Confluence

A stream flows where gravity takes it as the water seeks the lowest point.  

Unfortunately it can also feel like our business relationships are seeking the lowest point too, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Occasionally something magical happens and two streams merge to create something more powerful than they ever were separately.  Those two streams become a river powerful enough to cut through solid rock and other obstacles in the way.  We call it a confluence.  It will often flow straighter than just a single stream and it will always be with much more power.

It is interesting to note that scientifically a confluence is the merging of any two bodies of water, even man-made ones.  So, for example there could be a confluence of two canals.  Man can take the water and make it flow in the way that is required. 

So it is with business alliances, which is precisely what we talk about here all the time... Fusing focus.  Joining priorities.  Hopefully we form a confluence that flows straighter and more powerfully than either group ever could by itself.

While the benefits are obvious there is resistance from all directions much of the time.  Why?  Let's examine a few of the big ones so we can delve into how we might overcome them.

1. Reluctance to Cede Control - This is the biggest issue you'll face when trying to blend the objectives of two partner organizations.  The issue is made worse by the fact that

Intrepreneurship

If you do the same things you've always done you'll get the same things you've always gotten.  You may be okay with that if you have had strong results, but even if you have it will cause you to stagnate.  Staying in the same place will give you a false sense of security, almost like taking refuge under the wing of a humingbird.

The trick is to innovate and creatively devise new paths for your business partnerships without upsetting the apple cart.  There are ways of developing new businesses within the framework of existing ones.  New strategies tucked inside of proven alliances.

Call it "Intrepreneurship."  An entrepreneurial spirit that works within the confines of what is already working.

Let's say you've got a great business and you and your partner have built a profitable relationship over the years.  Everything is moving along just as it should without

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

If your partnership doesn't have conflict, you're doing it wrong.

As much as it is incorrect to think that conflict creates growth it is also incorrect to think that perpetual peace produces growth.  So often we act as if peace is the ultimate goal, but do you know what perpetual peace will get you?  Stagnation.

Of course on the opposite end of the spectrum ongoing conflict and never-ending debate are certainly a huge negative too.  Endless squabbles will create division and decimate the strength of your alliance.  You cannot persist in a contentious environment because steps forward are never made.  Bickering, quarrelling, and backstabbing get you nowhere.  But, that said, if you want to grow you must have some meaningful exchange of opinions even if it ruffles some feathers.  Perhaps even because it ruffles some feathers.

It is the exchange of new ideas that

You Are Here

Vision... Direction... Trajectory... Mission... Long range planning...

We are consumed with the future and the promise that it surely holds ultimate success.  Victory.  Accomplishment.  And, yes, we all know intellectually that we have to put the work in now to have success later, but I'm not sure we always act that way.

There are a lot of carts in front of horses in today's alliances.  If everyone is the leader and everyone is casting the vision, then no one is.  Every initiative needs vision and every vision needs to be created and articulated, but the bigger point here is that where there is leadership there must be much more followership.  (So to speak.)

I call it the "Vision Vortex."  It is the phenomena whereby an organization or an alliance (especially an alliance) is continually creating a new outline for the path forward and everyone involved is constantly sucked into this spiral where the work never gets done because grand plans are always being drawn up.

The Vision Vortex is a big problem in alliances because, as we have mentioned in this space previously, alliances have an inherent issue with too many leaders and not enough sleeves being rolled up.  There are no feet being held to the fire in many cases and there is always another design for how to have future success. 

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation Bias (also known as "MySide Bias") is a phenomenon where people select the information that supports their presuppositions.  In other words, if you think something will happen you will be on the lookout for evidence that proves you were right.  Your "confirmation" of your hypothesis is completely biased.

This affects professional relationships, alliances, and channel partnerships in many ways.  We all want to be right whether we are looking for some positive outcome or, maybe more powerfully, even if we predict a less than stellar outcome.

Before we really dive into how to deal with confirmation bias, think about that last sentence again.  We all want to be right, even if we predict something that we don't want.  Is it possible that you could have a negative opinion about how a business relationship will work out and then proceed to look for reasons why it is failing to reach its goals?

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy - This is what happens when we predict an outcome that we can control and we (usually sub-consciously) work toward that outcome.  The more controllable prophecy is usually the one that predicts failure since it is much easier to produce failure than success.  It's possible that you have fears that something won't work and then go ahead and make decisions and/or take actions that lead straight to failure.  What's worse, you're probably not doing it on purpose.  It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This can manifest itself in a lot of different forms.  Small tasks and short-term projects can be sabotaged for all sorts of reasons and long-term goals can be derailed in the slightest ways that take you far from your desired outcome over long periods of time.  If you think something will happen you are likely to work toward that end result, whether you are doing it on purpose or not.

How can this be stopped, you ask?  I have a few ideas: