I just had a great weekend. No, not because I pigged out, attending multiple games at the Phillies ballpark. (Admittedly, that didn’t hurt matters at all.)
It’s because I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with my son. Something we used to do years ago, before he grew up. Now that he has a full-time job and lives in New York, times like this are few and far between.
Oh, sure, he had work to do. (So did I.) But, we had time to do things, do nothing, and just hang out talking and sharing what’s been going on with our lives.
And, when all the kids come over for holidays, we spend it together. But, it’s not one-on-one. It’s great, and we share things, but there’s a difference between sharing among larger groups than between just two.
Back when my daughters were little, they had their own special times. My eldest would travel the world with me. And, I would add side trips just for her benefit. And, we’d talk about what matters to the two of us.
It was harder to do that with my middle daughter. Because she was in the middle. But, when her sister went away to Governor’s School, went away to college, we had our opportunities. Which we took.
The same applied to my step-son- after he left college. (No. He hadn’t graduated. He just needed to leave to find himself. Which he did- and is living his life grandly.)
It’s what I used to do (and still do with one of) with my key managers. I would travel to each office for a site visit. But, I would spend at least five hours with just that manager. Finding out what’s going on in his (there was only one her) world. Sharing what’s going on in mine. Sharing what our firm has done and what it plans to do.
That was different that the quarterly meetings we had for all our managers. Where we reviewed our business, marketing, and development plans. To ensure we all were working on the mission and following the vision, to achieve our goals.
This made it possible for the managers to share it with their folks. Because they were fully invested and knowledgeable.
Have you tried doing that with your kids and key staff? That’s the job of a leader and the job of a parent.
So glad you had some one-on-one time with your son. We have three daughters and when they were younger we had mother/daughter days. One Saturday each month I’d alternate and spend some quality time with just one. We’d go to a movie, restaurant, or just shopping…and we talked. It builds relationships and creates a bond.
Enjoyed you post.
Yvonne A Jones recently posted..6 Qualities of Successful Entrepreneurs and Quotes to Motivate
Thanks for the visit and comment, Yvonne.
And, I love your idea- that sounds simply grand!