The Power of a great partnership
Which work partnerships make you better at what you do?
Powerful partnerships have a tremendous impact on your success and your career experiences. And like all relationships, they require intention, time and effort to make them successful.
One of the partnerships that made the biggest difference in my corporate career was with a HR Director I hired many years ago. I had just taken on leadership of a global HR team for a medical device company. I was stressed, overloaded with enterprise level initiatives, and understaffed across the department.
The woman I hired to fill the role reported to me, but I saw her more as a key partner. She was knowledgeable, proactive and insightful. I would approach her about a new issue, and she would have already thought about it and come up with a solution.
This became a powerful partnership based on:
Connection: We got to know each other well and cared about each other as people first.
Complementary Strengths: We were good at different things. I enjoyed setting a vision and motivating the teams. She was amazing at planning and executing initiatives and had an eye for compliance.
Adaptability: We learned and adjusted to each other’s working styles.
Trust: We established a strong level of trust by exchanging feedback openly and delivering on our commitments.
That partnership made me better at my job. It also made my work much more enjoyable. That’s the power of a great partnership. It can lift you up and elevate your performance.
Think about one partnership that's important to your success right now. How intentionally are you building it?
Do you understand your strengths and those of your partner? Consider having a conversation just focused on this topic.
How well do the two of you play to each of your strengths? Take a look at a new project and map out how each of your strengths apply to that work.
What do you need from your partner in order to do your best work? What does your partner need from you? These needs are the undercurrent of your relationship. When they are well-defined and consistently met, you both do your best work.
How do each of you like to make decisions? Some people like to review a lot of data before making a decision. Others like to try out several options before landing on a more permanent solution. Talk about your decision-making styles upfront to reduce friction over future decisions.
If you and a key partner want to better understand your individual strengths, working styles and how you can work more effectively together, I offer partner coaching grounded in the Clifton Strengths framework. Reach out if you'd like to learn more.
