I read a great article by Elinor Robin on WomenEntrepreneur.com called The 7 Components of Positive Partnership where she provides analysis of the seven most important things a partnership has to encompass to be successful.  While the article is targeted to businesses operating as partnerships, the traits apply to any type of partnership you might have in business (e.g., with colleagues, clients, etc.).

Elinor lists these 7 characteristics of a successful partnership:

1. Shared values
2. Complementary skills and traits
3. Sense of equity
4. Growing together
5. Proactive conflict management strategies
6. Shared vision
7. An exit strategy

Each of the traits Elinor discusses is meant to create a stronger team.  The one that stands out the most to me (aside from having the same goals and vision) is #2 - complementary skills and traits.  Whenever I have to build a team, I always look for a team of people who bring different skills to the table but will work together cohesively to ensure all bases are covered, gaps are filled and the strongest team overall is created.

You can read Elinor’s analysis of each characteristic of a successful partnership in her article on WomenEntrepreneur.com.  What other traits do you find to be essential when it comes to developing a successful partnership?

With Earth Day quickly approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to write about making business more eco-friendly.  I checked the RiverWired blog to get some ideas and found a post called the Top 10 Tips to Green Your Small Business by Susan Seliger.

In her article, Susan discusses the importance not just of making environmentally friendly products but actually walking the green walk and talking the green talk in every aspect of your business.

One of the best tips Susan gives is to ask your employees for green ideas first.  I think this is probably the most important piece of the puzzle in terms of making your company greener.  Getting employee buy-in for your green initiatives and living by example are the building blocks of creating an eco-friendly business.  If your employees support your green efforts and see you setting the tone, they’ll be more motivated to join in.

You can follow the link to read all 10 tips to make your business greener.  There are some great ideas in the post, many of which are very easy to implement immediately.

What green initiatives have you seen work successfully in your company?

Amy Abrams and Adelaide Fives opened In Good Company Workplaces in September 2007. The company provides workspaces to women in business in Manhattan using a unique business model.

Rather than simply renting a space of their own, women business owners can sign up for an annual membership with In Good Company Workplaces then pick and choose the types of services they need through a variety of membership plans. Continue reading »