There\u2019s one thing our coaches have observed about sibling and cousin partnerships \u2013 they are not always created by choice, but rather by chance. Like in a game of chess, non-family partnerships are strategic, carefully thought out moves, while family partnerships are often created by parents who want to ensure their children are treated equally.<\/p>\n
On rare occasions, family partnerships are intentionally formed by siblings and cousins who actually want to be in business together, but that\u2019s more the exception than the norm. For family partners who are thrown together by chance, our coaches suggest they take the time to focus on fundamental principles that build the foundation for all successful partnerships, family and non-family alike.<\/p>\n
Non-family partnerships can be hard. Sibling and cousin partnerships can be harder. Sibling partners for example, may love and respect each other out of the office, but given the choice, sometimes they would not have chosen to partner with each other.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll hear clients say, \u201cI love my brother, but I\u2019d rather he not be my partner.\u201d When our coaches ask why, it often comes down to clashing personalities, different attitudes and patterns of behavior. For example, one partner may complain, \u201cMy brother is too lenient with our staff and he throws money around.\u201d Meanwhile, the other brother says, \u201cMy brother is too controlling and the employees are afraid of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The above example represents a lot of sibling or cousin partnerships that our coaches have helped. The partners have polar opposite personalities, but they\u2019ve been joined as partners by chance. Since there are so many sibling and cousin partnerships in the United States, it\u2019s important to create unity and foster trust-based relationships among partners, despite their differences.<\/p>\n
In all partnerships, family and non-family, the goal is for the partners to work together and identify each other\u2019s complementary skillsets and use them to the company\u2019s advantage, whatever they may be. If you\u2019re in a family partnership, ask yourself, \u201cHow can I improve?\u201d Do this from a personal responsibility perspective and have your partner do the same.<\/p>\n
Ask yourself the following questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n When hiring, Warren Buffett looks for intelligence, initiative and integrity. \u201cAnd if you don\u2019t have the latter, the first two will kill you,\u201d says Buffett. He adds, \u201cYou can\u2019t change the way you were wired much, but you can change a lot of what you do with that wiring.\u201d This sentiment applies to new hires, but it applies to partnerships as well. Your partner should be someone who people actually want to collaborate with and you should be too.<\/p>\n To measure your partner\u2019s character, think about how he or she makes decisions on ethical issues. How do they compensate people? How do they treat people who can do nothing for them? It\u2019s in the details…pay attention to how they treat the receptionist, the Starbucks barista, or the server at restaurants. These can help you identify their strength of character.<\/p>\n As a partner, you want to be capable, reliable, and trustworthy. Do you do what you say you will do, or are you constantly apologizing for missing a deadline? You can promise to do things all day long, but if you fail to follow-through, you\u2019ll lose your credibility. The best partners keep their commitments. They avoid overcommitting. Instead, they think carefully before agreeing to do something.<\/p>\n Ask yourself, \u201cWhat unique qualities do I bring to the partnership? In what areas do I bring the most value?\u201d Ideally, your skills and strengths will complement your partner\u2019s skills and strengths. In fact, your complementary skillsets could be the driving force behind why the partnership was forged in the first place. Heart vs. wallet skills are an example. Perhaps one partner is great with people while the other\u2019s strength is financial acumen. These are the types of skills to identify and utilize to the company\u2019s advantage.<\/p>\n At AdviCoach, our coaches have observed how sibling and cousin partnerships can be built on differing skills and experiences. The question is, how do your skills and experiences complement your partner\u2019s? What can both of you do to enhance your skills and add value to the partnership?<\/p>\n With the help of a business coach, you can not only assess your complementary skills and strengths, but you can learn how to expand upon your existing value, so the partnership can grow, develop, and reach new heights never before imagined. To learn how business coaching can strengthen your partnership, we invite you to contact us today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s one thing our coaches have observed about sibling and cousin partnerships \u2013 they are not always created by choice, but rather by chance. Like in a game of chess, non-family partnerships are strategic, carefully thought out moves, while family partnerships are often created by parents who want to ensure their children are treated equally….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8,14,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth","category-leadership","category-success","category-team"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/08\/0608.AdviCoach-August.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/08\/0608.AdviCoach-August.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"tforehand","author_link":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/author\/va\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advicoach.com\/va\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Start by Being a Capable Partner <\/strong><\/h4>\n