By Balal Ahmed
Director of Business Development & Partner Relations
How best to kick off an article written during the current situation we find ourselves in while avoiding the many clichés you’ll already have heard in a thousand briefings, speeches and blogs?
It’s a tricky one, but I’ll simply start by acknowledging that COVID-19 has primarily been a personal tragedy for so many people and then secondly, a monumental nuisance to businesses large and small.
We know the pain and anxiety business leaders are feeling right now as they search for their own way through these fraught economic times. However, there lies a big problem in our eyes, as businesses can’t just find their own way through this crisis – it’s time to refocus on your key partnerships.
That being said (and in bold as well!), this is an insight piece I could have written even if Covid-19 hadn’t reared its ugly head in the first place. The situation may have emphasised the huge importance of trusted partners in business, but the necessity to have them has always been there.
LEVEL8 is a business built on and around strong partnerships. We see our clients as partners and encourage them to see us in the same light. To trust us with critical projects and challenges, use us as a source of reliable advice and generally view us as part of their team.
Our partnership-centric approach also carries over to how we work as a tight-knit team of associates and how we nurture strong, productive relationships with our software partners.
So, while the essential nature of partnership may have been brought into sharp focus by the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve not really had to change the way we do things when it comes to our core approach.
And what exactly does true business partnership mean to us here at Level8?
- Benefitting from our experience. Our clients can deal with a team of business system professionals who have been in their shoes before and who can offer informed advice.
- A relationship built on empathy. We know we need the emotional intelligence to understand your business pains and where you want to be, without this we cannot pull in the same direction to achieve shared goals.
- Taking a flexible approach. We wrote an entire blog on the importance of this previously. Business changes every day and an agile, proactive partner is essential.
- Working collaboratively. There is no ‘you and us’. Working as a team we focus on filling capacity or skills gaps and complimenting each other’s strengths.
- Establishing and maintaining trust. There is no partnership without trust and it is key to any good working relationship. In times like now, where forbearance has become a new buzz word, it becomes doubly important as being able to offer this is based on trust.
- Sharing a joint vision. By playing the long game and not chasing a quick buck we ensure that valuable and achievable shared objectives are established, then we get to work on making them a reality.
It’s these core partnership values that have allowed us to build a client base who buy in to how we work and who we are proud to say won’t hesitate to pick up the phone to us in situations both opportune and more difficult.
As these clients have turned to us again over the past few weeks, there’s an old saying I’ve been drawn to about how when the sea is rough, wise fishermen set to mending their nets.
The economic recovery will come, and when it does your business systems will be key to capitalising fully. By working together, we can weather this storm and come out stronger the other side.
Get in touch if you want to chat through how we might be able to help mend your nets, or even start planning for some shiny new ones.
