Wouldn’t life be grand if someone could just wave a magic wand to create the perfect family? Reality is, there are no perfect families. While some homes may provide the illusion of perfection, every family has its ups and downs, normalcies and quirks, victories and challenges. That’s exactly what Theresa found out when she started digging into the lives of families she thought had it all together. As we continue to read the fictional story of the Cousins’ family in Part Two, we discover how they begin to apply some of the business principles Jude uses to help Fortune 500 companies in their own home.
Back to the Basics
Theresa discovered that a little lesson on some business basics could help her family dig out of the pit of chaos they’d created for themselves. Organizational clarity is what Jude’s partner, Rob called it. Theresa took note on six questions that executive teams grapple with to reach clarity and ultimately, define these attributes:
- Core Purpose
- Core Values
- Business Definition
- Strategy
- Goals
- Rules and Responsibilities
Our families can benefit from the wisdom of successful companies. If we take the time and value the process, our families can begin to restore the sanity we long for at home.
The Best of Intentions
After hours of working to gain some organizational clarity, Theresa and Jude are excited and relieved to begin to bring structure to their frantic family. But then it happens: The first challenge to their well-made plans and Theresa panics over her failure.
Isn’t that just like all of us? We have the best of intentions when it comes to doing what’s best for our families, but somehow we’re still enslaved to our old habits. Especially giving into that nasty three-letter word, “Yes!” when we should clearly be saying, “No!” Like Theresa, we need to recognize when we’ve given in to our old habits and have the courage to reclaim what we’ve committed ourselves to—family.
The Orange Connection
At Orange, we value family. In fact, it’s one of our intentions to provoke parents and kids to fight for their relationships with each other. Like Theresa and Jude discover, family is something worth fighting for. And we’re on a mission to help churches, leaders, and families do just that.
Think On This
How is a “family” like and unlike an organization? Why is it often difficult to let go of some of the things that cause our family life to be frantic? What definition would you use to describe your family today? Is it a definition that you’re satisfied with or would you like to redefine your family? What does your family need to say “No” to so you can restore sanity?
