Hi, I work for a small business and the two partners are no longer speaking to one another. There have been disagreements for months, nothing to serious really, that compared in Partner A asking the other how much they would want as a buyout. This didn’t go well and had left a bad taste in Partner B’s mouth, Took it personally. Since then they don’t speak and I’m kind of caught in the middle. It sucks, not just for me but for the business. They both bring different skills to the table and their partnership should benefit the company but it feels like lack of communication and ego have made a series of small disagreements into a big deal.
I thought maybe I could fix it but I don’t know if that’s realistic. Should I suggest business mediation? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.
Lock them in a room and make them talk it out. These are grown adults?
Very, very common. There are therapists that deal with business disputes. If you can find one, you might suggest it if they would be receptive.
Partner disagreements very rarely get resolved amicably, unfortunately. And one partner offering to buy out the other is similar to telling your spouse you want a divorce - hard to come back from that.
Yeah, that’s what it feels like. Thanks for the tip, I’ll look into the therapist angle. Thanks.