5 Ways to Successfully Deal with Conflict in Your Partnerships
Right now, conflict is high for a lot of business partnerships. With all the strife and chaos being caused in the world, now more then ever business owners and partners need to really focus on how they are handling conflict as it arises within your business. If you never have conflict in your business then this post isn't for you. But, if conflict is something you struggle with, try out some of these techniques.
Today's tidbit:
Create a rhythm of communication within your partnership. You want to get into the habit of talking about the business regularly. Now, you might be saying "We only talk about the business" and I get that, but you want meetings that are scheduled out and that have an agenda that covers the gambit of the business. That could be weekly, monthly, quarterly - whatever your partnership requires. So much conflict arises from lack of communication or sporadic communication when things go bad.
Create a level of transparency that removes doubt in partnerships. As human beings, we are normally very negative people. When we have doubts about a situation, most people don't fill in said gaps with positive thoughts and speculations. They almost always fill in the uncertainty with negativity. By creating as much transparency of how the business is operating as possible every day, you remove the ability for negative feelings to grow and fester. When everyone knows what is going on in the business you can focus on actual problems, not the problems that you or your partner have simply dreamt up and fretted over in your minds.
Create and keep dedicated roles within your company. If you are in a business where everyone is responsible for everything but nothing ever gets accomplished you will eventually end up in conflict. Writing out each partners' job duties and the results for which they are responsible helps to alleviate tension because who is responsible for what is written out. Now, just because they are responsible for something doesn't mean that your partner will necessarily take responsibility. Excuses come from all levels of management, but if you have a good rhythm of communication and healthy transparency it makes holding people accountable much easier.
If you are frustrated with your partner or someone in your company, talk with them about it. So many people are afraid to voice their opinion over hurting the relationship. You have to ask yourself, "what will hurt more in the long run, the relationship, or the business?" If someone continues to make mistakes and hurt your investment, how long before you hold them accountable? The other reason you want to work out frustrations as soon as possible is that no one likes losing sleep over anxiety in their partnership. Confront the issue and move past it. Also, a little side note? If you confront the issue and it goes away, make sure it is forgiven and forgotten. It shouldn't come up the next time a conflict arises.
Always be a solution-oriented partner and ask the same of your partners. It doesn't help anyone to highlight someone's shortcomings. If a partner is weak in an area, look for solutions to build them up. Don't constantly remind them of their weaknesses. If everyone is always looking for solutions and not just heaping on more problems, then your partnership will truly be about solving problems. You want your partner to feel supported even when you are holding them accountable.
We could talk about conflict resolution strategies all day, but these five techniques are must-haves in your businesses and partnerships if you are going to be successful. In dealing with clients, you often see that what is holding back their business is a lack of trust and confidence. That trust and confidence are lacking because of the absence of these five elements. If you are struggling with this inside your business and would like some further help or principles to implement, let's set up a call to chat about this more in-depth!
