How Do I Get My Partner On The Same Page?

You’re sitting in the office and you have a great idea to grow your service business. You’re sure it’s a homerun idea and you can’t wait to implement it. But when you tell your business partner about it, he’s adamant that it’s a bad idea that won’t work and isn’t worth the risk. So what do you do? You want the business to grow… but does he? You know this will work… so why is he not getting as excited about it as you? You can’t figure out why he’s happy with the plateau that your company is stuck at.

For those who own a business with a business partner: do you struggle to get on the same page as your partner? Are there times when you just don’t feel aligned and moving forward in the same direction? This blog post will give you ideas, tools, and strategies to help get on the same page with your business partner.

 My Story

My business partner Rob, and I, started our last service business (Gold Medal Service) more than 2 decades ago. We get along great (and people always say that we interact like a couple of married people). We don’t necessarily agree 100% of the time but we are aligned and always work together. The value of powerful relationship was reinforced for me when we had another partner for a while that did not work out as well, and we had to make the costly decision to end that partnership. But Rob and I? Still going strong all these years. Here are some tips and strategies I’ve learned from the great partnership I have with Rob, from the not-so-great partnership we had with another partner, and from working with many clients and their partners over the years…

 Strategy #1. Fully Understand Each Other’s “Why”

Everyone is inspired by something different. And you may own the same business and even agree on 90% of the actions and strategies in that business, but it doesn’t mean you fully understand the other person. If you want to know what drives another person and informs their decisions, you need to know their “Why”. What makes them think and act the way they do?

A person’s “Why” is their deepest level of motivation for them. Maybe it’s their family—they’ll do anything for their family. Or maybe it’s a hobby—such as if they are an adrenaline junkie who lives for the weekends. But it doesn’t have to be a think; it can be a way that they act—someone might feel an inner competition to keep up with others, to save face, to avoid the poverty they experienced as a child, or many other possibilities.

Here’s one small example: Let’s say you think of a potentially really effective marketing campaign. It’s a little zany and it requires you to get in front of the camera dressed as clowns. You think it’s a great idea because no one else is doing it and it will create some buzz in the community; combined with a great offer, you’re sure it’s a winner. But your business partner says no. He agrees that it’s a great idea with a great offer… so why does he want to do it? Well, perhaps digging deeper you discover that his ultimate “Why” is that he had a parent who always wanted him to have a white collar job, not a blue collar one. Years later, he still strives to raise the professionalism of the company to portray what he views is a highly respectable professional company. Now you see why your great idea doesn’t sound so great to him.

Once you know someone’s why—whether family or a feeling or something else altogether—you can understand why they might agree or disagree with you; you can also “shape” your ideas and suggestions to be more aligned with their Why.

Take some time to get to know your partner better than you do right now. Even if you think you know them well now (and yes, even if they are family) don’t assume that the “Why” you THINK they have is really the “Why” they have. You have to go deep and find the one key part of their life that shapes all their decisions.

Strategy #2. Build A “Painted Vision”

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