when collaboration exits stage left

Have you ever met with a business partner or vendor that continued to quote terms from the contract you had just signed?

Did you leave that meeting feeling optimistic about the project or the vendor?

From personal experience, every time a vendor has quoted a condition from the contract I started asking myself “where is this conversation going?”

Suspicion enters the brain… and doesn’t leave.

Defenses go up and issue resolution takes a back seat.

Collaboration has left the building.

Unless the objective of your meeting is to specifically review the contract, discussing terms and conditions during a weekly meeting only erodes the relationship.

A weekly status call now feels like a courtroom debate.

If you want to build a long term relationship with your client I recommend you regularly invest effort in identifying mutual interests and purpose.

To create a safe environment needed to work through issues and challenges, maintain mutual respect in every interaction.

Leave the lengthy contract discussions to the lawyers.