Kimberly Black presents some great points about addressing failing projects. Her advice to identify, reduce and simplify hold true in building strategic relationships in business.
Identify. Know why each party is in the relationship and mutually communicate your objectives.
Are you connecting with this customer only for the money? While money is a strong motivator, it can't be the only reason you have customers, employees, or business partners.
Can you provide real solutions to fill the needs of the other party? If you're not the right company for the job, it might be the cause of the problem. Remove yourself if you are to blame.
Will both parties benefit from the interaction? If it's not win-win then forget it. There are too many other businesses to get stuck with one who won't benefit from what you provide.
Reduce. Limit distracting factors that take away from the objectives of the relationship or introduce stresses.
What factors (people, places, things) limit the success of the relationship? Focus on those things that hider progress, they could be people, work environment, and even financial issues. Address them now.
Are there any educational concerns to adopting change or reaching objectives? You must have the right skills for the job if you want the relationship to be a success. Get training for your people if necessary.
How can we remove the bad eggs? It only takes one negative manager to slow down progress in a business relationship. Remove those individuals who don't embrace the groups objectives.
Simplify. Address problems in the relationship instead of waiting for them to become more complex.
Who doesn't need to be involved in the relationship to make it successful? Perhaps more partners are required to bring all the right resources together, but more often too many parties are involved for a relationships success. Parting ways is just as natural as entering new relationships.
How can we reduce layers of reporting or optimize processes? More isn't better when it comes to complexity in reporting methods, business controls, or the steps you take to get things done. Often complexity in this area causes misunderstandings.
What challenges will we face if we keep moving how we are? Identify future challenges in the relationship and have a plan to address them now before they are critical. Be proactive.
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