Good Fighting in Business Partnerships – Part 4: Fight the Man in the Mirror

A big turning point in my personal development in business life is when I began to take responsibility for everything around me.

I began realizing things like – Yes, that client really sucked, but what did I do or not do to cause the relationship to get to that point?

Or – Yes, that employee isn’t doing their job, but where did I fail in the hiring and training process?

And – Yes, my business partner lashed out at me in anger, but what did I do to cause him to feel that way?

When I began to take a different point of view on the circumstances around me, I could see how I contributed to the issue and made corrective measures for it not to happen again.

We Entrepreneurs have a hard time seeing our reflection in the mirror. The problems in our business partnerships are difficult to resolve because one of us refuses to see him- or herself as part of the problem.

We don’t recognize when we have a bad attitude or when we speak harshly toward our partner. Even when someone in the office points out these traits to us, we dent that it’s true.

How do we face up to the man in the mirror, drop our pride and humble ourselves? We know we need to do this, but it’s not easy.

The bible says:

"Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us". Romans 12:3 NLT

I think the biggest mindset shift you can make as a Godpreneur is to be confident that you are amazing, but be aware that you’re always growing and learning, and there’s always another lesson waiting around the corner.

You need always to be a student, and let life be the teacher. God wants to use your business partnership as a place to mold and shape you. This means that your circumstances will always be an opportunity for you to look within and make adjustments.

Maybe not so much for you, but for many of us, it’s hard for us to consider the part we play in partnership problems, especially with our egos.