Not playing the game – when things don’t go as they should

Article contributed by Tony Allwood.

None of us is perfect, however the relationships we have with our fellow BNI members should be kept extremely professional.

What do you do when work conducted by one member for another doesn’t quite go as each party expected?

What can BNI do about it?

Let’s clear up the first aspect. BNI has no influence on members and how they conduct business. The only redress that is available is that at time of renewal a member who has proven not to be following the code of ethics can have their membership ‘not renewed’ by the organisation. This step is not taken lightly and to do so requires consultation not only within the chapter, but also your Regional Director and if needed, BNI Support.

So what can you do? Well pretty much anything you would normally do if a relationship or contract with a non-BNI member went off course.

First suggestion is to talk to them and try to resolve the issues. If this fails you may have to resort to legal advice.

Do not let any member of your chapter behave as if they have any special privileges, like not paying their bill in accordance to terms agreed. You do not have to give your fellow BNI members any mandatory discount, that is entirely up to you and how you run your business.

You would hope that the member’s sense of professional ethics would force them to pay, unless they have an issue they need you to resolve first – be bold and ask them if they are not paying for a specific reason. If they are short of cash, discuss terms of payment.

Over the years I have seen many members handle disputes well, but also some handle them badly.

Whatever you do at BNI:

• Don’t make a scene in the meeting – Act professionally, the only person you may end up embarrassing is yourself.

• Don’t air your dirty laundry in your one minute presentation – Publicly bringing attention to your problems can have a negative effect on yourself and the group as a whole.

• Don’t talk about the situation behind the back of the other party by spreading rumours. This can lead to legal actions if you overstep the mark and say the wrong things.

Things you may consider:

• Do make your president aware of the situation. Take them to one side and explain the issues. The president, like BNI, can do nothing to help directly, but can be aware in case anything flares up inappropriately.

• Do get your facts straight.

• Do remain professional.

We all like to think that every member of our chapter is an honourable and trustworthy person, hence the whole reason for being in BNI, but the truth is that occasionally problems occur and in order to get through them you need to keep a level head.

If you have truly been wronged, natural justice will prevail. It is a fact that if a member of your chapter is not doing things right, other members know as well, and they will soon get the message they are not welcome.