Almost everyone will admit that the reality of 2020 has deviated from any plans put into place for this year. We all experienced two waves of Covid-19 that affected our businesses and alliances. With that in mind, are you ready for the third wave?
I know, with all the better news coming through surrounding vaccines telling us that they have a high percentage of effectiveness, I’m sounding pessimistic but let’s be realistic. When we entered the first wave no-one was really prepared. Corona was something that, for most of us, was happening far, far away. Until it suddenly arrived in our own countries. So who was really prepared for the second wave?
Virologists talk about expectations for a third wave coming our way in the first quarter of 2021. We always have a choice: to ignore those expectations or to prepare ourselves. Now, you are probably working on your plans for the new year. What do you do to stay sharp and to prepare yourself to deal with the unforeseen?
Four thoughts:
Know the Status of Your Alliance
My first advice is to make sure that you know what the real status is of your alliance relationship. What’s your partner’s perception about working with your company? What do your colleagues think about working with your partner? An Alliance Health Check can be executed online. It provides you with substantial information to stay aligned with your partner during challenging times while simultaneously improving the relationship.
Make it Personal
Alliances are created between organizations and executed to success by the people involved. A personal relationship with your counterpart is like the lubricant in the machine. Even on video there are some things you can do to build and maintain that personal relationship. My second piece of advice is to go back to this previous article and think about what you can do to keep your alliance relationships personal, through using video.
Don’t Go it Alone
Thirdly, alliances are all about collaboration. So don’t go it alone. Find a buddy or a sparring partner to bounce off your ideas and to brainstorm with about your challenges. Look for a committed colleague, or consider working with a professional alliance coach.
Keep on Learning
You don’t know what you don’t know! Number four is about continuous learning and the need to refresh your alliance knowledge. We all carry our own blinders and they hamper improvement. Throw them off and make a fresh start in 2021 by joining the January online Alliance Masterclass. In doing so, you will be equipped with new, practical tools and fresh ideas to instantly improve your alliances.
How are you preparing for a third wave? I’d love to hear all about it.