why partnerships don’t work & how to fix them

why partnerships don’t work & how to fix them

1 – the overeager partner

antidote: hit the brakes by getting clear on requirements & expectations

If partnership is a sales process,

this is where sales is a disqualification process.

What are the things that MUST be true:

– timeline

– delivery

– values

– contribution

– M.O.

– track record

Also:

– Consider to stop looking for OPPORTUNITY and start looking for SOLVED NEED

2 – the disinterested partner

antidote: step on the gas by aligning with the other person’s needs

This includes things like:

– the outcome

– the work required

– the financial upside

– the financial investment

– what it’s like to work together

– priority vs. ‘everything else’

If other people are affected:

– stakeholders

– team members

– family members

– clients

Then, extend this to what those folks want…

… as well as what the partner wants for those folks.

IN SHORT:

Partnerships are sometimes a response to a feeling of insecurity, incompetence, and more.

Other times, it’s a response to a healthy desire to do things the easy way instead of the hard way.

It’s like sales…

just with an amplified impact.

If it goes well, it can go extremely well.

But buyer’s remorse runs equally deep when it goes wrong.