Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner was interviewed on The Today Show recently about his “why” book on partnerships, Working Together: Why Great Partnerships Succeed. While the prevailing attitude on partnerships is that they’re often more trouble than they’re worth, Eisner feels the opposite. He believes in partnership.
"I think that people who do it only alone … tend to get in trouble,” Eisner said. “Being in the foxhole with somebody … when things go bad, you’ve got somebody to talk to. When things go well, you’ve got somebody to high-five."
Nothing great is ever accomplished alone. Even though my partnership tanked like the Titanic, I still choose to have a business partnership because I am better as the sum of parts than I am alone. I just had to learn how to be a good partner. And that’s why I became a Partnership Consultant.
So while Eisner and others focus on why good partnerships work, the Partnersh*t-to-Partnership Process teaches you how to be a good partner.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
“WHY”:
People are great partners because they both have the same goals.
“HOW”:
Partners are each accountable for who they are, what they bring, what they want and what they will do to create and sustain this successful partnership. They commit to over-communicating so the lines are always open.
Being a good partner is not ingrained; it is learned. Learning “how” requires self-discovery and insight, plus sweat and tears. (Once you get to blood, you have descended into Partnersh*t. Don’t go there.)
Partnership takes time, dedication and a willingness to listen and learn. The #1 quality in a great partner is accountability. Once you are accountable, every decision becomes easy. Becoming accountable is a journey, and it starts with becoming self-aware.
