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I was once speaking to the employees of a hotel/resort and the head chef shared a comment that really stuck with me.
“Yep, I’m a typical chef,” he said. “At work my knives are all nice and sharp. But when I cook at home, all my knives are dull.”
Sharp knives at work… Dull knives at home.
Reminds me of the time I was writing SOUP and my son kept coming to my office asking me to play ping-pong. “I’m busy,” I kept telling him with an agitated tone in my voice. And then it hit me. Here I am writing a book about engaged relationships and building a culture of greatness and I’m not living it or doing it at home. I felt convicted and made a commitment right then and there to sharpen my knives at home.
We often think that to be successful we have to limit the time we spend with people at home so we can focus on our work but I have found the more we make the people at home a priority the more we grow and grow in our work!
In this spirit here are some sharpening tools, I’ve learned and implemented over the years, you can use to invest in your relationships and create a culture of greatness at home. (Note: While you might not have kids or your kids are grown, you can still do these with a 2 person family)
1. Create a Family Mission statement – We have them at work. Why shouldn’t we create a mission/vision statement at home? A mission unites everyone in the family towards a common goal.
2. Family Meetings – A great time to connect and talk about the mission statement, challenges, successes, expectations and goals. How are we doing? Who needs help? How can I help?
3. Movie Night – Movie, pizza, ice-cream, family time and no distractions.
4. Show Them You Care – This will be different for each person. For my wife it means I fold the laundry. My daughter knows I care when I listen to her and write encouraging notes to her on a whiteboard in her room. My son knows I care when I play ping-pong with him and say prayers with him before bed. The key is to decide to be a team player and take the time to do whatever each team member needs from you. It’s not the amount of time you spend. It’s taking the time you have to show them you care.
5. Your Ideas Here______________. Share your sharpening tools on our blog (leave a comment below) or Facebook page so everyone can benefit from your experience.
Here’s to sharp knives at work and home!
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