All of us have an occasional bad day. However, there are two fundamental reasons a relationship [business or personal] gets chronically out of synch.

The first is Vision and the second is Values.

A real life example...

Anne and Jason work together. For a time the partnership seems to be a match made in heaven. Jason is out developing new prospects while Anne uses her skills to compile powerful proposals that Jason closes almost every time. Their production has soared over the past six months, but Anne is unhappy!

What happened?...

Anne is feeling more and more like an assistant instead of a partner. After some probing Jason admits that he prefers working solo with a dynamite assistant [how he increasingly views Anne] to support him.

The long and the short of it is, Anne and Jason's Vision & Values are not in synch - if only they'd known this earlier!

To be a little more specific...

Vision includes hopes, dreams and long-term objectives [again, this applies to business and personal relationships equally.] We all have a vision even if at a very covert, unspoken level.

Values includes basic principles, norms, standards and ethics an individual lives by, both consciously and unconsciously.

To be in synch a partnership must have...

1. A common, well defined vision [long-term goals] that guides monthly, weekly, and daily planning and activities.

2. A compatible set of values [ethics, standards and principles] that all on the team live by day by day, week in and week out.

It is absolutely critical... to identify where you and your partner stand with regards to both your vision and your values to assure a solid, productive and fun business or life partnership. This is the number one cause it seems for partnership failure.

CHALLENGE...

- Sit down this week and review your personal goals and standards

- Call a meeting with your partner to address your partnership's goals and standards.

Remember, Life is short figure it out and enjoy!

Margrit Harris, Your Relationship Expert, provides Helpful Answers to Tough Relationship Questions for life and business. Business clients include Wachovia Securities, Morgan Stanley and a variety of small business executives. While life clients range from college students to seasoned professionals. Author of StrataTips, practical weekly free Relationship Advice, and the life changing Relationship Tests called Awareness Tools.