Successful Business Decisions for All Part 3

so we've chatted about making business decisions that are right for you right for me right for us right for all and we've also covered how to identify when you're working with someone that maybe isn't playing by the same rules you are but how can we tie it all together how can we minimize playing in the gray areas that leave our results something to be desired I'm Yana henan and this is part three on making business decisions that work for all today we're bringing part one and part two together we're going to focus on creating a long-term impact by making those business decisions that truly work for all these are decisions that will stand the test of time even when things don't always go to plan before we go any further let's revisit the foundation right for you means every decision should honor your values your boundaries and your long-term Vision right for me the decision needs to also respect other people's values and boundaries and their goals right for us the business decision should foster collaboration and mutual benefit for everyone involved and right for all it should impact people positively even indirectly when all four of these align you've built the foundation for sustainable success but let's be real aligning all four isn't always easy so how do you apply this framework to long-term decisions this is going to require a little bit more than just having good intentions it requires strategy communication and adaptability so asking yourself questions as your going through this process can help you clarify whether a business decision is right for all does the decision align with your values and your goals for example when I first started my business I had to turn down some lucrative opportunities mainly because they didn't align with my purpose for example I had a client who wanted to pay me commission only for any sales that I brought in which I thought was fine but I was wrong I remember the first three pieces of business that I brought in he ended up turning down all of them basically because he felt like he didn't want to do the jobs keep in mind that I had aligned with him on what he was looking for the size of the job the scope all of that and all three of these pieces of business aligned with those but at the end he turned them all down well here I am going out and I'm busting myself trying to bring in business so that I can make a commission and now you're turning down everything it didn't just waste my time but it was affecting my paycheck as well eventually I had to terminate the partnership and saying no wasn't easy but it did free me up to go be successful elsewhere another key to long-term impact is to respect everyone else's goals it's all about collaboration here's a question you can ask yourself am I listening to their needs and considering their perspective so I once worked with someone who I referred to pretty regularly we weren't in the same business but as I met with clients of mine and found out that they had a need that I couldn't fill I would send it to the this person she was quite excited about it and feeling like I could pass her a lot more business she ended up quitting her full-time job and when I wasn't referring regularly enough to her she would become angry with me feeling the tensions between us grow we sat down to discuss and alleviate any of these tensions I had to make it clear with her that I wasn't her full-time salesperson I had my own business that I was running as I had clients that came to me that had a need she could fill yes I would pass her those referrals but her depending on me full-time to make her money was not in our agreement luckily we still work together we just had to alleviate those tensions which brings me to fostering Mutual benefit this is really where the magic happens for any business decision to work long term it has to benefit everyone involved as you're going through this process you can ask yourself how does this decision strengthen our relationship and our collaboration so for example at We&Co we built a community that thrives on Mutual benefit when we host events we're not just creating opportunities for our members we're strengthening the entire network by focusing on these shared wins we create a positive ripple effect that benefits everyone not just a few next considering the broader impact you can ask yourself throughout this process how does this decision affect everyone who's impacted even in directly take the plastic example from video one when plastic was first created it seemed like an all-win solution it was right for you right for me right for us but it wasn't right for all it now impacts everyone on the planet and today we're living with the consequences but what happens when you're checking all four of these boxes and things still fall apart even when you sometimes try to check all four boxes things don't always go as planned but that's okay what matters is how you respond to things when Things Fall Apart we like to call it respond ability how respond a are you when things don't go was planned do you react or do you respond for example in nature if there's a mama bear she doesn't go down to the river and get as much fish as she can for her cub so that he'll never have to fish no she teaches him to fish that's how she teaches him to be respond able in situations the same is really important in business as well for example we've all had business collaborations that looked great on paper but after a while it might have become clear that our priorities weren't the same instead of trying to force it to work take a step back reassess and adjust your approach in future Partnerships this will help you avoid similar situations down the line long-term thinking matters when you focus on decisions that are right for all you're not just solving today's problems you're building a legacy long-term thinking requires patience persistence and the courage to do what's right even when it's not easy for example a colleague of mine built their business on relationships not just transactions early on they chose to invest in in their clients success even when it didn't immediately benefit their bottom line years later those same clients became their biggest Advocates they not just regularly pass them referrals but they've helped to create opportunities that they never could have imagined so your challenge as we close out this series revisit the four pillars right for you right for me right for us right for all identify one decision you've made recently that didn't align with these principles what can you learn from it another challenge is to strengthen one relationship this week and do it by focusing on Mutual benefit and lastly make a one long-term decision that prioritizes sustainable impact over short-term gains sustainable success is not about quick wins or even Perfection it's about making intentional decisions that work for everyone involved and learning to adapt and respond when things don't go as planned if this Series has helped you please like follow subscribe and sign up for our Weekly Newsletter I'm Yan henan and I will see you this time next week