Have you ever heard the say “We are better together”? They probably teach you that principle since your first day of school so you would learn about teamwork and social relations. It may seem a silly phrase, but the reality is that there is so much truth in it in all aspects of life. We are better together when we dream, for you will get more ideas than if you did it yourself, we are also better together when we work, because two people can carry more load than just one. More than anything we are better together because we are different, and once you work with someone that is different from you and has different strengths and weaknesses than you, both people are strengthened and therefore so is the company.
Now, how is this applicable to partnership? You don’t necessary only look for partnerships when you feel like you are at the end of your rope, when you feel like you are so desperate and that your company will not survive unless it gets some extra help. The ideal motive behind partnerships is not survival, but growth. When two people join their dreams, vision, resources and structures, something incredible can happen, and if the partnership is a good one, you will hopefully never have to deal with a survival mode situation. But if you do, together you will also be able to overcome it.
So, What is it that we need to look for in a good partnership? What qualities will take our organisation forward and benefit both companies or individuals in the big picture?
Someone with the same vision
Your vision determines your direction so when it comes to partnership this is a vital aspect of it. You want to make sure that whoever you partner with shares the same vision as you. The point is that just as it happens in everyday relationships, if you both have a different vision, you will both want to run in different directions. There is nothing wrong with having your own vision, but when it comes to partnerships in order for them to be successful they would have to have the same vision.
In a company hopefully the people who choose to work under that vision, do it because they believe that it is a cause worth investing in. And either from the very beginning or throughout time, they make the company’s vision their own, and this ends up strengthening the organisation as a whole. So when it comes to vision, make sure there is unity in it.
Someone with skills you don’t have
The great thing about diversity in partnership is that you will eventually encounter people whose strengths are your weaknesses and whose weaknesses are your strength, therefore becoming a perfect compliment for the job. It takes a lot of security to work alongside people who have different skills than you, specially when they are good in an area you struggle with. But leaving all insecurities aside, this is an important decision that will definitely help move the organisation forward, it will increase the reach of your business and it will help you not stress about the things that go beyond your grace zone.
Someone with the same or more passion
The worst thing in leadership is to work with people you need to drag along towards a goal or a purpose. If you find somebody who shares your vision and complements your strengths and weaknesses, you only need to ensure this person shares the same or more passion than you.
The thing about passion is that it initiates on the inside and it is very difficult to produce if it is not naturally there already. Skills can always be improved, a vision can be adopted throughout time, but passion is something that hopefully the person your partner with carries within himself or herself.
So, why the same passion? Because then you can both grow together at the same time and run at the same pace. Why more passion? Because ultimately who you hangout with influences your life, and therefore there is way more chance that your passion will increase and grow if you are willing, and are surrounded by people who are already ahead of you in the race of incentive.
Someone who sees things differently
Is the glass half full or half empty? The world would definitely be a boring place if we all had the same worldview and perspective on things. It is amazing how where someone sees a problem, someone else can see a solution, where someone sees a blank piece of paper, someone can see an empty canvas full of possibilities. So in the end it is very important to partner with someone who sees things differently than you do, because then when you lack vision, they will be able to see what you can’t see.
Like I mentioned in the beginning, the adventure of partnership is based on the truth that “We are better together” and that two will only accomplish more than one could’ve ever done.
Tell us, what else would you look for in a business partner? Are there any experiences you would like to share?
