Every Family Needs A Vision
When our son was born our world was a whirlwind of new experiences. Not only were we first-time parents but he spent the first 3 weeks of his in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). During this time we spent a lot of time at his bedside and only left for a couple hours of sleep or when they would kick us out for nurse shift changes. As we worked with him to meet the milestones of progress he needed to be able to leave and go home with us for the first time there were many things we learned.
As he progressed one of the “tests” they would put parents through who had children who were going home with special needs is a night alone with them. There was a special room with a bed where parents could spend the night and care for their children with the nurses outside the door. This was to make sure parents were comfortable performing the tasks that were unique to the needs of their children during the night.
As we become parents there are many things that others try and teach us. It might be something like we went through were we had to go through some special activity to show that we could take care of our son’s needs. It might just a friend or family member passing on some advice. I am sure we have all been given all types of advice on how to discipline, what school is best, or even the best way to change a diaper.
One thing they don’t teach is most parenting books is one of the most important things you can do with your family as you lead them. Great leaders just like great parents know how to cast a vision for all in their family to understand and go after. All great leaders are those who are able to peruse a vision and do so in a way that gets others to follow. They understand that it is a human need to be a part of something more than themselves.
What is the vision you have for your family? What are you all working for? These are questions that take some time to think about and some good discussion with the leaders of your family. If your kids are old enough this would be a great conversation to have with them as well to get their thoughts on what your family vision should be. As you develop your family vision here are three things to help you make this vision part of who your family is.
You have to believe
Make sure your vision is something you believe in and something you can be passionate about. Your family will see if it something that you are trying to push that is fake. When you really believe in your vision it becomes part of you. It becomes part of all you do. When you believe in your vision, your actions and behaviors will change. Because when you believe, your actions align with the path of your vision.
As you believe and lead your family toward that vision their actions will change as well. As you come up with your family vision make sure it is truly something you want and believe will happen with the work you put in. I once heard it said that vision begins with a dream. So believe in your dreams and make it happen.
Over communicate
Your vision is something you can’t talk about enough with your family. Make sure they all understand the what and the why. The what is simply the vision, but the why is something we need to talk about with them as well. Why is this vision so important for the family? Why is it important that we all work to get there together? What is their role in helping the family work toward that vision?
Post that vision somewhere in your house so it becomes part of the home environment. Talk about it as much as you can and remember that part of communicating is listening. Take the time to listen to the thoughts of each member of your family and their thoughts on what the family is trying to accomplish. The more we communicate the vision the more it becomes a part of not only what we do but who we are as a family.
Track Progress
The road to your success is going to be a long one. A vision is something that will not be accomplished is a night, a month, or even a couple of years. It is easy to get lost on the long road to success in a family vision. So set checkpoints along the way. Think of some ways that you can check for progress. There are things that may be monthly, weekly, or yearly. One thing that is great to do is to work on your family values that are going to get you to your vision.
As you cast your vision you can look at the values that are going to get you there. Then set checkpoints on working on those values. Maybe this month you decide your family needs to work on kindness or gratitude. Schedule some activities with your family that you can focus on this value. Start the month coming together and talk about how gratitude is going to help with your family vision. Help all understand why we are going to focus on gratitude. Then at the end of the month or whenever you have your checkpoints and actives in place you can come together and communicate again on your progress on gratitude and the bigger picture of the family.
Great organizations start with one thing. They start with a dream for something greater. The family is by far the most important organization we will every be a part of. Think of the change in the walls of your own home if everyone was working toward a common goal. Think of the change in the world if every person was part of some sort of family unit that was working toward a vision greater than themselves. The key to changing the world starts right where you are within your own family organization. As we change our world we change the world around us. Start changing your world today with your family vision.