2 min read

Fight to Go First

Updated: Aug 28, 2021

My partner and I used to get into huge fights that would last several days and span over a dozen emails. Our tirades were like an intense volley of ping pong, each hit becoming more intense as the argument picked up momentum.

Eventually, one of us would begin to feel terrible about the whole incident and offer a truce so there would be peace again in the business. Every business partnership experiences conflict, but for problems to get resolved, someone has to be willing to go first in bringing the peace.

Let’s be real; it’s in an entrepreneurs nature to see someone else jump first before we make a move. We need the sense of security more than others do.

In business partnerships, this is especially true because we’re so focused on our partner’s behavior more than our own (read my previous blog post).

So how can we develop the habit of always being the partner that will swallow their pride, look in the mirror, and be the first to bring the peace?

With God’s help, of course.

The bible says:

"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye". (Matthew 7:5 NIV)

God’s always going to bring it back to you, the person of you, your own strengths and weaknesses, and your own salvation. God will handle your partner, He wants you to handle you.

Why?

Because of a thing called “The Crazy Cycle” that I learned in the book love and respect. Does this sound familiar: your partner admits that he doesn’t come to the office because you start micromanaging. You, on the other hand, start micromanaging your partner’s efficiency because he’s never in the office.

See the crazy circular cycle? Each partner is blaming the other rather than taking responsibility for their own behavior. It’s a death cycle that kills business partnerships and takes down the whole company with it.

Godpreneurs, we only have one solution: we must always be the first ones to jump in and offer the peace. We must stop the cycle and keep the ship moving towards the purpose of the business partnership in the first place.

If our business partnerships need help, let’s not work on changing our partners. Instead, by God’s grace, we must consider what we can do to move our business partnerships in a positive direction.

We’ll be surprised at the difference we can make when, as Godpreneurs, we take the first step.

#BusinessBibleStudy #BusinessPartnerships