Red Dog Music Group

Red Dog Music Group

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Friendships and Business Relations

This is the plight of nearly every great entrepreneurial venture, every gifted initiator, every sage-innovator and every sub-par middle manager who has a desire to see those he cares about furthered in their careers.

Business relationships defined previously by friendship are dangerous. This is obvious. They are kryptonite to reputation and poison to brands. What may not be so obvious is the underlying cause to the majority of this danger...the personal and evetual perceived threat to livelihood.

If we dig deep into why most business relations that began as a close friendship have unwanted and adverse friction, it is simply the fight or flight instinct taking over. When we feel an attack coming on, that is, the opposition to change or 'improve' or 'adapt', we seek to stamp it out.

When it is our blood-brother leading that charge against norm, we feel this instinct even more deeply. It becomes a personal offense.

Is this not true? Let's take a moment of self-reflection. The last time you felt that rise in your gut to hastily protest some proposed action, and your best friend proposed it, is it not because you were ultimately more scared of the outcome and threat to your livelihood (however you define livelihood in that moment) than the weight of your trust for your friend's intentions and knowledge?

That fear outweighs everything you knew of your friend. But ask yourself this? What is most important for the end game? This moment of instinct or my relationship?

Please always pick the relationship, regardless of whether you continue to do business together. That is what life is about.



Servant Leadership. Permission Marketing. Create a Vacuum.

Psalm 62:1-2

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