February is an opportune time to consider the possibility of joining with
others to create the future. Many of you are rethinking strategies in the
current business environment. As you take a new look at the external factors
(market conditions, competition, trends, demographics, and target markets)
consider the benefits of collaboration.
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"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen
Keller
Fish in
the Sea.
At first think broadly about all of the opportunity for
collaboration-clients, competitors, people in your business network, other
areas in your company, suppliers, those who serve similar clients, even
community groups.
To help identify the characteristics of your "ideal" partner start
by taking a closer look at the people and organizations you work with today.
Determine which relationships are working the best, and then examine the
qualities of these relationships.
What are your strong areas of interest? Who compliments your strengths? Who
is most likely to benefit from doing business with you? Know the value you
provide to your clients and business partners. Who can you help most based on
your background, experience and education. Focus on identifying potential
collaborators who offer you the highest probability of success.
Take It
Slow.
Many of us are feeling very risk averse right now and are being cautious.
Now is NOT the time to push fast, superficial relationships. It is however,
a great time to find the right business partners to grow with in the future.
There are many ways to try out 'collaboration' without much risk. The web
offers a wide variety of places to meet others with common interests in a
'shared space' online. www.yahoogroups.com hosts hundreds of groups where
likeminded people discuss topics, voice opinions, share knowledge, and grow
ideas. Find a group you might be interested in, and try it!
The more you can learn about your potential partner, the greater the chance
of making the right decision about a long-term relationship. Ask questions about
goals, ambitions and values. Listen for where you might complement each other
and create a future together.
Dreams.
By dreaming together you create the possibility to achieve a richer, fuller
result than you could achieve on your own. In an exciting book entitled The
Collaboration Challenge, James E. Austin, the author, talks about the
tremendous opportunities for business combinations between nonprofits and
profits. "The twenty-first century will be the age of alliances. In
this age collaboration between nonprofit organizations and corporations will
grow in frequency and strategic importance."
Happily
Ever After.
If you are seriously considering a partnership, conduct a strategic planning
process together. Create a common vision, strategies and goals. With agreed upon
priorities and plans you will start off with the right level of commitment.
Agree to a process for ongoing communication and information flow.
There are of course no guarantees! By working together to create solutions in
anticipation of the future, you increase the possibility for success.
About the Author:
Helene Mazur is the
President of Princeton Performance Dynamics. As a group facilitator and business
coach, Helene supports individuals and organizations to apply their potential to
achieve important, targeted goals. Her company specializes in strategic
planning, building leadership, sales and customer service strategies. She
supports her clients as they build on strengths, overcome obstacles, align
resources, improve communication and increase productivity. Visit her site at http://ppdbusinesscoaching.com
