Chapter 2 Excerpt:
The Tension between Empathy and Assertiveness
Four years ago, Susan Reese and Martin DiPasquale opened a restaurant and take-out catering business on Main Street in Winchester amid much fanfare and high hopes. Unfortunately, things have not gone as planned. Although the business has done well and continues to turn a profit, the relationship between the two partners has soured. Martin finds Susan unbearably pessimistic and difficult to work with--the restaurant just isn't fun anymore. Susan thinks Martin has no business sense and won't take their finances seriously-- he's constantly giving away meals and drinks to friends and neighbors, wants to spend extravagantly on fancy ingredients and over-priced advertising, and occasionally treats customers in a flamboyant way. Because of their seemingly insurmountable differences, Susan and Martin have decided to end their partnership. They face the difficult question: How? Should they sell their business to a third party and split the proceeds? Should Susan buy out Martin's 50 percent share, or vice versa? If so, how should the price be set? What would best meet their interests?The partners are having their first conversation about what to do. They've already been talking for about ten minutes when Susan says:
SUSAN: I think that it makes the most sense for you to sell your 50 percent to me. You never wanted to be in the restaurant business anyway. You just don't have the business sense to run this place alone, and you wouldn't enjoy it. Too much administrative hassle--paying the staff, dealing with the suppliers, all of it.
MARTIN: Hmph. I don't really see it that way, but I'm curious about why you do. Why do you think that I never wanted to be in the restaurant business and wouldn't like running it by myself?
SUSAN: It's not your style, Martin. You've just never shown much interest in the business side of the business--you'd be terrible on your own.
MARTIN: So you think that I don't like the business side of running the restaurant, and that I wouldn't do well here without you?
SUSAN: Exactly.
MARTIN: And you got that impression because I don't work on the books or fire people, that sort of thing?
SUSAN: Right. That kind of stuff always fell on me to do.
MARTIN: Well, I guess I always thought you really liked the bookkeeping side of the restaurant, so I left those jobs to you. I focused my energy on connecting with our customers and getting the restaurant noticed. I never thought you were much of a people person, quite frankly. And obviously you never thought I was much of a business person. But I'm sure I could do those things--or hire someone to help manage the place if it got out of hand.
SUSAN: Well, we obviously disagree. Anyway, I think you should sell me your 50 percent.
MARTIN: We'll see--I'm not so sure about that yet. But you don't have any doubts that you'd like to buy me out and stay here, right?
SUSAN: That's right. I don't feel ready to quit.
MARTIN: What do you mean?
SUSAN: I just think that we've spent all this time and energy building the business, especially the catering side. You've never shown any interest in the catering business--and I really enjoy it. And I think that the customer base is growing and that the catering side could really take off.
MARTIN: OK. So for you, selling out now would be bad timing; we wouldn't get paid back for all the money and effort we've put in?
SUSAN: Right.
How are Martin and Susan doing as they try to have this difficult conversation? How is their negotiation going? Are they likely to be able to solve their problem by finding ways to make them both better off? Or is a potential deal going to dissolve into a bitter dispute that destroys the business in the process?
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