Congrats! You’ve Just Completed the Partnersh*t Detector Quiz for Existing Partners

Awesome! You have taken Step #1 on your road to cleaning up the -sh*t that will ultimately destroy your Partnership. We thank you and your partner will thank you.

Your total score, sent to your email address, is 0 out of 40.

The higher your score, the less Partnersh*t you are dealing with. That’s a good thing. But even a high score still has some potential for developing Partnersh*t.

Take a look at the categories below; see where your trouble spots are and what you can do about them.

Partnersh*t Scorecard:

0-15: Yikes! Get out the shovel! You are in deep doo-doo.

If you are scoring this low, it’s a wonder you are still partners, let alone in business. I’m going to give you 5 free points for caring enough about your partnership and business to even take this quiz. But even that won’t help. I feel bad for you because I know first-hand the devastation that Partnersh*t is causing you.

If you are serious about saving this partnership you have lots of work to do. Stop everything you’re doing and focus on the partnership. There is nothing more important than either fixing this partnership or saying goodbye. You cannot afford to be in the place you are. The cost is HUGE.

NOW is the time to start building your Human Foundation from the ground up. Forget everything you think you know. Get rid of all ass-umptions. Scratch those expectations. Look in the mirror and be honest about what you see. And bring in a pro to help you build your Human Foundation. It’s either a fully committed new ballgame or it’s game over. Your choice.

As a first step, go deep and consider whether this partnership has any healthy value to you at all. If not, it’s okay to say no and move on. There is great honor in being candid about what you want and do not want. There is no honor in being a victim. And blame? Blame is absolutely not allowed. Never forget this: The most important quality in a great partner is accountability. If you have that, everything else follows.

Here’s the barometer: Are you accountable for

1.) Who you are?

2.) Why you are in this partnership?

3.) Why you chose this person?

4.) Why you stay?

If you cannot come up with at least 10 excellent, positive, healthy reasons for staying, then boogie out the door and do not look back. And so you know, fear is not excellent, positive or healthy. Just sayin’.

If you are serious about saving this Partnership, you will have to open your mind, heart and ears to each other. You have to work hard, spend time asking, listening, connecting and building. Remember this: You cannot rush relationships, and the work a good relationship takes is never ending.

Are you up for it? Be honest. No is an honest answer.

16-30: Better, but still up to your knees in you-know-what.

You’re close but still oh-so-far from where you need to be. The thing about human nature is this: all it takes is one little piddly thing to bring down the house. And the less aware and accountable you are, the more little cracks will develop. It won’t take much for one of those cracks to become the Grand Canyon.

Look closely at all your answers and find the weak links. Like a chain-link fence, everything is interconnected, and as they say, you are only as strong as your weakest link.

30-35: Good job! Can you do better?

Sure you can. And you must. Because it’s clear that your partnership is a good one and you value it. We all possess personal and ethical values. For a partnership and business to really succeed in all areas (humanity, management, finance, creativity, contribution, etc.) the personal and ethical values of both partners must be aligned. Clearly yours are. Go a healthy step further. Be a nitpicker. Unearth the little things that could be better. Be 100% honest about anything that you see that could eventually become a problem. Nip it now.

36-40: You Rock!

I bow down. You’re light years ahead of 99% the partners—and human beings—out there. Stay the course. Keep asking the good questions. Do not allow any -sh*t in your lives. It only takes a little to ruin everything.

WHAT’S BEHIND THE PARTNERSH*T DETECTOR QUIZ?

We’ve found this to be a very helpful tool in identifying where you are in the process of creating and building not just your Human Foundation but also your business. The questions you answered are at the center of the Partnersh*t-toPartnership (P2P) Process for Building A Human Foundation. It’s a key client assessment tool and has been built based on experience.

It’s a stretch to try and predict anyone’s success or failure. However, in this case, I’m confident that these questions will uncover any lurking monsters that will determine success or failure. Conversely, it might turn out that you both score high and it looks like all systems go, and then for other reasons, you decide to pass. These situations usually boil down to the business not being viable or an unexpected personal upheaval of some sort.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Here are some things to think about . . .

Business is tough. 55% will fail within the first 5 years.

Partnerships are tough. More than 1/3 will fail within the first 3 years.

