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When I consider where our relationship started, I was in graduate school pursuing a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management at Texas A&M University. I previously completed a couple of Cooperative Education work tours with the Department of Health & Human Services in human resources and knew that would be a good career field for me. Meanwhile, Jennifer had moved to Texas A&M as an Assistant Volleyball Coach after a decorated volleyball career at Hardin-Simmons University, where she served as Head Coach immediately after her playing career. We met at Central Baptist Church in Bryan, Texas. We were both young with great future aspirations….Jennifer in volleyball and me in public service somewhere…which brings me to the first key to success for us:
A – Adaptability
Successful leaders and organizations must be agile & adaptable to change. It’s the same way for us in our marriage relationship. As we proceeded through marriage counseling, we agreed that I’d follow Jennifer’s volleyball coaching career. After all, you can get a HR job just about anywhere. As we continued to pray & seek God’s guidance for us, we later learned that he wanted me to stay with NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. That meant two things for Jennifer that she said she’d never do: (1) live in Houston; and (2) coach at a community college. She went on to coach at Galveston College, leveraging what she’d learned from Texas A&M’s coaches into a couple of very successful seasons!
Then, kids came along…more adaptability required… Each life stage for the kids brings even more adaptability, as we will now have one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary next year. And I know more adaptability is ahead, as we prepare our kids for college then life after college!
B – Building Trust
Successful relationships are built on trust (see my March 22, 2014 post on Covey’s Speed of Trust). Our relationship is best when we’re both focused on building trust with one another.
Building trust also applies to our family relationships. For us, extended family relationships continue to be a priority. In fact, we’re preparing to celebrate my father-in-law’s 80th birthday with family in Lamesa, Texas on July 19th. For more on our Family Mission Statement, click here.
C – Christ-Centered
For Jennifer and me, the Marriage Triangle really holds true. The closer each of us moves to God, the closer we are to each other. We strive to have a Christ-centered marriage and family.
What does all this have to do with leadership? I firmly believe that leaders will be more successful if they demonstrate the “ABCs of Lifetime Partnership”:
- Adaptability
- Building Trust (and Teamwork…like Family)
- Christ-Centered
With Jesus Christ as the standard and the model for our leadership, we’re sure to succeed as we shoot for the stars!