How to become a valued partner

Whether you are a consultant, an Executive Coach, an outsourced solution provider, an internal HR professional, senior finance executive, or a key player on the IT team, everyone wants to become a valued partner in the business.Everyone wants a voice in strategic decisions and to be included in the conversation.

But before we discuss some tips on how to become valued partner, let’s discuss one surefire way to NOT be included in future key strategic conversations: to force your way into the process. Forced inclusion never works. It doesn’t matter if you coerce your way to the table, play bull in the china shop, or if the CEO demands that others accept your inclusion and let you in the door; it will backfire on you.

If they don’t value your contributions to the conversation, if you are not perceived as necessary to reach the best decisions, they will simply schedule meetings without you. They will ask for forgiveness later, rather than permission, or simply claim that they forgot to include you.

To truly be included, you need to be invited. And you will only be invited if you are seen as absolutely essential to the decision-making process. Here are some tips on becoming a valued partner…

Deep knowledge. You must have a true understanding of every aspect of the business, how all the moving parts work together, the obstacles ahead, and intimate knowledge of the competition in the marketplace. And you must be able to articulate your understanding to anyone involved in the decision-making process in a manner that demonstrates that you truly get it.

Big picture thinking. Having a strategic vision requires you to see all areas of the business, internal and external. If you only have a deep understanding of one area, you are more likely to be tactical in your decisions, rather than strategic. You must be able to foresee problems from the stakeholders’ perspective in order to offer the most highly valued and comprehensive solutions.

Walk the talk. A partner helps others within the organization achieve their goals. Nothing speaks louder than results. And results require actions, not just words. The better the results you get, the more likely you are to be invited into the conversation.

Listen well. Everyone loves to feel that they have been heard and understood. One attribute of leadership is being known as a good listener. And if you can reiterate and articulate what has been said, you will be valued as a partner in the decision-making process.

Tying all of this together, the best way to be treated like a valued partner is to act like one. The more you demonstrate your value, the more you will become recognized as the go-to person in the organization and you will be included and have a voice in the big strategic decisions.