There’s one more critical choice you can make in blowing the cap off your capacity. I’ve saved it for last because it may be the choice that will most quickly multiply the impact of all the other choices. The essence of it is contained in a quote often attributed to Mother Teresa: “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” Whether or not she said it, what’s being described is partnership—your choice to collaborate with others.
I learned this lesson when I hit a wall in my personal productivity. I literally could not work harder, faster, or longer. I was maxed out. Yet I still wasn’t where I wanted to be. There was only one other choice available to me: partnering with others.
At that stage of my life, I was reminded of a quote by the great Andrew Carnegie: “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone.” Since then, I’ve had hundreds of partnership experiences, and I can assure you that if you want to multiply your effectiveness, you need to work with others.
An example of partnership can be seen in the creation of this book. I’ve been thinking about the idea of capacity for about two years. For a year, I’ve been actively working on it, seeking ideas to help me understand and teach capacity. Some days I find great stuff, each thing a seed that has growth potential. Other days, I’m just turning soil.
I live with these seed ideas for months, and eventually they sprout. Some I use as quotes. Some grow into principles. Some become major points or chapter titles. It’s like a garden of ideas.
Remember the chapter on thinking capacity where I taught you how I think until I think through? That’s how I work on an idea. It lives in me for a long time. I have to be convinced of its worth before I try to convince a reader like you of its worth.
Once convinced, I develop a thesis for the book and an initial outline. That’s when the partnership process begins. I bring together a group of highly gifted people to brainstorm on the subject. I don’t bring them together in hopes of getting an idea. I want them to help me improve and expand the one I’ve already developed. Sometimes we spend a few hours. Sometimes half a day. I give them my outline ahead of time, and they come prepared. I want them to improve what was good, help me get rid of anything that’s bad, and create new ideas that I hadn’t thought of. Every time I have one of these meetings, I walk out happy.
After that, I write for several more months, and then I engage in the partnership with Charlie Wetzel. I described that in the chapter on Thinking Capacity. And then when the publisher receives it, other partnerships begin. Their editorial team gets the text into its final form, creates the cover and design, and prints it. Then their sales team gets it out into the marketplace. And I could go on about other partnerships with booksellers, and others who helped before getting the book into your hands. None of this would be possible without the help of other people.
Do you believe in partnerships? Do you develop them? If you don’t recognize how powerful they are, then do this. Work hard on something for a long time by yourself. When you have maxed yourself out and can do no better, bring in a few qualified people and ask for their help. You will be both humbled and blessed. Humbled by how quickly they can improve what you were doing, and blessed by how much they can improve what you were doing.
If you are not partnering with good people right now, you are not even close to reaching your capacity. Ask yourself these questions:
When was the last time you asked someone to make you better?
When was the last time you realized someone could make you better?
When was the last time you craved a fresh perspective from others?
When was the last time you tapped into the thinking of someone else?
When was the last time you asked for others’ advice and opinions?
When was the last time you got better because someone made you better?
When was the last time you gave credit to others?
Having partners is like adding one plus one and coming up with three. I’m nearly seventy, and my best days are right now. Why? Because my efforts are being multiplied by partnerships. My companies are gearing up, not winding down. I’m giving my best to others and receiving their best in return, which is much greater than mine.
To enjoy great partnerships, you need to be a great partner. Recently the John Maxwell Company signed a partnership agreement with the Hendrick Automotive Group. On the official start day, hundreds of leaders from Hendrick joined me and my team to launch this exciting interaction. On behalf of the John Maxwell Company, I extended my hand of partnership to the Hendrick people, and I spoke to both companies on “the Potential of Partnership.” What I shared with them, I now want to share with you.
To be a great partner…
If you want to partner up with others, then be the first to meet them where they are. Find common ground, and place their agenda at the top of your agenda. In essence, become a servant leader, and measure each day by the seeds you sow more than by the harvest you reap.
The person in my world who models this best is Mark Cole, the CEO of all my companies. Mark is held in high regard by hundreds of leaders of other organizations, as well as the leaders in my companies. At my age, I am blessed. Mark is the best right-hand man I have ever had, because he always places my agenda ahead of his own agenda.
While I was working on this chapter, I asked Mark to write about how he does this so that you could benefit from his perspective. In his own words, here is what Mark had to say:
I don’t place John’s agenda above mine. His agenda is my agenda! This is not natural for me or any strong leader. Doing this is a result of discipline, years of doing the right thing regardless of what I wanted, and the development of learning to trust the person I serve.
Here’s how that plays out:
I Am Available to John
As I said, John’s agenda is mine. Whatever I am doing can change in a moment when John needs me. And I always figure out how to fit what he wants to accomplish into what I want to accomplish.
I Remain Close to Him Daily
Proximity is the only way I can maintain his agenda as mine. Every day I do the double E with him. He is either within eyesight or earshot on the phone.
I Ask Questions to Understand What He Wants
John has taught me to not lead by assumption. Our conversations are filled with my questions. Since I often speak on behalf of John, my communication with others must reflect his. When people see me, I want them to see John. When they hear me, I want them to hear John.
