Communication And Vacation

Right now, I am on my way back home from a road trip to visit some friends. This trip might be the longest I've been away from home since January 2020, and that feels strange.

Talking with my wife about what we wanted to do for vacation was a bit more stressful than I expected. We were going to drive up to Oregon in April to visit friends, but work got in the way. 

When you run a business, it's easy to keep grinding and not take a break. But, I realized I needed to adjust how I was working as the world opened back up.

Part of my adjustment was communicating with more intent with my spouse about what I needed. And that led to our amazing trip this week!

Talking about vacation may seem mundane, but it reminded me that HOW we communicate is so important. 

I believe we can always communicate much better, and that belief has served me in business and my personal relationships. 

This week's blog is on three beliefs that have helped me communicate better. 

1. Keep the big picture in mind before talking about specific
2. Communicate what you want and need
3. Clearly "Make Time" for conversation, and set deadlines for action

These three beliefs, when shared with my wife, helped us make this week's trip happen with low fuss and stress on both our parts.

So here's your homework for this week.

Think about a decision your family or team needs to make, and talk about why it's important to everyone, what everyone needs from the decision, and when you will act on the decision. Schedule this conversation where you cover these three points with the relevant folks, and let us know how the conversation went!