The business of happy families: Family Inc.

The modern workplace has developed lots of tools for promoting cooperation and teamwork, says Bruce Feiler, and we can use them at home too. A new generation of parents is taking solutions from the workplace and transferring them to the home.

Feiler writes, “A central plank is accountability. Teams use ‘information radiators’—large, public boards on which people mark their progress. The Starrs, for instance, created a morning checklist of chores, which each child is responsible for ticking off.”

During family meetings, Feiler advises, “First, empower the children. The key to the meeting is to let the kids spick their own rewards and punishments.” Feiler’s intriguing essay on running a family like a business is adapted from his new book, “The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More.”

The Wall Street Journal, 2/10/2013

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

Join The GOOD FOR YOU Network!

• Send and Share Good for You Messages with the people who matter in your life

• Check out news and information that's Good for You to Know About