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The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family: A Leadership Fable about Restoring Sanity to the Most Important Organization in Your Life
In this unique and groundbreaking book, business consultant and "New York Times" best-selling author Patrick Lencioni turns his sights on the most important organization in our lives--the family. As a husband and the father of four young boys, Lencioni realized the discrepancy between the time and energy his clients put into running their organizations and the re...more
Hardcover, 221 pages
Published
September 9th 2008
by Jossey-Bass
(first published 2008)
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This book is subtitled "A Leadership Fable . . . about restoring sanity to the most important organization in your life". This was a good read - easy and some great, really applicable information. Interesting that most of what he talks about is what our family already does - we've downsized our house, our daughter doesn't do lots of outside stuff that we have to shuttle her to, etc. He really analyzes what is going on in a lot of families, and then gives ways not only to deal with it b...more
This book is set up as a fable to discuss the principles of family leadership. While I did not like the fable of this story too much, I did appreciate the message. I liked the actual case studies in the back showing the family statement and action plans. The examples made the ideas more real than the fable did.
Yesterday we sat down and had a family council based loosely on this book. I ran the discussion and Michael (who has not read the book) took notes. Our family statement turne...more
Yesterday we sat down and had a family council based loosely on this book. I ran the discussion and Michael (who has not read the book) took notes. Our family statement turne...more
Matt and I read this together and it has changed so much of how I now see things. It has put so many things into perspectives. It opens up with a husband sharing with his wife that if his clients ran their business' like they ran their family, they would be out of business. I have felt that way so often in our family. I have felt on so many occasions the disorganization and chaos that surrounds life, because we all know life just happens and we never know what lies ahead. I am so happy we fo...more
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I don't usually write my thoughts about what I'be read, but I feel like I need to add an explanation for this book. I don't feel frantic, but definitely I feel busy. Who wouldn't with whatever life they've created.
This book was recommended in a Christian Parenting magazine, so I requested it from the library. The ideas are based on running a successful company. I checked their website to download a copy of the model and hope to use it for getting us out of the house in the mornin...more
This book was recommended in a Christian Parenting magazine, so I requested it from the library. The ideas are based on running a successful company. I checked their website to download a copy of the model and hope to use it for getting us out of the house in the mornin...more
Like you, I have a frantic life. In fact, I believe that all Americans simply do. We live in a society that thrives on busyness and moving from one thing to the next.
This frantic lifestyle has always frustrated me so picking up this book from the library was an easy choice.
Like his other books, this book by Lencioni focuses on running an organization in the most effective way. To me, this might be his best book. I read Five Dysfunctions a couple years ago and love...more
This frantic lifestyle has always frustrated me so picking up this book from the library was an easy choice.
Like his other books, this book by Lencioni focuses on running an organization in the most effective way. To me, this might be his best book. I read Five Dysfunctions a couple years ago and love...more
One of the best things I got from my mother is the view that family issues can be analyzed and addressed in a systematic way. Electric bill too high? Introduce a light-turning-off contest. Kids bickering too much in the van? Plaster the seat-backs with uplifting messages. No problem can't be solved with a chart or system or family meeting.
This book is by a business management consultant who points out that too often we approach family life in a whack-a-mole style. So he modifies some o...more
This book is by a business management consultant who points out that too often we approach family life in a whack-a-mole style. So he modifies some o...more
I think that this is a very helpful book. I like the ideas, the 3 big questions to answer as a family so you are clear about what your core values are and what you need to do to align yourselves to them. The first question is "What makes your family unique?" This helps you determine what are your core values are, what you want to be like. The second is "What is your family's top priority right now?" so you decide what to focus on in the next 2-6 months. Third, "How do ...more
This is the second book I have read by this author. He gives practical advice through a fable. That makes his points much easier to understand and more enjoyable to learn. This book is not just for frantic families, but for any family that wants to take hold of their lives and not just float through life taking what comes. It all sounds great in the book, and I really feel like his methods will work. I guess the question is am I willing to put forth the effort into the most important part o...more
In short, the questions are what makes my family unique? what is our short-term rallying cry? and how are we going to use it? (I have somewhat oversimplified, of course.)
I think the concept is a good one--particularly the part about having a central focus/rallying cry for a short time period (2-6 months), and we have decided to adopt some of his ideas for the near future. And it actually has helped us clarify whether/what to commit to in some areas.
However, I'm not convin...more
I think the concept is a good one--particularly the part about having a central focus/rallying cry for a short time period (2-6 months), and we have decided to adopt some of his ideas for the near future. And it actually has helped us clarify whether/what to commit to in some areas.
However, I'm not convin...more
One of the BEST family books I've ever read! And it is SO easy to read!
Lencioni helps families be deliberate about being a family with great insight and VERY helpful to-do items.
I love this book because it is one of the few books that helps people not just stop-bad-stuff but become/create a GOOD family. I also like the premise of the book because it treats each family as unique - no cookie-cutter values, actions, etc.
Great, great book. We (just!) bought mor...more
Lencioni helps families be deliberate about being a family with great insight and VERY helpful to-do items.
