Excellent Partnerships Drive Excellent Results
Finding an excellent business partner can be like a dream come true. With the right business partner, you can reach highs you cannot achieve on your own. Amplifying your ideation, energy and passion for success is an exciting prospect. Coach Pat Riley said “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” Joining forces with an excellent business partner is the ultimate force multiplier.
Excellent Performance Attracts Excellent Performers
So how do you attract an excellent business partner? While there is no surefire formula. Your search starts from within. Begin with demonstrating the qualities you seek. Check out the list below – 10 Steps to Being an Excellent Business Partner
[1] Keep Your Promises
Trust is earned over time. It’s a hard thing to win and an easy thing to lose. It’s the bedrock of a successful business partnership. If I can’t trust you, I can’t work with you. Period.
[2] Give More Than You Take
Being willing to give a little more than you take sends the message you care about your partner’s success and that it’s equally important as your own. In a good business partnership, generosity becomes reciprocal. Karma, baby.
[3] Take Personality Responsibility
When you screw up, own it. When there is an issue, look first at what you could have done better. Try to see yourself and your actions through the eyes of others. After all, isn’t this how you want your partner to act?
[4] Show Respect to Your Business Partner
It’s easy to mess this one up without really knowing. Listen first, talk later. Show up on time. Come prepared. Communicate clearly.
[5] Inoculate Yourself Against NMI Syndrome
The NMI syndrome (Not My Idea) is real and afflicts many entrepreneurs. The cure is simple – be open to alternative perspectives and proposals. Embrace the “best idea wins” approach. After all, if you had all the answers, you probably wouldn’t have a need for a partner!
[6] Show A High Level of Integrity
Integrity means you are willing to make personal sacrifices to do what is right. Selecting a business partner is a wager of sorts.. Demonstrate you are a solid bet. Show your business partner that you hold truth, honesty and fairness above making a buck.
[7] Practice What You Preach
Live by the rules you agree to. Treat each other fairly. You’ll lose both respect and credibility the minute you try to pull the old “Do as I say, not as I do.”
[8] Acknowledge & Appreciate Your Business Partner
We can often find ourselves thanklessly toiling away in solitude late into the evening or on the weekends. When you see it, let your business partner know you appreciate them. A little recognition goes a long way. Take the time to acknowledge a job well done or extra effort given.
[9] Understand Your Business Partner’s Priorities
Find out what is important to them. You may be surprised. Is it money, flexibility, job satisfaction, a creative outlet, acknowledgment? Understand what motivates them and makes them happy/satisfied. Keep this in mind and do your best to help them achieve these goals. You’ve likely heard the saying ““Happy spouse, peaceful house.” The age old axiom applies here.
[10] Go The Extra Mile (others will follow)
It’s not enough to simply speak to your commitment, show it. Demonstrating your pledge to making your venture a winner sends a powerful message. It is super motivating to see your business partner crushing it to help make you both successful.
Business Partner, Confidant and Friend
As your company becomes successful, you’ll be spending a lot of time together with your business partner…maybe more than you do with your own family. Find someone you can count on to be there when you need them. Someone to pick you up when you are down and to tell you the unvarnished truth when you need to hear it.Someone excellent.
Building a business can be a round the clock job. It’s a lifestyle choice. You spend most of your waking hours in your job…you’d be well advised to like what you do and an excellent business partner do do it with.
