“Do the ends justify the means?” is an age-old philosophical query. Melissa Thoma (a sister WomenEntrepreneur.com columnist, I might add), poses a similar question in her article, “Master the Art of Partner Negotiation.” Is the outcome of a negotiation as important as the process?
“Couples get so caught up in claiming their space on the lifeboat that they are willing to win at each other’s expense,” Thoma writes. “Only problem is, that parting shot just put a hole in the lifeboat they’re sharing.”
The same is often true of business parnterships. I’ve seen business parnters “loaded for bear” and needing to speak through intermediaries (attorneys, other employees) because they can’t ”Get to Yes.” Imagine the extra layers of complexity (and delicacy needed) when your business partner is your spouse/significant other!
Love Thoma’s article. Like you said, business partnerships are not easy, especially when they are between family members/spouses!
If you’re interested here’s a short video highlighting some great clips on business partnerships. Also, there are some interesting video clips on the difficulties of having a family member or friend as a business partner at http://www.prendismo.com
Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for the tip, Lindsay! I check out some of the videos and will definitely direct people to them.