“Smart partners win not only because of what they do, but even more importantly, from how they do it. They win from leveraging their connectedness and from valuing the building of relationship skills.” Stephen Dent
Partnerships do not just happen, but when they do it is a wonderful phenomenon. This joint collaboration between two leaders, when done correctly, can potentially impact the world in an extraordinary way (Kouzes & Posner, 2012). This concept is presently demonstrated in a large variety of successful partnership companies throughout the years.
Companies like Proctor & Gamble, which was birthed in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. Based in Ohio, P & G has amassed over 100,000 employees and has acquired a larger number of independently successful companies over the years such as Noxell, Jif Peanut Butter, Norwich-Eaton Pharmaceuticals – to name a few (2005). Both William and James share a connection in that they were both businessmen prior to their shared business; however, when they became in-laws through the marrying of sisters they were convinced by their father-in-law to start a company together. Another long-standing successful partnership company is Hewlett-Packard, which was founded in 1939. The connection that these two men shared is that they were best friends with similar strengths and management styles, thusly, complimenting one another. Ziegfield and Roy’s familial backgrounds and their love for magic made for a dynamic partnership for them; Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin both had parents who were university professors; Twitter’s Evan Williams and Biz Stone, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Paul Allen, and Ben and Jerry’s Cohen and Greenfield all were connected in some crucial way.
Nonetheless, as important as connectedness is these partnerships still required additional ingredients – so to speak – that were necessary to garner success. In order to create a “partnering culture an organization needs to accrue four chief benefits: 1) openness,
2) creativity, 3) agility, and 4) resiliency (Dent, 2006). The presence of these attributes creates an atmosphere that is conducive to transformation that is sure to impact the success of a company.
A third necessity for equal partnerships to obtain successfulness is that of effective communication which included free flowing dialogue, trust amongst the leaders and followers, loyalty, credibility, and dedication. Each partner brings to the table important aspects that are needful in balancing out strengths and weaknesses, as well.
In seeking to align oneself in a relationship of equal partnership consideration and employment of the following six characteristics could prove to make the difference between extraordinary success and total failure:
a. partnerships are entered into voluntarily
b. partners perceive themselves to be equal in power and accountability
c. partners have equal access to, and openly share information and knowledge
d. all partners are perceived as equally valuable, albeit in different ways
e. partners look for opportunities to discover their wrong, and
f. partners seek out and support success for others
Each of the companies listed above did not magically reach success simply because of their similarities in background or their passion for their particular interest. On the contrary, they had to work hard, stick to the vision and bring every ounce of their skills into the equation. This they had to do continuously as equal partners. Thus emphasizing the concept that it is not only what they do, but how they do it that will determine the path that their collaboration takes.
Citations:
Dent. S.M. (2006). Parntership relationship management: Implementing a plan for success. Partnership Continuum, Inc.
Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. (2012) The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. California: Jossey-Bass.
International Directory of Company Histories, Vol.67. St. James Press, 2005
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