Being a business owner and a father can be exhausting. Just the stress of knowing that people look to you for guidance can lead to mental, physical and emotional fatigue. Often, fathers feel like they have to make a choice – providing for their family or spending time with their family.However, that’s not always the case.
This Father’s Day we’re giving dads the gift of sanity. Using concepts from The ONE Thing, we’ll show you how you can be an effective boss, while never missing a precious family moment.
Understand What You Are Saying No To
First and foremost, Gary Keller points out in The ONE Thing that many professionals mistakenly believe they can make up for lost time with their kids. They think that once the business is better established or they’re retired they can spend a lot of time with their family to offset the things they missed in years prior.
The problem is those moments were missed. They’ve come and gone, and no matter how much time you spend with your family in the future you can’t “make up” those missed moments. A child will only have a 10th birthday once. Winning the science fair matters most the second your child gets that ribbon. Losing a pet requires parental support in that moment, not years down the line.
When you say yes to business matters you’re sometimes saying no to your family.We all have to support our families, but they can’t be forfeited in the process. However,trying to do it all will only lead to burnout, which prevents you from giving your best on all fronts. So what’s a dad to do?
The ONE Thing concept of counterbalancing is a more effective alternative. Counterbalancing between home and work is an ongoing, challenging process, but it’s actually easier to manage than one might think. It requires that you let the small stuff slide a little and focus on handling your top priorities in your personal and professional lives. That way the most important things are given your attention when it’s needed.
Focus Your Energies on the Things That Make the Biggest Difference
Some busy professionals make more work for themselves by simply not focusing on the right tasks. They get bogged down with busy work that takes up precious time.
During those moments Gary uses the focusing question: “What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
To put it simply, asking this one question can help you find the best way of doing things. It’s a tool that will lead you to the most important thing that’s needed for the task at hand and will move the needle the quickest. The goal is to fast-track progress by finding the most efficient route to the end goal. In doing so you’ll eliminate a lot of unnecessary steps that take up time without producing significant results.
Leverage People-Power
There are some similarities between your business and your children. You conceived it and nurtured it even before it was a physical thing. You’ve proudly watched it take shape and grow. Like leaving your child with a babysitter for the first time, trusting someone else to watch over your business while you’re away can be difficult.
Too often business owners have trouble delegating tasks to others and try to wear as many hats as possible. They weigh themselves down by trying to handle the details because they want to make sure everything is done exactly the way they envision it. Unless you’re Superman, it’s likely that there’s not a single task you do that someone else can’t do better. You just have to:
- Decide what busy work and difficult tasks can be taken off your plate.
- Select the right individual.
- Train them well and give them the tools to get the job done.
- Provide oversight as needed.
Leveraging people-power isn’t something to be feared, it’s something that should be embraced by every successful entrepreneur.
These three concepts have helped Gary grow Keller Williams Realty into an international business while raising a family that he got to share his success with. Being a parent is the toughest, most rewarding job in the world. You want to make the best possible life for your kids, but being a part of that life is what matters most.