"Family"

Leadership so often focuses on the traits or skills of leadership. Honestly, a leadership focusing on the external forces of leadership fails to take into consideration the power of leadership. Leadership begins with being, not doing. Who the person is says much more about the capacity for leadership than the skill level. 

There is more to family than being just a family. The question is not "family" but the health of a family. My goal as a father/husband is to become a healthy person while in the process of living out those roles (among others).

Leadership within a "family" environment requires increasing health. I recognize how far I have to go on my journey to health. "Family" can be defined as a biological or an organization, whether public, gov't, or private organizations. How much can I link the meltdown of Wall Street with this notion of leadership as being? IOW, a leadership substantiated on being may not have provided the kind of direction that set up an economic system that would eventually return to earth. 

Why do I say this? The ability of leadership to make the difficult and hard choices directly correlates to the state of being of those involved. Leadership often defined by those moments will require a health that goes beyond just being "family." Leadership use of words like "team" and "family" and "working together" only become valid if the leadership involved demonstrates a health born out of a state of being, a healthy person. What happens if we begin to discern leadership which demonstrates a healthiness more than (or at least equalled to) results? Friedman outlines 5 Characteristics of a Chronically Anxious Family. See where they line up with your organization, your "family." I do this with mine all the time now:

1. Reactivity
2. Herding
3. Blame Displacement
4. A Quick-Fix Mentality
5. Failure of Nerve in Leadership

I will write more about these in detail. Stay tuned!