3 Ways To Stay Aligned
Staying aligned – on the same page –with your business partners can be something that is presumed, as time goes on. You started working together and all was well, but over time things might begin to loosen up a bit, or you haven’t checked in for a while. The dangerous news is that if you don’t check in often enough, it can over time lead to misalignment, and business difficulty, and even business collapse.
Rather than wait until you’ve become misaligned, you may want to just put into practice a few things that will help you to stay aligned. If you can stay aligned in the first place, you will save yourself a lot of unnecessary stress, time, and money. And you might even save your business.
1. Personality Profiles
There are several good personality profiles available that are worth your time and attention. Here are a few:
It’s tempting to roll your eyes at the suggestion that you should take a personality profile. But the reality is that if you and your partners (and maybe everyone else on your team as well) would take the same profile, and actually study the results, you will learn much about one another.
For example, you may find it interesting to discover how each employee responds during times of stress and pressure. Information like that isn’t just interesting, though, it’s very valuable. Knowing how you and your partners respond to pressure can alleviate significant tension - and any tension that is removed from an already stressful time is a massive benefit.
2. Get Away
Take your partners and go somewhere else. Get out of the office. Go on a retreat. Go to the middle of nowhere, or go to a conference center or even rent a conference room. Turn off your email and your phones and shut out the day-to-day for a bit.
Use this time to brainstorm, dream, discuss your vision for the future. Renew your hopes and dreams. Have fun together! Take time to just enjoy each other’s company.
When you get back to the office afterward, with new ideas and refreshed relationships, you will be in a great position to move forward with all the partners on the same page.
3. Business Counseling
Business partnerships are a lot like marriage. And just like some marriages need counseling, so do business partnerships.
Even if everything seems to be alright with your partnership, it’s not a bad idea to bring in an objective business coach occasionally. This person can provide insight into your business that you might not have due to how close you are to it. And, just as important, they will be there to mediate any discussion wherein you discover differences between you and your partners.
Three In One = Improved Partnerships!
Incorporating these three things into your business calendar, budget, and strategic planning, can benefit your partnerships in a huge way. Take action before you have problems, and you just may protect your business from failure.