Business today is complicated – and getting ever more complex. To be effective we must build partnerships across boundaries in our own organisations, as well as with a complex web of customers, suppliers, partners and other stakeholders. But life doesn’t always run as smoothly and effectively as we want.
Here are some of the most frequent complaints that we hear from our clients about those key relationships and partnerships and what to do about them:
My offshore team aren’t delivering what they’re supposed to
“I think we’ve agreed outcomes and timetables, but they never seem to deliver”. When this habit develops, you need to find a way to break the cycle, and that involves building the relationship and the trust. Do you know what the barriers (really) are? Are you clear they know clearly what your expectations are? Have you really built that trust?
Key tactic – start getting to know the key players as people – what makes them tick, what problems they have, and honestly identify the real barriers to progress. Nothing accelerates this process more than a face-to-face visit, and a chat over a meal and a drink (if appropriate).
I ‘m not getting on with a key partner – we just have different ways of going about things
Apparent clashes of personality can often be rooted in misunderstanding. It’s easy to misinterpret others’ behaviour as unhelpful or downright uncooperative, but it may be down to something as simple as differences in style and approach.
Key tactic – try to widen your understanding and appreciation of other ways of seeing the world and other preferences, by exploring what’s personally important to people. Do they need order, structure and predictability? Are relationships important to them – or just outcomes? Do they need more power and control in this relationship? From these kinds of conversations, you can address their individual needs much more effectively.
We seem to be “in a box” with a key customer and can’t break out
“A major stakeholder uses us in a very narrow frame – and we can offer so much more.”
Sometimes, delivering on simple things can leave us in a box that is difficult to break out of.
Key tactic – the key to breaking out of the box is about building relationships and trust, and that in turn allows you to ask more challenging questions. Developing our own reputation by demonstrating capability and engaging in more strategic conversations focussed on added value outcomes is the key to moving the dial on stagnating relationships. Can you bring some new insights to those discussions?
We’re working at the wrong level with this customer and can’t get a seat at the top table
It’s easy to get into the habit of responding to requests and demands, and to get bogged down in low level tactical activity. With many of these relationships it’s sometimes important to move up the ‘food chain’ – to engage in conversations with decision makers, and to intervene earlier in the process.
Key tactic – ask yourself – “who do I really need to be connected to here?” You may need to be more proactive in initiating and building relationships by seeking time and connection with key stakeholders. Can you offer them some insight, information or intelligence that is useful to them, and will encourage them to seek your opinion more? Are you selling yourself and what I/we have to offer?
I don’t think customers think much of us
How do customers view you? What do they really think about what you have to offer? Customer and stakeholder groups will often have limited or even harsh views about what we do and how we go about it. Those views may even be unfair or unfounded. They may also be hidden in the sense that people will often think adverse things about us but won’t necessarily tell us unprompted. The worst thing we can do is to let negative views fester – if there are problems, they will almost certainly get worse unless we take charge of the situation.
Key tactic – it’s vital to know what customers really think about us and our offer. Make sure you proactively seek honest feedback – even if it is painful to hear. By doing this you are signalling that you have heard, and this creates the opportunity to move the conversation along to how we can improve the situation and add more value than we currently do.
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Want to learn more about building professional relationships?
This course is available in-house. We identify your specific learning needs before the programme starts to ensure that the content is tailored to the dynamics, culture, and challenges of your team. This improves the relevancy and allows learners to practice their new skills with people they work with on a daily basis. Get in touch to find out more about how we can support your team to enhance their business partnerships and foster positive working relationships.
Find out more about the course here: Building Professional Relationships
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