The Art of Partnering

Over the years I have had interesting conversations with leaders when it comes to the topic of Partnerships. The general gist is that most people don’t believe partnerships can happen. They say things like, “I have never found a good partner,” or, “Partnerships get too complicated. Most people want too much.”

When I hear this from others I tend to run. It is usually these type of people who can’t find a good partner because of the fact that they are a bad partner. Partnership is an attitude of giving first.

Partnerships can be extraordinary. The partnership of marriage is an example. Yet, just like marriage, business partnerships need to be nurtured in order to see them prosper. When they are properly established and invested into they can yield ten times that of a normal business. At GiANT we try hard to be a good example of that. Here are some examples to give you hope in establishing good partnerships.

1. John Maxwell - Over the past two and a half years we have been John Maxwell’s exclusive partner to the business world. We have helped him spread his reach into the corporate marketplace as well as helped him organize his back-end content. GiANT has then benefited by John’s reach and inspiring message. This partnership continues as we have plans to exponentially expand his reach into new markets.

2. Dr. Henry Cloud - We recently had Dr. Cloud in our offices to discuss his relevant content and work on projects that are powerful for leaders. Our partnership started on a key principle - “Relationship before Opportunity.” We had to know that each of us was the real deal before we moved forward together.

3. GiANT partnerships - I have numerous partnerships within the GiANT entities (see giantworldwide.com for more info). Yet, at the core, I have founding partners - Matthew Myers, David Woods and Dan Bales, who are constantly working to expand the GiANT message and the multiple platforms of our companies. I owe much to these guys as they allow me to do what I do best, while we all bring value to one another.

4. Partnerships within GiANT Impact - There are numerous levels of partnership inside the GiANT Impact world - all the way from our leadership team, to our key clients and key alliances. Partnership is an attitude with one basic premise - give what you have received and you will get it all back.

Partnership is about giving. Giving is like planting. The more you plant the better the chance of a good crop and good harvest.

Thank you to all of our partners! We appreciate you all - Chick-fil-A, Andy Stanley, Indiana Wesleyan University, Primrose Schools, Booster Enterprises, our many vendor partners, true fans and followers. Partnership is joy when done right and a missing advantage to those who don’t understand it.

Posted on February 24, 2010 in Business Growth