What does it take for a husband to be the romance leader in his marriage? I don’t know if many husbands have given this much thought.

I asked myself “Can leadership principles that work in business be applied to marriage and romance?” At first blush, I thought that the two worlds are too different. However, upon closer examination, I could see how the business principles of mission, vision, and values are tools that can help to get a marriage on track.

Most companies have a Mission Statement which describes the reason the company exists. The idea behind a mission is that it gives everyone in the company a good idea of the direction in which the company is moving. It is the company’s raison d’etre.

Should a marriage have a Mission Statement?

I think it should. And the mission should be a big one. I believe that God puts a man and woman together to become one flesh so that they can together fulfill a purpose that they are uniquely suited to fulfill. Each of them has talents, abilities, and skills which when combined enable them to make a significant impact on a specific group of people. In my case, my wife and I are uniquely gifted to be leaders of leaders. The combination of our education, experiences, personalities, and talents place us squarely in a role of influencing leaders.

A Mission Statement on its own does little to fuel the passion of the employees of a company. That is where the Vision Statement comes in. The Vision Statement is a description of what the future will look like when the company accomplishes its Mission Statement.

What will the future look like when your family accomplishes its Mission Statement?

Whose lives will be changed because their paths crossed those of you and your wife? The Bible says that without a vision the people perish. Could it be that many marriages are ending up in divorce because they have no vision for their marriage beyond raising children?

With a Mission Statement and Vision Statement, there is a sense of where to go and what it will feel like when you get there. How can a company assure that the employees stay on track along the journey? Core Values or a Value Statement serve that purpose. The Core Values are the principle beliefs that are used to guide decisions. In the heat of the moment when emotions are high, Core Values help employees to make the right decisions. Therefore, Core Values must be consistent with the Mission and Vision Statements.

What is the role of Core Values in a marriage?

These non-negotiable items navigate a couple through the difficulties that all marriages face. A couple with Core Value established can keep disagreements from spiraling out of control.

The next three articles in this series will delve deeper into each of these three concepts. You will receive pointers on how to develop a Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Core Values.