Morning Motivator - For My Friend, Keith and his lovely bride, Heather

"A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it."
- John Steinbeck

This weekend, my friend and business associate, Keith Maune will Wednesday his BEAUTIFUL bride-to-be, Miss Heather Gallagher. This WONDERFUL event started me thinking about what goes into such a long term commitment.

A marriage, to me, is the most SINCERE agreement one can make to commitment, communication and compromise for the BETTERMENT of a team. Imagine how POSITIVE a workplace environment could be if those same ground rules were used. What if you were FORCED to live with the person and decisions you make as a team? Not just as an employee or employer, RATHER as PARTNERS in a long term venture. Might ALTER some of the tones and actions you take, eh?

I have personally experience ENVIRONMENTS where open discussion was encouraged and others where it was absent. I have enjoyed wonderful MUTUAL commitments to excellence and success, and still others that were just happy to stay in their routine. Ultimately, it is pretty EASY to see why GOOD companies have GREAT success - they follow the rules of a good marriage - trust, sharing, communication and compromise. Does your company SHARE the same values?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Creating a CULTURE of trust can be very challenging. It requires great PATIENCE, UNDERSTANDING and a willingness to allow FAILURE while withholding judgment. As a leader this can become FRUSTRATING as it often means repeating yourself many times, continually discussing expectations and often having an employee CHALLENGE your decision making.

The results of a TRUSTED partnership can be amazing though. Imagine the idea that you are NOT always right... it would be nice to have someone to TELL you and have your back still. Just in case you done have the BEST idea... it could be BENEFICIAL to have someone that can contribute to yours to make it GREAT. Sounds good huh?

Remember that your GOAL is SHARED, otherwise, you wouldn't be there right?? If you have a SHARED VISION and GOAL, then open discussion and a willingness to compromise for the betterment of the team should be a pretty simple agreement.

CONGRATS HEATHER AND KEITH - Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your blessed union. I look forward to watching your relationship FLOURISH!

On a side note: As part of my CONTINUED commitment to accountability, today is my weight check in: 228.6 lbs, Last Friday: 229.2, Delta: -0.6 lbs

Cheers,
Zach

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