THE “SEVEN Cs”: PARTNERSHIP DANGER SIGNS - The 6th C: Changing VisionWritten by Dorene Lehavi
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Thomas and Fred had been friends since high school and were very close. They got along well and had no doubt they were a good match as business partners. For most part they were both in total agreement about vision, structure and strategies needed to fulfill their plans. In their first coaching session I asked them each how they saw their future 5 years down line in relation to business. Thomas envisioned a highly successful company that would achieve market value and go public in a year. By then he would be married and have a family, able to live well, vacation a lot and be quite affluent. The business would be there to provide at that level for his family for many years to come until he decided to retire. He envisioned passing business on to his children if they wanted it. Fred said in 5 years he saw business as being a financial success worth many millions and at that point he would want to sell it as a public company and move on to something else. He had no intention of marrying or making a life long career out of this particular idea. They looked at each other in amazement. Until that moment both had assumed they knew each other very well and were on same page. This difference in their personal life visions was certainly workable. It simply meant they now had a new dimension of knowledge about each other and that partnership agreement between them could be written with more wisdom, minimizing surprises down line. Your vision is a picture of your purpose, whether it be personal or for your business. A purpose gives your life meaning. Your business also must have a purpose if it is to be a source of fulfillment and satisfaction. Partnerships are very much like marriages and likewise, relationships between partners need to be handled with same detailed care. When a change in vision occurs, it can tear people away from each other. The key in partnerships as in marriage is to constantly talk openly. In a business key to talking is to always hold commitment to business and partnership as a given. When partners have maintained a close and open relationship concern and care for each by other is also a given. So when differences occur they can be managed in a manner that provides a win/win outcome. The examples I used focus mainly on changes in personal vision, however, personal vision can have a direct effect on business vision and vice versa. If vision of a business is subject to changes due to market, societal or global trends, business partners can be faced with same challenges to reconcile competing or evolving business purpose. Communication and commitment are always keys to success.
Dorene Lehavi, Ph.D. is principal of Next Level Business and Professional Coaching. Dr. Lehavi offers a complimentary coaching session so you can experience how coaching can work for you. Contact Dr. Lehavi at Dorene@CoachingforYourNextLevel.com or on the web at Http://www.CoachingforYourNextLevel.com Subscribe to Mastering Your Next Level monthly e-newsletter at http://www.coachingforyournextlevel.com/newsletter.html
| | Five Ways to Stay MotivatedWritten by Kate Smalley
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3. Attend training. Take a computer skills class or attend a workshop to hone some of your skills. They don’t even have to be directly related to your business. Try something general like communication skills, a writing course or a workshop on how to close a sell. 4. Chase a dream. Even corporations are sending their executives to open a flower shop or to climb Mount Everest. There’s a lot to be said about doing something far different than your day-to-day duties to give you a different perspective about what you do. Fulfilling a dream, either professionally or personally, has a profound effect on us in our careers and how motivated we are. 5. Work with a business coach. Working with a business coach will help you set some goals for your business that can help keep you motivated! Having both long-term and short-term goals are important. It pumps us up to see instant success, but it’s also very gratifying to meet a long-term goal, too! Both do a lot to keep small business owners motivated. Most small business owners give their hearts and souls to their companies, especially during critical first five years. It’s important to remember, though, that keeping our lives in balance always helps at work. Nobody can consistently work 80 hours or more a week without becoming burned out. Spend time with your family and friends, take time for your own interests, create time for a spiritual life and take care of your physical health, and you’ll be well on your way to staying motivated!
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