Luck is when several partners come together to build a business. I’ve written before about the advantages and challenges of that.
Covering each other’s weaknesses builds strength and allows everyone to shine.
But years later, one co-founder may feel dissatisfied with another:
"He’s stopped fully engaging in our company’s affairs."
"She’s got other business projects and interests."
"We talk less often now, just to avoid conflict."
"I don’t see what value he brings anymore."
"She’s off on vacation again."
Usually, one assumes the other partner has changed for the worse. In reality, losing interest in the business is just a symptom. The real cause is the partners losing their shared purpose.
At the start, things were simpler—survive and grow, find and keep. Partners understood each other without words. There was no need for clear visions, strategies, priorities, or similar tools.
Years passed, and everything changed—business, team, market, and the partners themselves. Without the habit or a process for discussing a shared future, each partner began building his own.
Disagreements are inevitable when the goals diverge, but the resource (the business) is shared.
What's the solution? If the partners haven't yet resorted to threats or formed secret coalitions, the partnership can still be repaired quickly.
At a minimum, this requires:
Taming pride.
Being willing to listen to the other person.
Knowing your own interests and being able to voice them.
Believing that function defines form, not the other way around.
Understanding what makes a partnership work—and what doesn’t.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.