Partnerships are beneficial for anyone of any walk of life, provided each partner knows how to build, cultivate, and make the most out of the partnership.
Partnering with another individual, entrepreneur, ministry, or company is one of the most effective ways to expand your reach, creativity, and brand. It is true that none of us know it all or can do it all. In a constantly changing world, partnerships are important. I’ve tried to do it all alone and have failed several times. Therefore, my word for the year is PARTNERSHIP. Partnership simply means the state of being a partner.
Partnerships are beneficial for anyone of any walk of life, provided each partner knows how to build, cultivate, and make the most out of the partnership. Once you've found your partner, work together to build something that will benefit you both for years to come. Below are five ways I believe to make sure you set your partnership up for success (remember this is a first for me as well):
1. Set clear expectations.
You should have a strong connection with the person you partner with. Take time to work out the details of that partnership. Make sure they are more technical than emotional. Define the partnership and what the partnership should accomplish for both parties. This will eliminate future confusion and help you avoid complications and disagreements over which partner should handle what. In other words, lay everything out upfront.
2. Consider your partner a part of your team.
It is said that “Teamwork makes the dream work”! Why have a partner if they will not be a teammate? Partnership should not be a competition. Clearly define roles to ensure there will be nothing that could generate competition between you and your partner. Competition conflicts are a significant reason why most partnerships eventually fail. Partnerships should be a joint venture that involves learning, growing, and benefiting from each other's knowledge and experience.
3. Give the partnership room to grow.
Partnerships are a relationship in progress. Remember, you're not just pooling resources but combining your abilities to glean from each other. Working cohesively won’t happen overnight. However, over time, you will learn each other’s ways, habits, thoughts, formations, and abilities. You must invest in learning your partner for the benefit of growing and developing the partnership.
4. Make honesty and transparency your watchwords.
Establishing a successful partnership and ensuring it has the ability to grow are essential, but they don't guarantee that you will succeed. Long-term success also requires honesty and transparency from both partners. That means maintaining open and frequent communication as well as personal interaction as often as possible. Make your strengths and shortcomings known upfront and insist on the same level of honesty from your partner.
5. Watch for signs.
It’s ok to have some level of skepticism initially. Partnerships are like most relationships; we don’t know if it will work until we try it. Considering that fact, just as some relationships fail, so will some partnerships. It’s ok to let it go if it’s not coming together. Be wise and diligent in removing what’s not working. Often, we tend to stay in partnerships that we should have released sooner rather than later. The signs of success or lack thereof will show themselves early, so act accordingly.
Your partnership's future will depend on how you approach, build, and maintain it. You should develop partnerships that will help you build better, stronger, and smarter. I expect each of you who read this article to experience UNCOMMON success through the alignment of new and great partnerships.
