Like riding a tandem bicycle, a business partnership requires two (or more) people working in a complimentary fashion to achieve a common goal. When one partner does not hold up their end of the bargain, both feel the bumps and bruises. To avoid falling off your tandem business bicycle, consider these 3 tips for working with a partner:
1. Communicate with Your Business Partner
Talk to your business partner. Listen to your business partner. Both are equally important. Take the time to discuss the business and any proposed improvements you want to make. Set common goals and take steps to achieve them together.
2. Trust Your Partner
Trust is a cornerstone to most relationships and business partnerships are no different. Work hard to build trust not only amongst the partners, but among all employees of the business. Believe in your partner. Partners must take on responsibilities and trust in one another to achieve successes to the best of their ability.
3. Share the Good Times (and the Bad)
Credit is limited so be sure to share it. Blame is plentiful so take your fair share. Partners and employees not only deserve praise for goals accomplished but can use the praise as further motivation. No one person is doing it alone – otherwise it wouldn’t be a partnership – so don’t allow any one person to bask in a glow created by everyone’s hard work.
Tandem bikes can be twice the fun of a single bike and the same can be said of a partnership compared to working alone. But like the tandem bike, all good partnerships require proper maintenance and upkeep. Use these three tips to oil your partnership gears and keep on peddling.