Who Does the Work? Who Benefits?
I’ve been a freelance writer, an online publisher, and a strategic consultant. I’ve handled a multi-state whole sale consumer products accounts, selling to big chains and to mom and pop stores. I’ve presented huge educational programs to state boards of education and made deals with publishers on four continents. I’ve built a successful conference and convinced big brand sponsors to partner with us. I led the strategy that turned around a failing company. Most of what I know about getting folks to work with me I’ve learned the hard way, by doing things wrong and adjusting out when those things didn’t work.
But I pay attention … especially to one question that makes a working relationship actually work.
Working relationships work because an exchange of value occurs. Value can be currency, time, resources, risk, or sharing a network. Somehow in the best working relationships a balance seems to keep itself, without any party too closely monitoring the score.
So if you’re looking to start a new working relationship, you might want to do a little more work before you event start.
- Know what you offer to the partnership. What can you bring that I don’t have, but would help me to my goals?
- Know what you ask of it. What could I offer in return that would do the same for you?
- Make sure the two are balanced, aligned, defined, and limited in scope. “I”ll do X. What I ask is you do Y. Those two things should move us both forward. Would that work for you? We could try it once as a proof of concept to see whether it works.”
- Then consider that a promise, a pact, a contract made in your words so that you work your butt off to keep to it.
Investors call that “share risk, share the benefit.”
Working partnership might think of it as “share the workload, share the win.”
It’s a great way to get everyone working at what we do well and still get everything done. It’s also a great way to make an offer to a new client.
What makes your great working relationships work?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Liz, in addition to your suggestions in the post I’d add a willingness to communicate even the hard stuff during the project or relationship coupled with a willingness to work it out.
Am tempted to say a determination to work it out, but I know there are sometimes good reasons to end a relationship, working or otherwise, but not until the communication has been made.
Hi Anne,
Great to see you!
What a good addition. Yeah, it’s hard to tell the truth sometimes, but the truth is what drives a great relationship. I’m with you on determination … determination tied to a heart that won’t give up.
As a writer, I know you know the dynamic tension between structure and expression, great relationships have that.
Thank you for reminding me. 🙂
Partnerships need to be beneficial for both (or more) parties. Building exceptional and skill complementary business partnerships and teams is essential for the business success. When looking for a partner you should take into consideration some important factors as: Is he/she really in the business? What does he/she know about it? What value added can he/she provide to it?
What I want to say is that money is not always the 1st objective when looking for the perfect partnership.
I recommend Startups.com Q&A business social network to look for some complementary answers to Liz article.
Hope to see you around!
Hi Dave!
I hear you saying, “Why is this person doing this?” Often I ask my friends, “Why do you want this business relationship?” It’s surprising how often we enter into such situations without really thinking about those basic questions.
I agree with you … money is not always the 1st objective when looking for the perfect partnership.
Thank you for extending my thinking. You’re not a stranger anymore. 🙂
Certainly, shared-expectations are central to building functional working relationships.
Relying 100% on referral business, my preference is to always be giving out much more value than I expect in return – keep the scales tipped well and truly in the client’s favour.
However, the catch is that this level of ‘value-bias’ is only sustainable long-term (20years plus) if it comes from a value proposition that is authentic, identity-based and ever-growing, improving and enriching.
Best to you, Liz.
Robin 🙂
Thanks for this post, Liz. I am so honored, pleased, privileged to be in the best working partnership of my whole life right now–for the past five years–and your post has made me ponder why it works. I need to think more about it, but my immediate answer is this: My business partner is a theatre director and painter–and we bring, above all else, a fantastic respect for the other. That expresses itself in our willingness to be transparent and honest in our process with groups, in our willingness to trust and leap together, and in our ability to walk into very difficult and revealing conversations with each other. As he says, we “bust each other” all the time on our own stuff. It is remarkable–and at the base of it all is a deep, deep respect, one so deep that I don’t need to always know, but can trust that not knowing will take us to amazing places.