If you're like the many small business owners I know, you probably apply a different set of criteria when running your family versus when running your business. That's fair. You could always get different colleagues or employees, but you'd like to keep your family together if you could! But that doesn't mean that you couldn't use some of the same techniques with your family that help you keep your business running smoothly — especially in the area of people management.

The success of your family is very much dependent on how you pull your family together as a team - much like the success of your business depends on you and your employees working as a team.

The keys to achieving this are as follows:

• Make sure everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing on a daily basis. If you can, create a daily plan for each family member well in advance. The more notice you give the better. This is an often-overlooked first order of business for parents. As a manager, you make sure your employees know what they're supposed to be doing — don't forget to do the same at home.
• Train your family members to follow the plan. This is going to be the hardest part, but trust me, it's worth every bit of effort. This is like teaching someone to fish - versus giving them food. Once they get in the habit of following your plan, then you'll be thankful for sticking to your guns on this issue.
• Con
  tinually reward and motivate. Once the system is in place, don't take it for granted - or you risk losing them again. Keep the idea of following the plan fresh.

If this sounds daunting, don't worry. You can find plenty of sources for help. If you have a computer (and who doesn't these days), there is now a good choice of easy-to-use software to help you with the planning, reminding, and tracking. If you prefer other kind of help, you may want to talk to a life or executive coach.

If you're not comfortable with these, you could use a traditional paper-based wall planner or any one of many "mom organizers".

© 2005 by Saro Saravanan.

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