The Home Team

Certainly, we have all heard the sad stories contrasting the overwhelming success of a leader/entrepreneur and the demise of that same person’s marriage and personal affairs. For years, professional women have felt this struggle to have it all while “balancing” motherhood, marriage, and career. Slowly men are dealing with the same issue, especially men of faith, as they focus on what really matters in life.  Usually the solution given is to find balance. But how do you balance your family against your career?  Perhaps today my loved one/child/spouse is my top priority but the rest of the week my work/team/committee takes precedent. Well that may work if you value your job as much as you do your family but most of us do not. We enjoy our work but we LOVE our families. There is a difference, an unequal distribution of value.

Hear me clearly, I do not confess to have all the answers on how to make this work, and I am quite aware that every family situation is complex. Given that, I do believe that just as we lead those we work with to higher heights, we must be intentional about the value we add to our family. Are we affirming their natural talents, are we effective listeners, do we help them learn how to find their own solutions to problems? These are “value-added” leadership skills we can carry from work to home and they give us the opportunity to invest in the growth and development of the team that matters most - the home team.