Being alone is tough. Millions do it and do it well. But it’s tough to celebrate the wins or suffer the losses all by yourself.

Some of the best businesses on the planet were started by or are still operated by partners. Think Google. Apple. Microsoft. Berkshire Hathaway. MGM.

Two (or more) is better than one. Ask Rocky and Bullwinkle. Batman and Robin. Sonny and Cher. Hall and Oates. Buffet and Munger. Grazer and Howard. Rubell and Schrager, and more.

Life is meant to be shared. You can do your part by creating A Human Foundation and then leaning on it when life and business lean on you. This will give you your best shot at thriving, and being purposeful and happy. It all goes together.

Besides empowering you and your partner, a strong Human Foundation is inspirational for all the other partners in your life—your employee-partners, vendor-partners, strategic-alliance partners, project partners and so on. Because, in truth, we are all partners on this planet. Coming from a healthy Human Foundation mindset is a gift that you give to everyone. Once you start thinking and acting like a good partner, you automatically become someone people want to be around and work with.

SELF-AWARENESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE CONTAGIOUS. HOW YOU DO YOU GET SOME OF THAT?

That’s easy. Start by building your Human Foundation.

I looked high and low for help when my partnership tanked. Nobody had answers. Actually, nobody even had the questions I needed to be asking. There was no guidance, no talk of a human strategy, not even any support from some of my most trusted advisors. The lawyers looked at the law, and the financial advisors looked at the money. Nobody was looking at the partners.

I explored dozens of books and websites to see what other partnership experts were up to. Not much luck there either. Most came from a legal or financial perspective. One or two seemed to be on to something having to do with people, but fell short by way of a complete a-to-z process that had questions, explanations and case studies.

I was alone. I hate that. I still love partnerships.

So I went on a mission. I asked myself two simple questions:

1. What didn’t I didn’t know about my partner?

2. What didn’t I know about myself?

It was amazing that starting from that simple place opened up a world of illuminating information about what it takes to be a damn good partner.

I was stunned when I realized my mess could have been avoided had we just simply talked about what was really important. Can you imagine?

My realizations turned into private partnership coaching sessions that dovetailed with my branding assignments. Soon, my questions expanded and became the basis for the Partnersh*t-to-Partnership Process for Building a Human Foundation®. Suddenly I was holding regular partner workshops. I was helping people avoid my mistakes.

Next, I built this website as a repository for information and cool free downloads. After that came my book, Partnership or Partnersh*t: You Decide. How to Build your Business Partnership On The Strongest Foundation There Is—A Human Foundation. We also created the companion Workbook so all your answers are in one place, organized and readily available when you create your Partnership Plan.

And now, I am offering you the opportunity for you to Build Your Own Human Foundation.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Many business people are spending a ton of time, energy and money on things that are not only ineffective, but can end up damaging their partnership. That’s because they are not starting at the Real Beginning. Since yours is a new partnership, this is a golden moment for you.

The Real Beginning is

• Before you commit to a partner
• Before you order the logo-and-a-website special
• Before you buy or lease equipment and office space
• Before you write the business plan
• Before you write the branding and marketing plans
• Before you look for financing
• Before you hire anyone
• Before you start the hunt for clients
• Before you advertise
• Before you launch

You will learn to stop problems before they begin by:

• Getting to know yourself
• Declaring who you are and what you want
• Exploring the ins and outs of partnerships
• Deciding if partnership is right for you
• Deciding what kind of partnership is right for you
• Knowing how to choose a partner who suits you
• Doing the work necessary for becoming a good partner
• Setting the partner-biz mission, vision and goals
• Creating an atmosphere of open communication
• Understanding that partnerships need attention every day
• Knowing how to manage your partnership
• Learning from and about your partnership
• Planning an exit strategy
• Realizing when it’s time to move on

It’s all available here, in three convenient methods. Find the one that suits you best.

THERE’S ONE MORE THING YOU HAVE TO KNOW . . .

No course, process, webinar, book or coaching session will turn an inherently mismatched partnership into a good partnership. That would take a miracle, and we are not in the miracle business.

Sometimes people just do not belong together. Oil and water, if you will. A “good enough” partnership isn’t, and it will eventually turn to Partnersh*t. That’s a given. Don’t waste your time. Don’t waste your money. And definitely don’t waste your emotional health.