Coaching World Issue 16: November 2015 | Page 19

While it is tempting to start looking
for potential partners, it is critical to
first examine your relationship with
your business in its current form.
The key question to ask is, “How
will entering a partnership elevate
my business?” What does entering
into a partnership get you? If you
do not yet have an answer, it is
premature to search for or respond
to an overture from a prospective
partner. Without clarity, how will you
know if creating a partnership is the
most effective strategy to achieve
your business goals? What criteria
will you use to evaluate a potential
partnership? Armed with clarity, you
can quickly determine whether a
potential partnership is worth your
time to pursue or if it is time to
release it.

of separate countries, working to
settle and thrive in a new, third
country. While it’s tempting to dive
into the details of the business
arrangements, it is helpful to check
alignment with your potential
partner. Learning more about him
or her personally is critical if your
businesses and your future work
are to be entwined. The Partnership
Discussion Template, available at
icf.to/partnershiptemplate, helps
you prepare for these exploratory
discussions. You can offer the
template to potential partners
to accelerate and deepen the
conversation. With clarity, both
parties can assess the alignment,
along with any gaps in expectations
and needs. If there is sufficient
common ground, exploration can
progress to a deeper level.

Exploring New Territory

Building Your Partnership

The Key Question

In partnership, you and your partner
form a new entity, separate from
either one of you. Think of it in
terms of geography: You are natives

While aligned passion is a critical
factor, it is not the only predictor for
success. The Pillars of Partnership©
system helps coaches assess how

a specific partnership can build on
solid principles to support profitable
growth. From this level of specificity,
you can discern which partnerships
are aligned with your visions for
business growth and release those
that do not.
Four pillars form a strong foundation
for an effective and satisfying
partnership: Mission, Chemistry,
Strengths and Gaps, and Operating
Structure. To create the strongest
alignment, explore the pillars in the
following sequence:

Pillar I:
Mission
What will you be committed to
as partners?
The mission is the glue that holds
partners together and anchors
planning. The importance of this
step cannot be overemphasized.
Surprisingly, often this aspect of
the partnership is glossed over or
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

The Four Pillars of Partnership

How will working with someone else elevate your business?
Mission

Strengths and Gaps

What are you committed to?
Is there a viable business?

Outer roles — Who does what?
Inner roles —How do you
work together?

Chemistry

Operating Structure

Work Styles
Personalities
Values

There are lots of ways to
work together that are not
formal partnerships.

Allies

Strong Connection

Coaching World

Loose Connection

New Entity

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