How network members can cut off their noses to spite their faces
There are such things as good problems and bad problems in this world. Generally the bad problems stem from bad situations and the only way we can look at them are opportunities for improvement or opportunities to learn. Good problems are problems that come from good situations and often are tests of how to keep a good thing going. As networks go I would like to discuss a good problem, a problem that comes with growth.
As people are social animals and companies are made of people it isn’t rare that there might be conflicts between members. When I am speaking of conflicts in this case I do not mean conflicts over debts, bad service, etc., but rather conflicts of personality. How can this happen?
- Bad chemistry, which can be unavoidable
- Network member hires a person who someone else who you might have had issues with in the past
- You might find that a network member works with a competitor
- A competitor or company you might not like invests into a network member
- You might have had personal issues with the owner of another network member
And the list can go on.
(Remember, we are not talking about bad debts or poor operations!)
There are two things, however, to keep in mind so that you don’t cut your nose off to spite your own face.
- You need to keep in mind that if you rock the boat and / or leave the group you will not be hurting that party but rather unavailing your own company of opportunities within the group. This is a very short-term way of thinking.
- As we are all human there are many such situations in any given group, especially the larger it gets, so you need to remember that there are situations on that you don’t know about and that don’t affect you. And other people are dealing with it in a professional manner.
In the group dynamic life goes on. But as groups expand more opportunities are availed so if you find yourself in a situation where there is someone or some company you don’t like remember the potential business you will be turning away from all of the other members in the entire group versus the one company you don’t want to work with. And also please remember, we are all adults here. If there is someone you don’t like, you don’t have to do business with them. Period. No one forces you to. But that shouldn’t stop you from working with the rest of us, now should it?
Gary Dale Cearley is the Managing Director of Advanced International Networks Ltd. (AIN), one of the fastest growing and most dynamic business-to-business networking organizations in the world. AIN’s networks include AerOceaNetwork (AON), XLProjects Network (XLP), and AiO Logistics Netowork (AiO). Gary Dale has been in many facets of international freight forwarding for more than two decades from operations to sales to the owner of the first 100% foreign owned freight forwarding company licensed in Vietnam. The companies that he has been involved with have been both generalists and specialists. He has also worked from large European and Asian multinationals (Danzas and Hankyu Express) as well has small start up forwarders. For the past ten years Gary Dale has owned and operated AIN. He has lived in several major cities in four different countries and he is multilingual. Currently Gary Dale runs the AIN operation from Bangkok, Thailand, but travels the world over.
Gary Dale welcomes all sorts of interactions. If you have questions or comments about anything Gary Dale has written here you may contact him directly by e-mail.