I love this book because it is one of the few books that helps people not just stop-bad-stuff but become/create a GOOD family. I also like the premise of the book because it treats each family as unique - no cookie-cutter values, actions, etc.
Great, great book. We (just!) bought mor...more
Lencioni's books are alwasy pretty basic, but that's not to say they aren't good. They always have a good point, even if it is simplified, and put in a box.
This one deals with how to organize your family life around what is important to your family. It's about finding out your family's purpose, or what makes it different from other familys, and then setting goals to help focus your lives on what is the most important to you, and eliminating what isn't.
It's a quick read, but useful.
This one deals with how to organize your family life around what is important to your family. It's about finding out your family's purpose, or what makes it different from other familys, and then setting goals to help focus your lives on what is the most important to you, and eliminating what isn't.
It's a quick read, but useful.
I liked this book. It gives you some good things to talk about as a family and a quick way of figuring out a game plan for your family. I don't think the strategies would work for my family, but not a bad approach. One thing I did like from the book was the thought that it is important to define what you would like to do as a family and sometimes it isn't going to be the right thing, but it is still important that you are making a definitive choice.
I thought that this was an excellent book on how to strengthen your family and business with a similar type approach. As business leaders we need to strengthen our families as well to be able to reach our full potential. This book does a great job of taking a business consulting approach and applying it to ones family.
Most interesting to me from this book is the discussion of core values. I have fallen into the trap of having a long list of "Core Values". I like the way...more
Most interesting to me from this book is the discussion of core values. I have fallen into the trap of having a long list of "Core Values". I like the way...more
Great book to get a family on the path to unique goals and fulfilling their unique life purpose. Really appreciate the brief nature of Patrick Lencioni and his myths/fables. They do teach a great deal.
I really like the take away value of this book and as a leader in my family I often feel like I don't know what I am doing or even how to start. This book is very helpful.
I really like the take away value of this book and as a leader in my family I often feel like I don't know what I am doing or even how to start. This book is very helpful.
I found the three big questions themselves to be very useful, and discussing them to really help focus my plans and decisions.
That said, the book is really mostly fluff. It was a little frustrating to read the "fable" part, where they go through the family trying to hammer out this system. You learn their missteps as well as the ultimate plan, and that was a lot of wasted time for families who are clearly frantic or we wouldn't be reading this!
I think you should ski...more
That said, the book is really mostly fluff. It was a little frustrating to read the "fable" part, where they go through the family trying to hammer out this system. You learn their missteps as well as the ultimate plan, and that was a lot of wasted time for families who are clearly frantic or we wouldn't be reading this!
I think you should ski...more
This is a great book in execution and concept and you can read it in about 90 minutes. We tried to sit down and implement the ideas in it and didn't follow through. I think that with the arrival of kid #3, we may try to find the time to organize because I think that, especially as the kids get older, the idea of this book is VERY applicable.
This book is somewhat cheesy, but makes a really good point. We spend a lot of time at work developing and executing business strategies, but we don't apply that rigor to our family life. We can all benefit by having a family strategy. The story the author tells to illustrate the point is the cheesy part, but the overall takeaway is good.
Good stuff, but not nearly as gripping or inspirational as Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Most of this book is stuff that we were already doing, just not as intentionally as he recommends. It would be great to put this stuff into practice, but I suspect that my wife may not want to sit down ans systematize our family dynamics. Think I'll just take the big ideas and apply them as I am able.
Loved, loved, loved it! Implementing strategy and business principles into your family life. Good sense practices that can be life-changing for your family! Identify where u r going and get your whole family on the same page. Running on the hamster wheel isn't going to get u to your goals.
Wow... Amazing book. I love the way Lencioni writes through the use of fables, but even the concepts are so simple and aplicable. We really needed this book at this time in our lives and we look forward to putting these principles into practice.
This book caught me at the right time. It told me all of the things I knew but realized I was not applying most of what we needed in our family. This book armed me with practical advice to get come balance back in our worlds.
This is a book anyone can benefit from. It put managing the chaos of family life in perspective and gives a simple ie. doable, approach to prioritizing all we do.
This is a book I want to own. I would like to take the concepts and apply it to our family -- a great way to take a look at what is important in your life and family.
I think this book should be required reading for all of us. It is a quick read and so straightforward. The author also has a website- www.thefranticfamily.com
This is a fabulous book! It's easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to put into practice. I recommend it for anyone looking for sanity amidst the chaos.
Great book for providing perspective and prompting reflection. Two years after reading it, my family still uses the lessons and strategies.
Reviewed for my blog July 2. Visit and up my very sad visitor count!
http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/po...
http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/po...
Just finished the last 30 pages--the summary really. Seems to be a good book with some sound recommendations. I think I'll give it a try.
This was a very quick read full of practical ideas. Needs time to put into practice, but could be helpful to any family or organization
I liked it. I give it 4 stars for the pure back to basics and getting to the imporantance of family. I loved the emphasis on the need to keep our family organized and functional, and just as important (even MORE than) as any successful business. The parable was a little cheesy, but the point was there. I didn't find it as life changing as I had hoped, but I think it is because our girls are younger and we do not have so much going on in their lives that we need to evaluate. We also do weekly pl...more
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