I’m sure you’ve seen it —whether on Christmas cards or the annual Christmas play.
There’s Mary, the tender young girl, perhaps with the pillow stuffed under a lavender dress made of the finest linen sheets. Then there’s Joseph, a young man struggling, pulling an all too stubborn donkey. Joseph’s pleas for a place to stay are met with the too blunt edict: there’s no room in the inn.
But at last, a manger.
What is family culture?
Webster’s Dictionary defines culture as “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.”
Walter Rodney in his book How Europe Underdeveloped Africa said it this way:
“A culture is a total way of life…”
When we think about family, we might want to think longer term.
For many of us, the idea of thinking long term for our families might be getting through the weekend and the myriad of sports activities, clubs, dance, birthday parties, etc.
But there truly are some families who have demonstrated longevity.
Are you getting married? Setting up a new household?
There’s an oft repeated phrase: “A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife.”
It’s found in Genesis 2:24.
Building family culture—it’s not a phrase I hear often.
In the business world, or the nonprofit world, we hear a lot of talk about “building culture.” Sometimes it means the retreat where you go off into the woods and engage in trust building exercises—like high ropes courses, trust falls, and other such “fun games.”
But what about building family culture?
You don’t get to be in the family business just because of your last name. Most families only have a 30% chance to pass down their business from one generation to another. Setting your family up for success is important beyond passing down a business.
Have you wondered what the difference is for lasting families? What separates these families from the rest?
They intentionally pass on their family’s values. And one of the best examples of incorporating lasting values into one’s daily legacy is the Beckett family.
It’s Launch Week. We would like to see these ideas—of leading and leading with faith—encourage others to greater and bigger dreams for themselves, their organizations, and their families. Would you help spread the word for those big dreams?
The Tipping Point.
It’s a famous book by Malcom Gladwell. The average person is going to have a network of 125-150 people.
This principle, called Dunbar’s Number, hits home when we see the average size of churches. They often sit around 150 people. It’s a capacity thing.
Organizations grow to the capacity of their leader.
But Gladwell points out that there are exceptions to the rule. Some people go far beyond Dunbar’s Number.
How do you beat the law of the lid?
Do you know what the law of the lid is?
John Maxwell talks about it. The “lid” is your leadership ability.
You will never grow beyond your ability to lead.
