Chris Harder

So just like when you go in the dressing room, you try an outfit on for size.

Is it a fit for me?

Is it not?

Instead of saying that's a dumb idea or why would you want to do that?

We've made an agreement that we always try each other's ideas on for size.

And part of the rule is it doesn't have to be a fit.

There is no obligation for it to be a fit.

When somebody brings up, hey, I would love to try this, or I want to switch careers, or what if we could start experimenting with X, Y, and Z?

If you shoot it down right away, instead of trying it on for size or considering it, that makes the other person feel bad.

And then they stop bringing exciting ideas to you.

And then that dooms the relationship.

So you want to create an atmosphere where it's absolutely okay to reinvent yourself or bring new ideas into the relationship and know that the other person isn't going to embarrass you or shoot it down, but instead they're going to try it on for size.

So that's been one great rule that's kind of helped us

morph into who we are today.

I think the other thing is we have, you're going to laugh at this, but we've always been walkers.

Like we walk three to six miles a day.

Every single day, it's a non-negotiable for us.

If it's pouring rain out, we'll still be out walking.

Because when we've got that guaranteed container to physically remove ourselves from the place where we've done battle all day and change our state a little bit, and we know that we're going to have that chance to connect first thing in the morning and then at the end of our workday, that's a really important container to be able to talk through anything that would otherwise be put on the back burner.

And I'll tell you what, we've done a great job of putting things out when there's smoke instead of letting them turn into a fire and trying to put it out then.