Creating a Family Plan

Although you might not be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you are the CEO of a more important entity . . . your family. Jennifer Oldroyd, a CEO mom herself, shares her tips for crafting a family plan.

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The Benefits of a Family Plan:

• Creating a Family Plan makes us stop and think about what we actually want for our families.

• Having a Plan brings purpose to our daily lives.

• A Family Plan makes us think about how we will accomplish our goals.

An Exercise to See the Importance of a Family Plan:

Close your eyes and pretend your child (now a college student) is leaving home. What will be your most cherished moments: summers at the beach, picnics in the mountains, snow ball fights, playing in the leaves, etc. You have to know what you want or else the time will be gone and you’ll be disappointed when you realize you never did take that family road trip. You have to know what you want for your family before it happens.

The components of a strong family plan:
Executive Summary

• A statement about your family as you currently stand

Unique Factor

• What makes your family special?

Objective

• How do you want your children to turn out? What is the end result?

Mission Statement/Family Motto

•What does your family stand for?

Goals 2008-2020

• By year, by category or by child, what short and long term goals do you have for your family?

Keys to Success

•Numbered or bulleted list of “how” you will accomplish your goals.

Management Summary

•Dedicated paragraph about each member of the family listing activities, strengths and personal goals.

Tips for creating a family plan:

•Include all family members

• Be positive

• Make your goals attainable

• Set some goals that can be accomplished sooner than later

• Write your goals down

• Review and tweak your plan annually

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Jennifer Oldroyd is the creator of ceoMom.com, a social networking site for all kinds of ceoMoms. You can join ceoMom and earn “Promotions” by contributing your favorite mom tips as well as create your own mom “Portfolio”, and set up your family blog by visiting www.ceomom.com

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