Morning Minute 4/11/23:
‘How Important is Your Family?”
Studies of how groups of people form societies show that there are many contributing factors such as demographics, environment, religion, education, and geography. Overlooked in most of these studies is the most basic building block of all…the family.
Strong, lasting societies consist of traditional families: a mother, a father, and children. Let’s examine how and why this is necessary.
MOTHERS: From the beginning, mothers have been necessary to carry their unborn children in their wombs until they are born. Mothers’ bodies were designed for this, enabling babies to nurse until they are weened. In addition to these biological functions, Mothers set the example for their children of how women should behave as adults. They have an outlook on life different than fathers. They make the majority of basic decisions for the family. And, Mothers are co-equal family leaders along with Fathers.
FATHERS: Fathers are co-equal family leaders along with Mothers. Responsibility for the overall well-being of every other family member rests on his shoulders. In most cases, he is the primary wage earner. Fathers set the example for their children of how men should behave as adults. Fathers have an outlook on life different than mothers. In conjunction with mothers, Fathers are to train and help educate their children as they prepare for adulthood.
In addition to raising and educating children, Mothers and Fathers are responsible for creating better opportunities for their children than they had as children.
CHILDREN: As infants and toddlers, children are totally dependent on their parents. As they grow, they must learn right from wrong; what is real from what is imagined. They are to obey their parents. They learn what their parents demonstrate. They learn by watching, doing, and studying. Upon finishing their education, they are required to become contributing members of society. They learn new ideas, improving their own lives and society as a whole. They become adults, form families, and have more children, continuing the cycle of life.
How do societies fail? They fail…
When fathers are displaced by government. When mothers having babies are required to be unmarried or lose their government benefits.
When the population shrinks because more people are dying than are being born..
When children are indoctrinated, taught lies, and turned against their parents.
When scientific truths are vilified, while falsehoods are being taught. And, when politics trumps mothers, fathers, and common sense.
Let’s stop this descent into failure, by supporting family life, and encouraging our families to have more children.
This message is not meant to offend or target any specific group or people. This is simply an observation of the truth.
And, that is today’s Morning Minute
Morning Minute4/14/23:
“How Do You Resolve Problems?”
To begin problem resolution, which word usually begins your initial question?
What? Who? When? Why?
Those were the options in a recent LinkedIn poll. Here are the results:
203 votes for what; 42.8% 27 votes for who; 5.7%
223 votes for why; 47.1% 21 votes for when; 4.4%
There were many comments explaining their answers. Solving problems, taking advantage of opportunities, and resolving conflicts are all part of a leader’s daily agenda. We have all been in meetings where everyone has an opinion, but nothing gets settled, and no accountability is assigned.
Do you have a process to resolve problems? Having a process for solving problems, having productive meetings, and ensuring accountability would be a great tool for effective leaders.
GREAT NEWS! Dale Carnegie shared a simple but effective process for getting real answers using these 4 questions…in sequence.
1) “What is the actual problem or opportunity?” Have them describe this exactly. Ask for clarification. Ensure that you are addressing the real issue, not just the way the person sees the problem. To achieve resolution, you must understand the problem.
2) “What has created this problem or opportunity?” Once again, dig deep. In most cases there is more than one cause. Listing all the causes will lead to multiple options for resolution. Keep asking until all the causes are listed.
3) “What options are there for resolution?” Because there are probably several causes in answer to question #2, there will be multiple options to consider. Do NOT accept that there is only one option. There are always options.
4) “Which solution do you recommend?” Here is where accountability is assigned. They must recommend a solution, no exceptions. This is especially important in meetings to prevent complaint sessions where nothing gets done.
I have personally used this process repeatedly to assign responsibility, and to ensure that we isolate and understand the issues. This process requires examination of every option, and understanding who and what will be affected by either your decision or non-decision.
How will using this process to solve problems save you time, and create accountability for your team members? How much time will it save you having staff who analyze these issues before they bring them to you? How will using this process help you groom future leaders to help your organization grow?
In the next issue we will examine how their poll answers indicate their personalities.
That is today’s Morning Minute.
