• 03Nov

    Is Business Counselling Right For You?

    Counselling

    Many people spend time and energy trying to get their personal lives and relationships in order, but experience a disconnect when it comes to their business or professional side. The same principles which work for personal relationships can be applied to the business environment.

    Mediation provides the framework for what I call “business counselling” and uses the same principles: Good communication; listening and respecting each party’s viewpoint; airing grievances; finding common ground; and moving forward. Business counselling works in many different situations, such as between partners in a business, and among managers and employees.

     Here are three things to consider whether this type of business counselling is right for you:

     1. There are niggling annoyances that continue to increase; each new annoyance grows and gnaws at your insides, yet you are reluctant to discuss then with your partner, or you’ve tried to and been ignored.

     2. There are major issues which can have legal ramifications if not dealt with.

     3. You feel a desire to make change, but don’t know what kind. You can’t quite pinpoint why you no longer seem satisfied with the way things are, but you know that something is missing.

    My role is often that of translator, taking what one person says and translating it into language the other understands. I also help deflect conflicts and find a neutral way of expressing a concern deeply felt by one person about which the other may not even be aware.

    Most people prefer to avoid conflict, but a ‘bury your head in the sand’ approach is a recipe for disaster. Much better would be to use an effective third party to help iron out differences and encourage each participant to address the issues. Often the business can be saved, a much less costly alternative to splitting up an existing partnership.

     In each instance, business counselling can resolve the tensions which have been building up in the business relationship. What you often see as niggling annoyances may actually be symptoms of a deeper problem. Once the real issue is uncovered and addressed, the annoyances tend to vanish. Maybe a new system needs to be establishes which would eliminate the issue in the future. A review of other existing procedures is often in order as a way of identifying problem areas, then correcting them. Because this is done in a non-judgmental environment, change is more likely to occur. Because the key players are the ones ultimately making the decisions to implement changes, they are more likely to succeed.

    Posted by alex @ 11:11 am

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