A family with a leader means there is a parent who is willing to:
– Set boundaries
– Lean into their values
– Take a stand
– Have hard conversations
When the things they care about – their kids, their partners, their parents, their cousins – become the things they’d like to speak up for.
Even when they don’t want to.
Especially when they don’t want to. When they’d like nothing better than to curl up with a series of Netflix/ a good book/a glass of wine and pretend everything is ok in their world.
Before they get to leap in boots and all … they need to do some speaking with. Making and taking time for kōrero. Deliberately. Intentionally. To have conversations that are open. Direct. Accepting. Challenging. Leaving people with something to think about. To listen more than they speak. To ask questions when you don’t want to know the answer yet looking for the honest answer that will move you forward. To value silences as processing time. To be so present in the conversation that your body language is talking too. Intentionally. Deliberately.
To seek to see the other person wholeheartedly. Completely. To understand where they are coming from in order to be able to guide them to where they are going. To hold the container for their hope when they don’t think it’s possible; while accepting the reality of their present.
To see the bigger picture while paying attention to the details of the smaller picture.
To understand that the small flywheel they are pushing on will lead to bigger change. And that it’s necessary to push that flywheel. Because if you don’t, the bigger wheel will never get to move.
To know the kōrero you are having is often the planting of seeds. You won’t see a result immediately, but you get to plant the seed and then work on the environment. Enriching the soil, adding the nutrients, doing the watering, and letting the seed grow at its own pace.
The parent who can do this is the leader every family needs. It’s not easy: tough and demanding are two words that leap to mind. But it’s better than the alternative.
If you are the parent, how do you want your family to grow?
I invite you to a complimentary kōrero to discover if I am a guide for your journey. Take your next step today by booking here https://calendly.com/melaniemedland/intro