CULTIVATING GROWTH MINDSET
A group of business executives discussing how to keep long-term business relationships/ Photo Courtesy /August de Richelieu
Long-term Business
Long-term
business relationships refer to relationships, which have been sustained over
several years with the same number of people or organizations. And business has
been the point of mutual connection over these years. Long-term business relationships
keep people and organizations running. Out of these relationships, people build
successful businesses. Organizations achieve their main business objectives in
the market, while individuals working in those organizations build trust and
find opportunities to advance their careers. These at least, are what
successful long-term business relationships do. Get things done and build a
strong family out of a team. When people learn to trust and respect each other,
many good things happen. Opportunities emerge from different directions and
groups and organizations enjoy working together.
Whereas,
long-term business relationships are cherished by both individuals and
organizations, it is not always easy to find, grow, and sustain these
relationships. Some people struggle to build successful long-term business
relationships. These groups that struggle to maintain long-term business
relationships get some things wrong along the way. Building a successful
business requires leadership. And the primary role of leadership is solving
problems. A leader must listen, communicate, and correct. Guidance and
direction are needed all the time to succeed in leading a group or
organization. And just as individuals are different from each other, leadership
styles also differ from each other. People who fail to understand the meaning
of being in front abuse their positions. Poor leadership destroy relationships.
The
objective of this article is to talk about mistakes that some people commit,
which result in broken long-term business relationships. There are three things
that are misunderstood by some people. People who have been in a long-term
business relationships begin to fail. They fail by overlooking very important
ingredients that build trust. Having the privilege of working with certain
groups of people means finding ways to sustain good relationships. It is not
always about an organization having a good product or service that people like.
It is about practicing good leadership that brings loyalty. People need to
perceive that they are valued somewhere. When it becomes apparent that an
organization values the mutual connection it shares with its clients, respect
is earned. Consumers buy from that organization because they know someone has
their back. And that is how long-term business relationships are built.
However, these three mistakes destroy good long-term business relationships.
Interpersonal Tension
Interpersonal
tensions are normal challenges that real people face every day. It is not
always that people are on the same page. There are differences in opinion and
perception of things. And most important, we all have different goals about
things in life. When these goals differ, interpersonal tensions occur. And
there is nothing wrong with that. That is how people live in normal life
because differences in opinions and point of view only, shows how different we
are as human beings. Interpersonal relationships experience irritations and
difficulties all the time. And there is nothing you can do about it. You cannot
prevent people from being themselves. Normal human beings will have an opinion
about something. And you don’t need to be threatened by that. Don’t draw wrong interpretation
towards interpersonal tensions.
Friends having getting over mistakes/ Photo /Tumur Weber
When
a business or a person perceive interpersonal tension wrongly, long-term relationships
are broken. And both individuals and organizations make this mistake. When a
person differs with you over something, don’t read too much into the different
view. People are just expressing what they feel need to be corrected. Some
business people are not open to alternative views. As a result, they feel that
a contrary opinion challenges their leadership or authority. They feel attacked
or threatened by other people having contrary views to their own. In the
context of business, a lot of things happen. A leader might think that his or
her leadership style is ideal. The way a leader instructs, delegates, and
communicates matters. And people will always have opinions about these
leadership styles. The fact that someone does not agree with you does not mean
that that individual is challenging your leadership.
Interpersonal
tensions will always exist no matter how hard someone fights them. People will
always differ and nobody needs to be insecure about those differences. That is
how real life works. People having different ideas and perspectives about
things in life. And sometimes, the best approach to solving complex tensions
among people is to listen. Listen to what people are saying. When people
differ, it means different things. Perhaps, while formulating your response to
an issue, you did not apply thoroughness. Maybe, there were blind spots that
you did not put into consideration. And they are only emerging after you said
something. This is one angle why interpersonal tensions exists. The second
angle is about people. People will always be people. And some will always
object something no matter how good that thing is in the eyes of so many
people.
