The Initial Ask: What is Your Relationship Based On?

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This post is part three of a six-part series. Want to start at the beginning? Here you go. It is human nature when taking on a new endeavor to focus on the goal or the task at hand and not on the future after completing said goal. I have already talked to you about how to ready yourself for a partner and how to engage the right partner, but what happens after the “engagement”? In his book “Modern Romance,” Aziz Ansari explains how to clearly communicate realistic relationship terms and maintenance tips to ensure that all partner relationships (whether professional or personal) are lasting. The biggest risk that you can take is confronting the unknown. Every time that someone logs onto Tinder or another dating app, they are opening themselves up to the unknown. Now, this unknown aspect of dating may provide a thrill of unpredictability, but in business unpredictability is a liability. Luckily, unlike romantic partnerships, drafting and presenting a contract with clearly defined terms before starting a business partnership is socially acceptable. Set Clear, Defined Goals for Partners Hiliary Robertson, Partner Operations Manager at Optimizely, shared how she sets clear, defined goals for her partners to ensure a partnership that is “optimal” for both parties at this year’s CO:LLABORATE conference. In previous blogs, we discussed what you can do to prepare and engage partners, but never touched upon what partners are supposed to do for you. Everyone knows that in theory partnerships are give and take, but how do…
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