By Sandye Linnetz, Systems Goddess
Did you know that two 2X4s nailed together can handle more than 3 times the weight that a single 2X4 can take? It’s a clear case of 1 + 1 = 3. True story. And that, my friends, is today’s metaphor for creating partnership in your business. Think of this as having been a less profound – but more interesting – way to say that two heads are better than one.
Whether the partnership you are dealing with involves you and a co-worker, parent, child, sibling, spouse, friend, business acquaintance or the dry cleaner, it’s still a partnership. And, when those partnerships are powerful; when they work, anything is possible.
What does it mean to be powerful? To say it like it is with conviction based in integrity and with the willingness to stand for what you say while considering other’s points of view. Power has nothing to do with force or convincing. It comes from a place that inspires and moves others to participation and action. In partnership this shows up as individuals who consistently empower one another to be stronger and more confident in taking control of their lives; with integrity and power in communications, interaction and action.
Let’s take a look at what this means in the work place. When you and your team have a powerful partnership in place, everyone talks straight. No hidden agendas. You all know where you stand on any issue, and when you disagree it’s a conversation – not an argument. There’s a commitment to do what is best for the whole and to stay in conversation until that “best” is determined. There is a willingness to hear and consider all points of view. No one “has” to be right. No one is made wrong.
A powerful partnership has ground rules. They are always there… from who opens the door in the morning to who pays the bills and how you will communicate when there’s a problem. So often our ground rules are unspoken. That’s where trouble sneaks into any relationship. Ground rules should be discussed, declared and mutually agreed upon. To work, they must be clear and designed to benefit not an individual, but the partnership itself. Think of the ground rules as your systems for relationship. Look at the way it is… declare the way you want it to be… create the steps, checks and balances to have those POWERFUL partnerships in your company.
Ask yourself:
1. Where will having powerful partnerships benefit the growth and development of this company? (Consider partnerships with co-workers, vendors, clients… and family.)
2. What is the current nature of these partnerships as they apply to this company? (Is there a general sense of “all for the common good” or is each team member looking out only for himself?)
3. Is communication open and honest?
4. What’s the trust factor? Does everyone feel like “someone’s got my back”?
5. What is the current level of integrity – as individuals and then as a team? Do the people here honor their word? Do they consistently do what they said they would do – by when they said they would do it? And when that doesn’t happen, do the people here clean it up and make new promises – with different results?
6. Are we working together or competing? Is everyone participating?
7. What are we doing to build and maintain powerful partnerships?
8. What could it be like around here if each of us was empowered to be the best “me”; strong, confident and inspiring? What if everyone on the team operated like that? How would that look?
9. Do we inspire one another?
Powerful Partnership is the game… and it’s the best game in town. Everyone wins!
© 2009 Beth Schneider, Process Prodigy, Inc. Want to reprint this article? Feel free as long as you include the following: Beth Schneider, President of Process Prodigy Inc., www.processprodigy.com, along with her team of highly sought after operations consultants, reveal the insider secrets billion-dollar corporations pay thousands of dollars for. Specializing in process creation, Process Prodigy tools and techniques have helped entrepreneurs increase productivity by as much as 600%, and revenues by as much as 250%. Visit www.processprodigy.com/ezine and grab your FREE systems starter kit valued at $297.00.
