My thoughts have been focused on partnerships and what makes them successful, perhaps because this month is my 40th wedding anniversary.
In business, 40 years is a long time for a partnership to last, but I think businesses can learn some lessons from what has worked for Letty and me over the past 40-plus years.
Communication is the most important thing. That seems pretty straightforward, but it's surprising how many people assume their partners know what they're thinking. No one can read your mind, so even amid challenging times, make sure to communicate regularly with others.
Another key element for a successful long-term relationship involves caring about the success of the other party. As cliché as it may sound, you need to work on finding win-win solutions. If one party is winning and another is losing, it is a slippery slope to that relationship falling apart.
See also: Roeth: Working together for the environment and profit
Additionally, you must help your partner deal with change, whether you saw the change coming or if fate just slapped you in the face with a change out of the blue. As long as you keep communicating what you are doing to deal with the change, it's okay to handle it differently.
Respect is also a big element of a successful relationship. Even when you disagree, you should show respect for your partner's point of view.
You also need to acknowledge and defer to the other person’s strengths, especially if their strengths are your weaknesses. The point of a partnership is to build on each other's strengths so you can achieve the best possible outcome.
The final ingredient in a successful partnership is respecting your commitment to your partner. Do what you said you were going to do. If you commit to working together for five years, 10 years, or until you both don’t want to, then honor that. And honor all the little commitments that are part of the larger commitment. Your partner needs to know they can rely on you to be there as you promised.
To be clear, I haven’t gotten this 100% right 100% of the time. But I must have gotten it right enough times that Letty has stuck with me for 40 years, and that is a big win-win.
