03 Dec Pick Your Battles
“There were the best of times, there were the worst of times.” These sentences begin the famous book, “The Tale of Two Cities” by Alexandra Dumas. Partnerships can be great and at times terrible depending on the situation.
Disagreements, squabbles, debates, and arguments can create difficult discussions for partners.
- Are both partners following the business plan?
- Are they sharing resources?
- Are they upset over differential earnings?
- Are they both getting results?
- Is one partner out of the office a lot, i.e. doing network marketing at the golf course while the other partner handles the operational side on a daily basis?
There are many sources of upset or annoyance. What should partners focus on and battle about?
Bottom Line
- Choose your battles wisely.
- Think about what the upset is really about and deal with the root cause, not the symptomatic complaint.
- Speak responsibly; “I have a concern about …” Open up a useful discussion. Starting a conversation with “you always” or “you should” just will make the other person defensive.
- Ask yourself: “what’s my real issue here? Is this a substantial issue about business or am I upset about something more personal?”