Colin Gautrey

Outsourced Supplier Relationships: The Missing Link

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If you are working on either side of an outsourcing relationship, chances are that life is none too easy at the moment. Many people we talk to complain of the win-lose attitude that quickly develops after the deal has been done — each side looking to improve their own results at the expense of their “partner”.
  • Anna: “We need you to do this — why haven’t you done it?”
  • Carlos: “It’s not specified in the contract. Of course, we could do it, but it will cost you extra”.
  • Anna: “Yes, it is in the contract. We expect you to do it — and we’re not paying extra!”
We can easily speculate that Anna (on the client side) is representing the business users and is under pressure to get the service up and running. Now she is faced with the prospect of having to go back and ask for more funding — or simply fail Read More

Exercise: Challenging Your Business Relationship Attitudes

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Attitudes are our mental perspectives of things/life.  They become our filter through which all our experiences are channelled.  Some of our attitudes can be very helpful while others are less so.  It is our attitude, to the relationship that determines the behaviour we use and so affects the ultimate result. The purpose of this exercise is to challenge your attitude towards your business partner. Make sure you keep an open mind and give yourself honest answers. Of course, it would be much better to do this as a team, but you may like to have a go first on your own! The questions which follow are arranged around the key themes we expect to see in all great business relationships. Read More

Improving Processes for Problem and Conflict Resolution

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Usually, if you have managed to achieve high levels of Trust and Credibility and also Communication and Influence, this theme will look after itself. So this last section is deliberately brief because I want you to focus on the first two themes to maximise your progress. Once you have strengthened them, you will have a really good stakeholder relationship. All that is needed here are a few supplementary points which build on this strong base and are relevant to this theme – in fact, they assume you already have a great relationship with your stakeholder!
  • Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution is about cultivating and encouraging a robust attitude, which promotes proactive and objective attention to problems facing either party – hopefully Read More

Trust and Credibility in Business Relationships

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These two words go hand in hand. If you think someone is credible – for whatever reason – you are likely to trust them. Credibility is the culmination of a wide range of factors which build the overall impression in the mind of the observer, including qualifications, competence, reputation and performance. When experienced, it is self-reinforcing and ultimately enhances the predictability of the individual concerned – it builds trust.

Positive Indicators: Each party in the relationship is likely to…

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