We talk about becoming a trusted Business Partner, but what does this relationship mean in practice?

Being highly competent at your job is the first stage but it won’t automatically elevate your relationship to trusted advisor. You earn that by building real trust and confidence.  In this interactive and practical training, we will explore how to build a genuinely special relationship with your clients. 

There are three stages to the training:

1. Mastering the four stages between Expert and Trusted Adviser:
   1. Technical mastery – being visibly skilled at your role.
   2. Framing and problem definition – competently using advanced questioning techniques to help your client get to the bottom of their problem, often reframing it to discover and then solve the underlying issues.
   3. Broader strategic knowledge –understanding the broader and cross-functional context the client operates in, their competitive landscape and marketplace so you can provide a different, strategic perspective.  You’ll get out in front of challenges, rather than responding to them.
   4. Trusted Advisor – a sounding board for work and even non work issues.

    

2. Asking great questions to build understanding:
   The leaders of the past knew the right answers.  The leaders of the future know the right questions.   The first problem presented isn’t always the real issue and great business partners know how to reframe the problem to find out what’s really going on.  This is called enquiry-driven leadership, moving from leaping to come up with an answer to slowing the conversation down and asking better questions. You’ll uncover the real issue, so you can fix it efficiently.  Raising your questioning capability will make you a better business partner, and leader and colleagues too.  You’ll learn how to coach in the moment, asking great opening and follow-up questions that elevate your own, and your partner’s problem-solving capability.   You’ll improve your influencing skills in meetings also.

3. Prioritisation and Boundaries to build mutually beneficial relationships:
Prioritisation is the vital bridge between strategy and execution.  Experienced business partners know where they should focus their attention and they also know what they shouldn’t spend time on: they build in boundaries around their time.  They recognise situations when they should add value, and when they don’t need to.  They know how to say no, tactfully, freeing up valuable time to get more influential where it counts.  They see all feedback as opportunities for positive development and relish difficult conversations.  

Please email me to discuss the most effective way of running this in your organisation.