Today I'm going to talk about six tips for building marriage teamwork. If we search our heart of hearts, a lot of us would agree that a top goal, if not the ultimate goal for marriage, is to develop a sense of teamwork. That's why we got married, to have a partner. However, we're not very good at being partners with our partner. A lot of us need help on how to become good partners. What does that look like? What pulls us apart? So, I'm going to go through several tips to consider on building a sense of teamwork in your marriage. But first, let's define our terms.
What is Marriage Teamwork?
Marriage teamwork is a feeling of togetherness, mutual support, and unity on multiple fronts, including finances, parenting, chores, sex, and emotional intimacy. Usually, marriage teamwork requires intentional effort of both partners along with a willingness to share power on all topics.
We naturally develop teamwork in the beginning of our relationship because we're madly in love. But through the years, that sense of togetherness falls apart and when that falls apart, everything falls apart with it. When we don't feel emotionally connected, the physical connection goes away too. A healthy marriage hinges upon how much couples feel like they're a team. If you were to interview a lot of couples on the street, I can guarantee most of them would say they do not feel like a team with their partner on multiple fronts. So, let's begin with the top things that can pull couples apart and decrease teamwork.
Marriage Teamwork | 6 Tips!
1-Topics
The first thing that can pull us apart are topics. For example, a lot of couples fight about money because they have different value systems around money. Some spouses are spenders, some are savers. Some view money as power, others view money as anxiety because of how they were raised around money. Everyone has a different relationship with money and different perspective on money so it pulls couples apart. Another topic that can pull couples apart is parenting. One parent is the disciplinarian, the other parent is more lenient so they lock horns over how to parent their children. It pulls them apart. Another topic for a lot of couples is sex. You have a high libido partner married to a low libido partner and navigating those waters is difficult and often pulls couples apart. What topics are pulling you and your spouse apart? In my marriage, my spouse and I are completely different in a lot of areas. On the parenting front I am more of the disciplinarian and my wife is more lenient. On the sexual front, I'm the high libido partner and my wife is the low libido partner. If we're not careful, these topics can pull us apart. So what topics are pulling you apart and harming your sense of teamwork?
2-Personalities
Personalities can also pull us apart. I give all couples I work with the Neo Big Five because it's a great assessment to look at personality traits. It shows which traits you have in common with your spouse and which ones you don't have in common. Personality differences can pull us apart. You have an extrovert paired with an introvert. You have a high energy person mixed with a low energy person and the list can go on and on. In my marriage we have big differences in this area too. I am the extrovert and my wife is the introvert. I'm the high energy spouse and my wife is the low energy spouse. Temperament differences can be another factor that pulls us apart if we aren't careful. What are the main personality differences you have with your partner and how do they pull you apart and make you not feel like a team?
3-Schedules
Another thing that can pull us apart are schedules. Schedules can include too much traveling, too many hobbies, or too much tech time. How are these items pulling you apart in your marriage? By the way, you don't have to try to drift apart in marriage, it's everyone's natural momentum. If you're not actively fighting against it, it's going to happen. It's a matter of time. We're imperfect people and we have all these things pounding us apart from one another, which destroys our sense of teamwork.
4-Marriage Huddle
A top solution I highly recommend is start having a weekly meeting with your spouse. Think of your spouse as a business partner and the business is your life together. What do good business partners do? They have regular meetings so they're on the same page, so they're communicating, so they're negotiating, so they're delegating, and so they're prioritizing. That's what meetings do and that's why effective businesses have meetings. Imagine running a business with a business partner and you never have meetings! That business is going to suffer and probably fail. And that is what happens in marriage.
5-What to Cover In the Huddle
In the meeting, which should be once a week, cover all important topics for you as a couple, such as scheduling, kid concerns, finances, etc. Also, be sure to ask your partner if they have any resentments toward you and if they say yes have them use the reunite tool for conflict resolution. Last, during your weekly marriage huddle review one another's love buckets so neither of you feel like you're in a loveless marriage. Covering these important topics in your marriage once a week airs out what you're feeling, which prevents things from building up, which prevents conflict and withdrawal. Weekly meetings will get you on the same page to build teamwork! The length of the meetings will vary per week based on how much you have to discuss.
6-Right Type of Heart in the Huddle
Within the meeting, remember to bring a heart of flexibility, respect, and openness. The top skill to practice is Bounce the Ball. As a reminder, the Bounce the Ball technique is where spouse one states their opinion on the topic and then bounces the ball by asking spouse two, "what do you think?" Spouse two then states their opinion on the topic and bounces the ball back to spouse one and says, "what do you think?" At that moment things change because now both have heard one another's position on the topic. Therefore, when spouse one responds they must adjust their position by a few degrees to honor what spouse two just said. So, spouse one states their new opinion then bounces the ball by saying "what do you think?" Spouse two then does the same thing in return. They keep moving back and forth like this until they reach a win win. You know you've found a win win when both partners feel good with the decision without any hidden resentments.
Having a weekly marriage huddle covering the most important topics in your marriage while having an open, respectful attitude as you Bounce the Ball to win/win solutions will build teamwork in your relationship! After our meeting on Sunday I was telling my wife how much closer it made me feel with her. I encourage and challenge you to try this out this week in your marriage to experience the benefits.
Further Reading:
How To Compromise In A Relationship
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Leave a comment below on other ideas to build marriage teamwork.
6 comments
You’re very welcome Wilma, glad you found the marriage teamwork article helpful!
Very helpful. Thank you
You’re very welcome Prince, glad you found it helpful!
Thank you so much for the insight
You’re very welcome Ngu! Hope they propel your marriage toward greater teamwork.