Yesterday we clocked 20 years in marriage and I thought surely there are some marriage lessons that we can apply to the workplace…so here I go!
- You are the source of your happiness: Yes I know God is our ultimate source but how you show up at work each day depends on you. You can decide to have a great attitude or sulk each day.
- Communication is key: Every relationship thrives on healthy relationship, just like in a good marriage ensure that you have a healthy relationship with the people you work with. Whether you are the boss, an employee, team member etc it’s important that communication is as clear as possible.
- A common goal is needed: Like with a marriage a team at work need to have a common goal or else everything “fit scatter”. You can be different , disagree and digress but with a common goal your chances of reaching the promised land are higher.
- Do not accept bad behavior: Many times bad behavior is accepted in the sake of “let peace reign”…but for there to be peace doesn’t mean abuse or toxicity should be accepted. Start from day 1 to dictate what works and what doesn’t as you design the marriage/workplace of your dreams.
- Tolerance and Patience: These two virtues go hand in hand. Though bad behavior shouldn’t be accepted we must be tolerant and patient both in marriage and at work. Remember we are not dealing with machines but human beings who are fallible.
- Do not copy and paste: In marriage you can learn from others but remember everyone is different and what works for A may not work for B. It’s the same for a good policy that needs to be adapted to fit a different organisations. A great concept idea may work in one place but fail somewhere else…so make sure it’s fit for purpose.
- Do not give up too soon: Some years in business ( especially the first few) just like in a marriage are often shakey and it’s easy to be discouraged but unless there are serious issues pls hang in there.
I think I will stop here…may expand this into a book in time for my next anniversary!