Mr. Shinjo, based on your professionalism and sense of responsibility, what would you advise a client to look for in a business partner or a partner in general? I have seen many people end up in court with tons of paperwork, simply because they made the wrong choice in a partner. Lately, this issue has been giving me quite a headache.
Choosing a partner in any undertaking should not be done lightly. A bad partnership, even if the venture is fruitful in the beginning, can limit your productivity and keep your long term goals out of reach.
1) Are your core principles aligned?
Perhaps you will not agree on what the best approaches to solve individual challenges may be, (and perhaps complete consensus is not totally desirable, as life rejects simplicity) but you both have the same goals in mind from the outset. You will never arrive at the same destination if you ultimately cannot agree what that destination is.
2) Are you able to have open communication with your partner, even if the conversations may be difficult?
A successful partnership dies in miscommunication. To continue the analogy on the first example, arriving in your final destination without checking in and communicating challenges in the path will ultimately over time, cause your paths to diverge and each partner working on separate goals, rather than building a unified business concern together.
3) Are you and your partner showing up fo one another consistently?
In my short time performing in a professional context, I have discovered that sometimes the twee conventional advice one receives from their elder when starting out in the world does contain truth to it. As skilled as I am, I do not, and will not, know everything in the world that there is to know. I am not perfect, as much as I strive to be. Even so, perfection without consistency is meaningless to a partner. Sometimes, your best will be at best, average, but even average work helps propel you and your partner to their goals, if pursued consistently. Being reliable to your partner is a form of trust, and trust is the most important thing to have in a partner.
4) Are you and your partner improving your skills and developing as individuals?
Having a partner can be wonderful. A burden shred is a burden halved. You and your partner should be able to rely on one another, particularly in times when perhaps, one or the other’s productivity isn’t optimal due to outside circumstances. However, it can be easy to fall into a trap of seeing yourself only as an extensions of your partner, and vice-versa. Continuing your own personal growth and development, while encouraging your partner to pursue their own development allows for you both to continue to grow professionally and both bring complementary personalities to your venture.
5) Do you and your partner have the respect for one another to peaceably resolve differences if the partnership doesn’t last?
It is perhaps a morbid thought to consider when entering into a partnership, but not all partnerships are meant to last forever. They can run their course and produce successful business relations during the time they last, and then dissolve and expire. This is okay, and is not necessarily a reflection of you or your business partners as business operators. Sometimes, the alignment that you and your partner embark on naturally shifts, and your destinations ultimate change. Is your partner (and are YOU, for that matter) the sort of person you can peacefully dissolve a business concern with in a way that is equitable? Sometimes, the severance of a business relationship does not dissolve your shared obligations. Is this the kind of business partner you can still interact with, even if your business concern with them fails to work out? An ideal partner is someone with whom you should still be able to collaborate with occasionally should the need arise.
There are a few of my thoughts on what I look for in a partner. I hope my suggestions will be helpful to you as you grow your own business concerns!
