Management Lessons from a Large Family

I have 9 kids. That’s right, 9. To be honest, the best training for those in leadership or management positions would be to raise a large family. No other training needed. College degree not required. Plus, the training is free and it goes on for a lifetime.

Everything you need to know, understand, and experience for management is there in a large family.

A great side benefit from this training is that if you screw up, your team is more forgiving. They will most likely give you the time to learn to do it right even if it takes a second, third, or fourth time. And, you won’t get fired.

Large family training covers the following management principles:

1. Balancing priorities and schedules with limited resources;
2. Stretching finances to be able to continue development;
3. Focusing only on that which is most important in a deliverable;
4. Thinking creatively to solve unexpected or unfortunate events that may delay or derail progress to the goal;
5. Keeping cool and level-headed during snafus, especially when team members become emotional;
6. Weaving a close-knit team to achieve a common goal out of a group of individuals, each with their own agendas and motivations;
7. Motivating the team when the tasks seem mundane, unimportant, hard, unrewarding, and seemingly not going anywhere;
8. Tailoring encouragement based on each team member’s personality and character;
9. Communicating effectively so each person understands roles, responsibilities and rules of the road for working on the project and with each other;
10. Gaining perspective and deeper understanding of more personality types, especially the interplay of these personalities;
11. Knowing when to be a coach, leader, teacher, servant, referee, or judge;
12. Learning how to graciously listen and respond to criticism, especially when unsolicited. Then, reflect and make the necessary changes, especially to oneself;
13. Discovering when to get out of the way.

I realize that this kind of management training is pretty scarce now-a-days, but, I can say that it is worthwhile. So much so, that part of my evaluation of potential employees includes their relationship with their spouses and the family, no matter what size.

Want to find a good team member or manager? Find a person with a good, committed, deep relationship with their family. After all, it is one of the reasons I started this company.

Published Jun 16, 2017