The transition from banking executive to home executive

When I left my corporate job 6 years ago and began the full time task of running my home, which included managing my 4 kids, dogs, cats, and everything that was involved in running the house, it didn’t take long before I realized there were many similarities.  The best practices, skill sets, staff meetings, and task sheets were all things I found myself implementing and my “Best Practices” worked at home just as well as in a corporate setting. 

Staff meetings became family meetings and conversations around the “cooler” became “talks around the kitchen counter. 

Holding each other accountable became part of showing each other love and concern and it didn’t take long before I was the self-appointed CEO and CFO of my own family company, as well as the Operations Manager and President.

Along the way I’d like to share a few highlights and best practices.

Don’t go “Change Happy”

One of the worst things I did was make radical changes right off the start.  Cooking was one of the things I messed with and decided to go the “healthy” way too soon.  My kids were already accustomed to my periodically changing furniture around and “redecorating”, but when I began to focus on “healthy eating” to the extreme, they temporarily hated me.  I was messing with their food and that was a big problem! I began to not only introduce vegetables they had never seen or heard of, but I also cut out sweets, processed and ready-made foods that had been a staple in our home for years. 

Although the change was necessary, the manner in which it was done was the issue.  I was working on improving my own eating habits and in need of getting physically healthy myself and so in my enthusiasm and excitement I brought the whole family with me.  My tunnel vision had blinders on and although in time they all joined in, it did create some friction and lots of tension in the family. Today, my kids are very healthy eaters and understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle thanks to my teaching and educating them. 

It did take some time and some battles but we eventually got there. I would suggest introducing changes slowly and educating the family through very subtle methods.  Movies like “Forks over Knives” or “Vegucated” although good, may not necessarily be the best choice for family movie night, as a first choice.  Take it slow and move into it gradually.

Don’t go “Label-Maker Happy”

For goodness sakes don’t go buying a deluxe label maker your first week out! I am not saying they don’t have a place in the “lets get organized” world of OCD support groups, but I went to the extreme!  I was so excited again with the purchase of my label maker with its endless possibilities that I was labeling underwear drawers, kitchen cabinets, boxes and files.  Along the way I found myself actually looking for things to label, including the label maker itself.  It got really ugly!

Next- Take time to be in the “Present”