Here in the UK, a TV dancing competition ended this evening. Celebrity amateurs have been partnered with professional dancers. Watching the amateurs go from stumbling hesitancy to impressively commanding the dance floor is inspiring.
Let’s think about this in business terms.
We’re never alone in business. Companies that we can co-sell with, develop products with, launch cooperative markering campaigns with, give opportunities for growth to each others employees – they’re as integral to our success as our natural abilities.
The quality of our partnering can make a very big impact on business success. I’ve talked before about understanding the landscape of your business partners.
What do we learn about partnering from watching “Strictly Come Dancing”?
- Our partner’s motivation, plans, and commitment are as crucial to our joint success as our own.
- We’ll learn an awful lot about how to succeed by listening intently to our partner and responding to their advice. They have experience and knowledge of our market that we would struggle to get through other means.
- Working closely with a partner can tell us a lot about our own capability. Choose the right partner and they will probably encourage us to success.
You don’t have to trip the light fantastic to see that choosing the right business partners – and then working hard to make your alliances effective – can be one of the routes to your company’s success.
What have been the highlights of the partnerships you’ve built?