Tomorrow, my lovely wife and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage. Barb and I were high school sweethearts and our actual time together as a couple spans nearly 34 years. To say we’ve been blessed is an understatement as we have raised two wonderful children, have countless family and friends we’ve enjoyed, been to many places, shared rich experiences, and been butler to a total of four crazy dogs. I’m looking forward to the next 30 years!
All that being said, what’s this sappy message mean for you?
Relationships have a lot of common threads regardless of whether they be personal or professional. Allow me to examine just three that you can use to examine yours:
First, you have to be resilient in relationships. I can attest that Barb is forced to be way more resilient than me! Professional relationships will also undergo highs and lows; challenges and triumphs; and even points of feeling stale. In the end, you must keep perspective at a high premium becasue if you “love” your client, then be prepared to be resilient for the long haul.
Second, communication is king (or queen). Your clients want candor, empathy, clarity, and above all else, presence (I’ve been known to lack presence during Seahawks games).
Finally, relationships require fun. Their can be many weighty issues that all relationships face, so without humor, joy, and just plain fun, they can’t survive or thrive. Barb and I have had – and will continue to have – lots of fun together. I’m certain that Captain Jack and Bella consider themselves the channels to fun.
Bottom line – businesses (like marriages) are based on loyalty and relationships. In order to be successful at retaining both, you must strive to be resilient, communicative, and fun.
“By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy. If you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”
~ Socrates
