Today is my 32nd wedding anniversary.

Christie and I got married when we were young. I was 21 years old and she was old enough to vote, but not able to legally have champagne at the wedding. A gentleman never reveals his wife's age or weight. Of course I thought I knew what I needed in a spouse back then. I was confident and resolute in my choice. However, after thirty-two years I can tell you with certainty I was as green as they come.

That said, marrying her is the best leadership decision I have ever made. This might sound like an odd way to put it. But I mean it exactly that way.

One of the biggest leadership decisions you will ever make is who you marry.

Not the job you take. Not the org you build. Not the degree you earn or the mentor you find. Who you come home to every single night will shape your leadership more than any of those things combined. I have watched this play out in the lives of friends and peers for three decades. The ones who married well lead better. Not always. But more often than not.

Here is why it matters so much.

One Of My Most Expensive Mistakes

"You are going to regret the day you met me."

That is how a staff member I hired started a conversation with me. He was right.

It is budget season in your head right now. Maybe not on paper yet, but in your head. You are starting to think about what 2027 needs to look like. The programs you want to launch. The gaps you need to fill. And if you are honest, there is probably a hire in there somewhere that you have been wanting to make for a while.

Before you post that job description, read this.