If you can motivate your kids, without having that ‘You’re Fired’ card, you can motivate anyone.  If you can stand your ground as they give you that look while you point to their messy room, you can motivate anyone.  If you can get your kids to do what they say now and not sometime next week, you can definitely motivate anyone.

I have hired and fired; managed multi-million dollar construction projects and organized international sporting events that went off without a hitch.  I can tell you running a family smoothly is much harder.

Lessons I learned:

Delegate appropriate tasks

They can take on much more than I think they can

Sometimes I just have to leave the room and let them find their way

They have not burned down the house or severed any limbs – even small ones.

The clearer the expectations, the more likely I am to get the outcome I desire; as in, my definition of ‘clear the table’ is different than theirs.

People just want to be treated with respect, have clear expectations and get good feedback so they know they have done the job well.