Leading your family can be difficult if you are going through a crisis that is forcing all of you to be torn between taking action to benefit self, and taking action to meet the needs of the family. The death of a beloved parent or child, or financial loss because of a failed stock market or destruction of family property, can throw a family into disarray. Many family members can be depressed for weeks, even years, effectively isolating other family members. Other family members can devote themselves entirely to work, leaving no time for anything else.
In such times, you may feel helpless and ill-equipped to deal with the situation and see your family out of its dire straits. Whether you are a father who wants to make his family better, a mother who wants to take care of her ailing family, or a child hoping to take your family out of its rut, you need tips to make you a better leader in your family. If you can lead the way for your family to see itself through the crisis, you can have a stronger, better family at the end of your long road to redemption.
Before you take on any leading, however, you need to equip yourself. Strengthen yourself by any means that you deem necessary, such as religion, faith, or prayers. Your faith can be your fallback: that is, if you feel hopeless along the way, or if you feel defenseless in the face of a family that refuses to be led, you can always have something else to lean on and turn to.
Next, determine your goals, but set realistic ones. Was there a recent violent death in your family? You might want to get rid of the grief immediately, but this can be a tall order for many families to meet in a month’s, even a year’s time. Start with a small goal, such as forgetting the violence, or going back out into the world again; work your way to higher goals later.
Set a final goal. To get over a violent death, you might need to forgive a perpetrator; to get through financial troubles, you might need to win all your money back. A final goal will give you and your family something to dream about together. If you can find this common thread to unite all, then you can lead your family successfully.
Lastly, talk to each other often, and find a way to let the grief or distress out. The best family leader unites a family so that all its members can walk the road of success together.