A truly well lead home is made up of a couple that will make the most of compromises as well as cooperative ventures. The partnernership should always have each other’s back and not undermine their authority. I think that both play an important part in leadership in the home.
Having real leadership in the home would cut down on the chaos. It would also allow a person to get used to structure. Of course, all of this is bound to make home life a lot easier for everyone involved while helping a person adapt to what they’d experience at work.
This blog article is a branch out to life-optimizing readers like yourself that were kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I’m still working on my interview skills (and some of these were done via email/not-in-person!), but I do promise good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which doesn’t happen often).
Topic of Interest: Real Leadership at Home
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
R: Give an example of real leadership in the home that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: My grandmother is the strongest leader in my entire family. From her I learned how important family is and that sometimes it is better to sacrifice your needs and wants for the needs of the family. I also learned that honesty and hard work are very important to harmonious living.
R: How do you think a better understanding of real leadership in the home would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: Leading by example is a great way to display how people should carry themselves. If you and your wife have a good living situation built for your family and others see how you interact and maintain it. They might want to accomplish that same goal based on what you showed them.
R: Give an example of how real leadership in the home has helped you professionally or personally.
I: Having a strong leader at home gives you a good foundation for facing the world by teaching you leadership skills via example. My mother was an incredible household leader and taught us how to manage conflict via peaceful resolution. She also taught us time management and that it’s always important to do something immediately rather than put it off for later. I think all of these things are important in a real leader.
R: Describe at least one way you think real leadership in the home could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: Real leadership can be elicited through devious means. Many father figures lead through fear and intimidation. People growing up in such an environment may be more likely to be abusive themselves toward those they love. More than likely these types of people are very successful and find themselves in positions of power where they may hurt hundreds if not thousands of people with their careless decisions rooted in achieving more power.
R: Give an example of how real leadership in the home has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: I have lost a boyfriend from my leadership skills. He was upset that everyone else in the family followed what I said. He felt like he should be the man of the house.
R: How do you think real leadership in the home could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: Leadership at home could mean less stress at home. Less stress at home means less stress at work. This could translate directly in to more money for the home.
R: Give an example of how real leadership in the home could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: Someone who can manage their home can definitely manage their work life. A lot of skills translate between the two experiences including time management and decision making. Additionally, home leaders know how to smooth ruffled feathers which always comes in handy in the workplace.
R: How do you think real leadership could help you at home? Why is that?
I: People with leadership skills, especially those that know how and when to use them are very important. I feel that I possess a decent set of leadership skills, most of which I acquired during my time in the military. I use these skills at home to assign tasks (chores) to my children, and when needed, oversee that these tasks are accomplished. I reward my children for completing these tasks (usually with an allowance). I also try to set an example of why these tasks need to be completed, in order for my children to gain a better understanding of what might be required of them in the future when they are adults who are entering the workforce.
R: Give an example of how real leadership could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: I use my leadership skills at home to assign tasks to my children in the form of chores. But I also like to let them take the role of leader from time to time. This is usually done when we have family nights, such as movie nights, or when we go out for dinner. One week I will let my son choose a movie to watch, and then assign tasks to the rest of the family, such as who pops the popcorn, who gets to pick out candy or other refreshments, and who is in charge of operating the television. The next week I will let my daughter be in charge of movie night. I feel that letting them be in charge on these occasions will eventually instill a sense of leadership in them, and show them that real leadership can accomplish things when you have a team that works together to get something done.
R: How do you think real leadership in the home could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: Real leadership in the home would better direct and guide me through my personal relationships. I would have a leader, right in the home, who i can discuss and seek advice from. They should help me with my personal relationships and always demand that I improve on myself and my actions with others.
R: Give an example of how real leadership in the home could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: Real leadership in the home can offer a solid foundation in a personal relationship. Often personal relationships can be complicated when different people’s wants and needs come into conflict. A good leader can help people compromise and bring structure to the home environment.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about real leadership in the home.
I: I would like to know how a leader takes charge when the odds are against him/her. How a leader decides what the right thing to do is. How do leaders get people to get behind them? The last thing I want to know about leadership is how do they deal with the blame if they do something wrong.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about real leadership in the home.
I: Start by taking initiative with chores. By showing that you are in control of the duties around the house, the rest of the family will assume you are the leader. Continue on from chores by rearranging furniture and artwork to leave your mark on the house.
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How was that for a nice little journey into this topic? I hope you enjoyed this interview and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life. Yes, homework is never seen as a nice word, but it’s useful – give yourself an action to use at least 1 thing from this article to help change your life.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?