And
as a business leader, you don’t need to fight reality. You don’t have to react
with circumstances. The essence of building successful relationships is after
all based on differences. When different people come together, they bring
different things on the table. And the best way to get to a common goal is to
listen to what everyone has to share. People are just talking. And even, in
those good long-term business relationships, people still differ. And you cannot
develop an attitude towards people that you do not agree with. In fact, when
people introduce contrary perspectives, it means that they are paying
attention. And the purpose of those contrary ideas is to expand the discussion
to consider other areas, which were not initially covered in the discussion. So
stop fighting people. Interpersonal tensions are normal and they will always
come up whether you like it or not.
Negative Attitude Towards Feedback
Feedback
is not an attack. Feedback is just an observation. And when people become
honest and open with feedback. Do not feel attacked and recoil. You gain
nothing by scaling back because someone said something you did not like. If
there is a problem, face the problem. The reason feedback rose in the first
place is because people are not liking something. For example, long-term
business relationships are sustained through integrity and good leadership.
When integrity, professionalism, and leadership are compromised, no one will
seat pretty. People will express their mind because those values are what have
been fueling the relationships. When you begin to compromise as a leader, you
open doors to doubt and uncertainty. Real business people do not work with
uncertainty. Therefore, when someone questions why some things have changed, it
is honest feedback.
A business leader sharing mistakes that break long-term business relationships /Photo /Tima Miroshnichenko
Don’t
cut communication because such discussions came up. Don’t hide because someone
called you out. If there are issues, which need direction and correction fix
them. Listen to feedback and improve the areas, which have been mentioned.
Succeeding in business is all about timely responses. Hiding and cutting
communication do not build strong business relationships. Instead, they destroy
good relationships. The fact that you have some elements of cowardice in you
does not mean being indifferent to feedback. Feedback is what keeps successful
businesses succeeding. Don’t fight it. Don’t be threatened by it. Your negative
attitude towards feedback will destroy a long-term relationship. Some long-term
relationships have failed because some people are not open to feedback. They
want to infringe policies and get away with it.
But
that is not how long-term business relationships work. People must be open to
criticism. You should be open to correction. We are all prone to err. And
having bold honest people in your circle that calls you out is not wrong. When
they call you out they are not demeaning you. Criticism is not disrespect. It
only means people are not appreciating some things and they are speaking those
dislikes loudly. It is not an attack on your character or leadership. It is a wakeup
call to action. A reminder that there is something wrong. Look at the wrong
thing. Don’t deflect attention. Focus your eyes on the wrong things. And find the
right way to solve them. If you are compromising values that have been at the
center of the long-term relationships, then stop compromising.
Solve Problems
It is
the most progressive approach to success. And to solve problems, leadership is
needed. When there are so many things that are not working, don’t flight. Stop
running away when things get complex. Remain on the dance floor and face the
music. Look at all the things that are not working. Ask yourself why they are
not working. If in the past smooth operations have been the order of the day,
what changed along the way. Find out what changed and fix it. The biggest
mistake you can make is failing to solve problems. For example, if you don’t
pay your suppliers. Don’t expect to have smooth operations. Look at what has
changed and solve it. If in the past you paid on time, start paying on time.
Don’t get comfortable because you have so many good things going on for you.
A
wise person does not forget how he/she started. You must look at what sustained
these professional mutual relationships. Identify the values and ethics. Look
at the current challenges. Where are the complains coming from and why are
people complaining in the first place. Solve those problems and commit to being
a good business leader. A good business leader solves problems. A leader thinks
critically. A leader gets to the bottom of things that are making other people
uncomfortable. You get to those problems with the intention of solving them not
finding someone else to blame. Blame games don’t build long-term business
relationships. Blame games exposes people’s weaknesses. And you don’t want to
be perceived negatively by your long-term business partners. You will lose
business. And that is not good.
People
have interacted with scenarios where problems have gone unsolved. And they don’t
want to experience similar habits of inaction in a business setting. Unresolved
problems only paint ugly images that people don’t want to look at. And you
don’t want to be the one making people feel uncomfortable. Business partners
will walk away from what makes them uncomfortable. And the more you pile or run
away from responsibility, the uglier images build up. Running away or ignoring
that a problem exist does not make them go away. Problems will begin to fester
and you will feel the impact of not taking action on time. Don’t make this
mistake. Solve problems as soon as, you learn about them. That is what it takes
to build strong long-term business relationships.
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