It can be tough dealing with a difficult business partner. You might have different goals for your business, different values, or different communication styles. Maybe they’re always trying to one-up you, or they’re always taking credit for your work.
Whatever the case may be, it’s important to try to find a way to work together effectively. If you can find a way to work through your differences, you’ll be in a much better position to achieve your goals. So here’s some tips to help make that possible.
As promised, we not only present articles to help you improve your love life and create a long-lasting relationship but we also give advice on how to improve your social skills and develop all types of relationships. So read on and get the directions and help you need to help your business thrive.
How to deal with a difficult business partner?
1. Find the origin of the conflict:
The first thing you probably felt when your business partner started to show their difficult nature was frustration. You must have felt like shaking them up so you could knock some sense into them and carry out your business affairs as best as possible. However, that may not be the best policy to deal with a difficult business partner.
It’s normal to wish to solve things rather than dissolve your business partnership and for the most part, you’re right. But the problem is that you can’t solve whatever is going on with your business partner without knowing what caused their hostility toward you.
You will have to think back to recall everything that happened during your time together to find the reason for this change. Maybe they heard or noticed something about you that they don’t like and have a newfound low opinion of you. It could be the reason why everything you do gets under their skin and pisses them off. Once you do, you will be better equipped to deal with the situation.
2. Be mindful of your words:
Whether you like it or not, emotions play a big part in conflicts. Yes, you could be dealing with a work-related problem and may want to deal with it in a formal and professional way, but in the end you are still dealing with a person. And, people are emotional and compliacted.
As soon as you express your wish to talk about what is going on, they will immediately be on the defense and your conversation can get emotionally charged. If this happen it could derail your argument easily to the point where you start critisizing each other’s characters rather than business-related things.
To avoid this, try to plan what you are going to say beforehand. If you find it helpful you could write down a list of the things you’re planning to discuss so you don’t get off topic. Be mindful of the fact that the topics you stick to only have to be related to work. If you find that your partner is not cooperating remind them that you are only trying your best not to hurt their feelings to keep the business working.
3. Avoid blaming your partner for everything:
You won’t be able to reach an agreement if your business partner feels like you’re attacking them all the time. For this, you have to be patient and know that it will take some time to solve the problems with them. It could be helpful to wait for the business tasks to be done every morning and invite your partner out to have lunch or dinner.
The simple fact that you are in a non-working environment will make your business partner feel more at ease and relaxed. They will see this meeting as a pleasant opportunity to give you a chance and try to see a good side to you. So try to avoid blaming or scolding them about work-related stuff.
Instead, you could try to defuse any tension you have between the two of you by telling them that you wish to talk about your differences and become closer. If your business partner seems OK with it, you may proceed by telling them what goes on in your mind and make suggestions to help the two of you get along better.
However, if they know they have been difficult they are already prepared for the talk you’re about to have. Therefore you should state that you do not wish to blame them or attack them. State that you only wish to understand what’s going on to help the business become more prosperous.
4. Be prepared for the fact that they might have their own opinions:
Yes, if your business partner has been difficult you will have to bring your perspective to them. But you also need to be prepared for the fact that they might have a reason for acting the way they do. If this is the case, what you are missing in your business partnership is good communication.
Maybe your business partner isn’t happy about some decision you took and they may even have manifested that discontentment earlier but you failed to see the reason. All it could be is that you didn’t seem to care about it and it mattered a lot to them so it could’ve contributed to have them build resentement.
You could ask them at the beginning of your conversation if there is something, they would like to share because you want to listen. This might make them feel more relaxed and open to having a real conversation from the beginning.
5. Try to compromise and make amends:
Whether You want to admit it or not, you are two different people who think differently and therefore, have different ideas. You won’t agree on everything you do but that’s exactly where you should compromise and find a middleground.
You should do some brainstorming about the things you wish to implement and change in your business and in your relationship too.
Also try to listen to each other’s opinions and see the intentions behind each. If your partner has good intentions for the business then try not to be very difficult with them een if you think their opinion is not the right way to do things in your eyes.
Not only do you need to compromise but think about ways to make amends too if you have been too harsh or difficult with them previously.