The most stable and productive relationships are not made of two people, they’re made of three.  It’s not what you’re thinking…it’s better!  Watch this video for a powerful tip that can make your team exponentially more productive and impactful.

What do you think is the least amount of people needed to create a stable relationship? Some of you might say one. Most people say two.

We certainly have a lot of models that point to two. Marriage, many business partnerships, movies, every schmaltzy song on the radio.

But think about marriage or business divorce rates. About 40% of marriages dissolve these days. Fast Company revealed statistics about business divorce rates – employees leaving their current companies. They found that 25% of Fortune 500 managers fire their bosses and leave their jobs each year and 46% of new employees washout in the first 18 month.

That’s a lot of unhappy two person relationships. So, the least amount of people to create a stable relationship is not two.

Another question: What is the least amount of anchor points for an object to be stable? You got it – three, like a 3-legged stool.

The same is true with relationships. Dave Logan and John King, authors of the book Tribal Leadership, discovered that the most stable and productive relationships are not made of two people, they’re made of three. It’s called a triad, and the more triads you create, the stronger your network, the easier you will find it to innovate, lead your people, cultivate a high functioning sales team, grow your business, and get things done.

Here’s the basic concept – consider having less 1:1 conversations and more three person conversations. It’s that simple. And it can shift your team’s culture from good to great.

Take a moment to think about conversations you have at work:

• Do you have one-on-one discussions with several people about the same issue?
• Are you relaying information from one person to the next?
• Are you the central hub of a discussion between multiple people?

All these are signs you are building dyadic, not triadic, relationships. Most of us do, and it can prevent us from playing a bigger and more meaningful game – at work and in life.

Three person conversations create more stability between people, so your relationships are more effective. Three person conversations are usually more comfortable and less pressured than two person conversations.

Triadic conversations generate more ideas, and they have the power to exponentially expand on those ideas, creating bigger and better business opportunities than two people can handle.

The magic of triads includes increased accountability, more excitement, and the ability to get so much more done in the same amount of time.

The main idea is that you think about triading and regularly ask your team members, colleagues, customers, and suppliers: “Who else needs to be in the conversation?” And then include them. Then watch the magic happen.

Try it, you’ll like it. You can do it.