“Friend to Stay or Foe to Go!”
3 Important Factors in Healthy Alliances

Business is all about relationships! You offer a product, package, program or service which you believe is needed. Potential customers or clients come to you for have their needs met in life. Therefore, relationships of trust and mutual benefit are very important to you as a business leader.

However, like me, you’ve probably experienced what we thought was a good relationship go sour and turn on you, costing a lot of pain and loss. Sometimes it’s hard to know who is your friend and who is your foe. Remember, a foe has to go!

Throughout Scripture, we find evidence of both healthy and unhealthy alliances that leaders made. Let’s take a few moments to consider three important factors in developing healthy alliances.

1. Forming Alliances

An alliance is formed when one or more parties come together for their mutual benefits. Therefore, the benefit is the focus of the alliance or relationship.

Take, for instance, when David was fleeing Saul, he recognized that he’d be much better off with a number of alliances than trying to go it alone (I Samuel 22:1-5). Notice his needs and the nature of the alliances he formed:

• Power alliance: David attracted others to fight who believed in his cause
• Political alliance: He chose the King of Moab who was well positioned to help
• Spiritual alliance: David aligned with the prophet Gad to gain God’s direction

When it comes to healthy alliances in business, like David, you need to pick carefully and for a very specific purpose that is well understood by both parties. As God’s leader, you already have an alliance with Him, our Saviour & Lord. So, it only makes sense to consult with him when considering alliances.

Don’t learn the hard way like Judah’s worthless treaty with Egypt in the Old Testament. Listening to God can help you avoid this:

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. Isaiah 30:1

Are your current alliances healthy or
do the need to be treated like foes that have go?

2. Forging Alliances

A business leader must be careful with whom an alliance is not only formed but also forged. Building a strong alliance must be based on mutual trust and respect which can only be achieved over time.

Obviously, both parties must have a common set of values and ethics that emerge from the Word of God. Beyond that, relationships will grow as you listen and learn from one another. Understanding the needs and expectations of one another are critical to grow and solidify a healthy alliance.

However, be careful as Solomon reminds us when talking about friends or alliances:



Cultivating honest and transparent communication is a wonderful asset to have in an alliance. If ever in doubt, you’re best to have the tough conversation. If a friend – great but if not the let the foe go as soon as possible.

What questions do you need to ask to ensure
that your alliances are healthy & beneficial?

3. Fruitful Alliances

Effective leaders use all their strength by recognizing, developing and utilizing people around them both on their team and on other teams. Healthy alliances can be tremendously fruitful, productive and profitable. Going it alone will never get you as far as if you employ alliances that help you both accomplish your goals.

The most fruitful alliances reflect the following spirit of Paul’s words:

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble,
thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Don’t look out only for your own interests,
but take an interest in others, too.
Philippians 2:3-4

While in the middle of serving others, you may be pleasantly surprised to discover that your needs are not ignored but rather met as a by-product of a healthy alliance.

How do I look out for the interest of others in my current alliances? of the distresses of your day?

In conclusion, when you form new alliances be careful that they are mutually beneficial. As you forge your alliances make sure they are built on the same values and expectations. Remember the most fruitful alliances are built through employing Paul’s style of servant leadership.

Let’s remember Solomon’s words,

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”
Proverbs 13:20

Don Moore
Executive Director Canadian Christian Business Federation
Don strongly believes that people are our nation’s most valuable asset. His Listen-Learn-Lead” approach to leadership has made him highly effective in executive roles in a variety of organizations with local, regional, national, and international reach.

An entrepreneurial thinker and strategist, Don built a grassroots movement of denominational and ministry leaders committed to evangelism with The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and led a National Consultation in Ottawa.