In a recent webinar I talked about “taking pains” of leadership. I’ll have the recording up soon and link it in the article. As I was reviewing the recording of the webinar, I realized it might be helpful to dive a bit deeper into this concept. I got the idea from an inspiring woman who has helped me overcome an obstacle I faced recently. Her name is Charlotte Mason. She was an educator in England in the early 1900’s. (For more on her check out this site: Charlotte Mason - Wikipedia )
The obstacle I faced was what to do with my children when schools closed last year. As I write this article, I have 5 children that are 6 years old and under. When schools closed, I had a kindergartner, 2-preschoolers, and 2-infants. We had to put the innovative mindset I’m always talking about to good use! After framing the problem, acknowledging the cause, brainstorming solutions then engaging in debate, discussion, and much research, my husband and I decided on an action plan. We would start homeschooling. A friend recommended researching Charlotte Mason thoughts on education. Apart from what proved to be an amazing fit for our family, we found a wealth of information about how to help our children learn good habits. Even starting with the infants! In the article accompanying this video, you’ll find links to some of my favorite Charlotte Mason resources.
This quote of hers has stuck with me through this last year, and I’d like to share it with you today.
“The mother, who takes pains to endow her children with good habits, secures for herself, smooth and easy days.” -Charlotte Mason.
Now I don’t claim to be an expert in her works. But in this quote, she is acknowledging that child rearing isn’t easy. And if you’re a parent, I know you’ll agree. Further that if you put in effort up front, it pays off as the children grow.
Now I’ll change the quote a little so it will be relevant to today’s business leader.
“The leader who takes pains to endow their company with strong culture secures for themselves a successful future.” -Elise Woodworth
Being a good leader isn’t always easy. There are tough questions to answer and difficult decisions to make. But by taking pains to structure a culture in an organization, you’ll be setting it on the path to success.
Culture is so important for a company. (Just as good habits are for humans.) If your company has a strong set of shared beliefs and values, an agreed upon way of interacting or standards of behavior, and has a clear sight of where they are going what they are doing and why they are doing it, secures for your business smooth and easy days. I encourage you to take some time this week to think about the culture off your organization. Does it meet your expectations or fall short? If you find you’d like to make some changes, remember were here to help.
More Charlotte Mason Resources:
This list is by no means exhaustive, they are just some helpful resources if you are looking for more information.