CEOs of the home, we’re called to support the growth of ever member of the family. From ourselves to our spouses to our children. We often spend more time addressing negativity with negativity. However, finding the good in the process of life allows people to feel comfortable sharing with us, trusting us, and relying on our leadership.
A good CEO will look at the present from three lens. The past, present, and future. Then, make the best set of choices they can.
There are lessons from the past that can shape our choices in the present. We need that history to help understand the circumstances better. It could be family history, personal history, the history of civilization even.
In the case of a child, the past history of how they face challenges will help shape how we opt to encourage them through present challenges. How we faced challenges can add a layer of options for them. How the grandparents faced similar obstacles can add another layer of gems for the child.
If there is a history of grit and resilience, the child can feel empowered to try again because of that knowledge.
By supporting the imagination, encouraging learning, validating effort, we build children who aren’t afraid of failure and who can learn from mistakes and continue to surge forward.
The world is messy. It’s not perfect. No one ever gets it spot on perfect every time. We have to constantly course correct.
Same with all the relationships we have. People need to know that it’s OK to try something new… you’re not going to flip out or freak out. It’s through trying new things that we build new knowledge and experiences.
This means the CEOs of the home are solutions oriented. They’re about fine tuning skills as well as acquiring new skills. While that is simple and easy to understand in the context of a child learning math, we need to strive to see it in the context of how we speak to each other, how we allow each other to feel safe around the home.
There has to be safe spaces for ideas to be exchanged. This is how we bond, learn, and improve. The children have to have a safe place to tell us what they think about our parenting. Our spouses have to feel safe to tell us about our communication styles. The home is the incubator of greatness. That only happens when the home is a safe place.
Chief Empowerment Office
The position of head of household is filled by the parents of the home. It’s a seat ideally filled with two people, but can work when occupied by just one. The office of head of household has many responsibilities.
From the chief design office to the chief executive office to chief operations office to everything else that it takes to run a successful relationship.
The duty of empowerment is crucial to creating independent well adjusted members of society. A well run office allows everyone to grow, prosper, and gain strength in their endeavors.
We have to lead the home by our example. How we self-regulate to how we tackle challenges sets the tone for those following us. We’ve got to be humble enough to learn from those who depend on us as well as from key well selected sources outside of the home.
When we model great behaviors that get results, it’s hard to dispute evidence. Negotiations in needs becomes easier. Why? Because everyone sees how the heads of household work to create opportunity for everyone.
In the early years of parenting, and relationships, we tend to set the boundaries of what we expect and what we want. But then, we have to start the process of letting go and allowing people to grow and blossom towards their own independence of being.
We become champions of their success and coaches of their successes instead of dictators of our wishes.
The CEO of the home points out the strengths, encourages the growth, and supports the weaknesses with necessary tools to empower growth. A great CEO of the home will help all members become more self-actualized while feeling well supported.
There will be times when it’s best to sit back silently and let reality do the teaching. Other times, it’s important to pull a member to the sidelines and let them sit out an opportunity that could have hurt them.
All of this is possible if the CEOs of the home have a vision in place and are willing to be flexible about some of the details regarding how to get there.
The empowerment office is about seeing the best in everyone before they see it in themselves… and leading them by gentle nudges and pulls… until they embrace it for themselves however way they see is best.
This is part of why it takes such a long time to build such an amazing home. We have to take the journey one day at a time and continually model resilience and perseverance. We’ve got to show our household the virtues we believe in and then help them own these virtues.
Everyone wants to succeed in life. Not everyone is blessed with a Chief Empowerment Office. You, my dear CEOs of the home, are the officers in charge of empowering everyone in your home… including yourself.
Cheers to leading your family towards ever more victorious milestones as you champion their success.
Below will be a list of all the blog posts related to this series…
Empowering the Home Through Rituals and Traditions
Every family has their own rituals and traditions. Some are seasonal, others are life long. How we curate and shape our rituals will impact our traditions which impacts our legacy. The roles of the CEOs of the home in shaping rituals and traditions changes over time. Being intentional about these will greatly empower your family.
Championing Success Through Empowered Communications
Words have an impact. They paint amazing images. When words are backed by actions, they leave a lasting impression. What we choose to speak, how we speak it, when we speak it can make or break the motivation of a family member. The CEOs of the home are mindful and careful to champion the success of their home.
To Improve a Family Tree, Improve a Family’s Network
Everyone has a network. Each family has a network. The strength of the various connections impacts the net-worth of the network. The network of networks isn’t limited to bloodlines either. The CEOs of the home knows how to leverage connectivity to empower the homes connected to the network.
A Model of a Resilient Home
When things get tough, that’s when you see how tough you really are. Thankfully, resilience is a skill that can be learned before tough times arrive. Between strong bonds and habits, one can practice and learn the craft of rebounding through adversity. The attitude of gratitude finds a way into the mindset that gives CEOs of the home an edge in facing life.
The Graciously Empowered Family
CEOs of the home have many duties. One of which is to leave their homes empowered. The skills and grace required to achieve the vision is ever changing. This overview posts captures part of a seminar’s experience in helping heads of families improve their skills at leading their homes. The Chief Empowerment Office is a very busy place where magic seems to happen. Good thing there is a bit of science to the art.
There is a list of supporting blog posts at the end.
