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:
- Shared values
- Complementary skills and traits
- Sense of equity
- Growing together
- Proactive conflict management strategies
- Shared vision
- 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?
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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