The Paradox of Basics

In a recent conversation with a business partner of mine, we got on the topic of how simplicity drives results in everything in society – from design to business processes.  Simple designs are often the result of massive amounts of effort.  This is the paradox of basics in that often the simplest looking things were not so simple to produce.  We see this a lot with  channels these days as well.  The most dramatic example is that of partner managers not connecting to their partners on a basic human/relationship level.  In short, there is not a relationship between the two.  It’s really quite easy but it’s not.  You see, we (industry)  have gotten away from teaching partner managers how to build relationships with their partners.  We’re too focused on transactional things like monitoring revenue.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to pay attention to the numbers, however what we’re missing is that partner managers do not have the deep rooted relationships needed to truly move the needle.  If their partner can view them as a trusted resource, as someone they trust and respect, as someone who “gets their problems”, as someone who they can bring into their inner circle of advisors – then a true business and partnership is being built.  It’s a relationship that will last and which will produce more revenue than anyone could imagine.   The paradox is obvious:  get to the basic human element of connecting and grand results can occur.  It’s basic…but yet most companies are missing the boat.   How you overcome this is by training your partner personnel on the soft skills of building a relationship.  We call it “adaptive partnering” and those organizations who have implemented this approach (especially with their “millenials”) are starting to see amazing results !