I have never known a successful leader who did not know how to establish goals, develop plans, execute priorities and finally evaluate success in their career. The old saying about goals is true, if you cannot measure them, then they really don’t matter.
However, tragically for most people that is exactly what happens to them in their personal lives. They say this part is ultimately the most important but they never take the time to write down what they want their legacy to be for the people that matter the most.
Because the personal does not get the priority of the professional the family usually ends up with the leftovers. Leftover time, passion, affection and energy.
I have know people who can make million dollar decisions at work without blinking but by the time they get home they do not have enough emotional energy to decide if they want hamburgers or soup for dinner. They have been nice to other people all day, co-workers, suppliers and customers only to come home and be so fried they have to retreat to the T.V. because they have nothing left for spouse or children.
Someone has well said that the person who cannot see the ultimate always becomes a slave to the immediate. Meaningful relationships with family and bottom line professional results are not mutually exclusive but you must be willing to pay personal leadership price to have both.