I Allow John to Be John
John is very creative in seizing business opportunities and wants options to ensure the success of his ventures. I let him change, dream, and grow without making sacred cows of his past agendas. Flexibility is essential for me to partner with John correctly.
I Make Sure My Direct Reports Know John and I Are on the Same Page
I want everyone to know that I always represent John and his vision. This enables my team to adjust and adapt in light of John’s leadership. To lose that is to lose our way. Too many subcultures are created when the team’s accomplishments do not link back to John’s vision.
I Take Responsibility for Solving Problems That Could Jeopardize John’s Agenda
Anytime the leaders of John’s organizations are doing things that add value to his agenda, I bless them. Anytime there are challenges to John’s vision, I share them with John, along with solutions.
I Love My Leader and His Agenda
Because I know John’s heart, I can keep the heart of his agenda. Years of working together have enabled us to think as one. This is the fruit of a great partnership, not the seed. The seed was making John’s agenda mine. The fruit is living it out.
If you desire to engage in great partnerships, you need to make your partner’s agenda your agenda. Only when you are on the same page trying to accomplish the same goals is there the kind of synergy that partnerships can provide.
Adding value is the only way a partnership will work. Partnerships begin to disintegrate when one person starts receiving more than they are giving. A Chinese proverb says, “One may be a leader for a time, but by helping others succeed, one will be a leader forever.”
My companies focus on adding value to others. The John Maxwell Team certifies coaches and speakers. Every day they add value to hundreds of thousands of people. EQUIP has trained five million leaders in every country of the world, and is now teaching those leaders how to intentionally add value to the people on a daily basis. The John Maxwell Leadership Foundation is committed to helping people in many countries by training them in values, intentional living, and transformational leadership in roundtable settings. The John Maxwell Company provides resources and training to organizations and companies who want their leaders to grow and improve.
Here is what I and the team members in my companies know: The only way that we will be given an opportunity to partner with others tomorrow is to add value to them today. If you want to be a good partner and benefit by increasing your partnership capacity, you need to add value to your partners.
One of my great joys in life is providing resources to people. In the early days when I first began training leaders, I realized that teaching wasn’t enough. If I provided people with resources, they were able to go to whole new levels in their leadership. Today, I try to help people by sharing three things with them.
I have benefitted greatly from introductions from people with influence. Jeff Brown introduced me to John Wooden, who became a mentor. Scott Fay introduced me to Paul Martinelli, who now leads the John Maxwell Team. Rick Goad introduced me to Ron Puryear, founder of World Wide Dream Builders.
Who do you know that your partners should know? How can you connect people who would otherwise never meet? This is a fantastic way to add value to others. It’s one of the reasons that every good partnership increases potential relationships.
My friend Ken Blanchard says, “Some of my best thinking has been done by others.” That’s also been true for me. But I’d also add that some of my best thinking has been done with others, as I explained earlier in this chapter.
How can you help others by sharing ideas? What can you give that they can’t provide for themselves? Every time you share an idea, you take nothing away from yourself, but you add tremendously to your partners.
Tools are systems and practices that are proven to be successful. I have found that systems are the best pathway to achieve desired results. I believe practices are the best behaviors that give desired results. What systems and practices can you share with your partners to help them become better?
I’m a naturally competitive person, and for many years in my life, I wanted to keep a competitive edge on others, even when we were on the same side. I had to learn to share what I knew. When I did, not only was I able to help others, I experienced a deep satisfaction knowing that I was making a difference.
My first responsibility as a partner is to know you, know your organization, know your needs, and know how I can add value to you. How can I do that? By asking you questions. Questions are the great connectors.
For example, this week I will go to Las Vegas and speak to Commvault, a fantastic technology company. I’ve spent time over a dinner and a lunch with Bob Hammer, their CEO, getting to know their company. I followed that up with a phone call with four of their leaders to talk about their Las Vegas conference. Ninety percent of these conversations have consisted of my questions. Their answers have prepared me to add value to them when I speak. Their theme this year is “Going Beyond,” so that will be my topic, and I have placed illustrations, ideas, principles, and application in my speech that will meet their needs. That is my partnership responsibility and privilege.
I also work to serve the leaders of my own companies. Every year I ask them, “What can I do this year to provide a growth environment for you?” Each of them has different needs and expectations, which I would not know if I hadn’t asked. And I try to give them what they need. Leadership by assumption is ineffective.
Are you tailoring what you give according to what your partners need? If you’re not, you won’t be partners for very long.
Trust is the foundation of any solid relationship. Trust can’t be established quickly; it must be earned, proven, and tested over time. Once it has been established, your partnerships benefit from a trust advantage, which makes them function more smoothly.
When the John Maxwell Company began to partner with the Hendrick Automotive Group, I quickly discovered that they had built tremendous trust within their organization. After I spoke to their leaders, one of them, Jim Perkins, came up to me to talk about Rick Hendrick, the company’s founder. Jim said, “I would rather have a handshake deal with Rick Hendrick than a contract with someone else.” Wow! That’s trust! Perhaps the highest compliment you can receive from another partner is, “I can count on you.”
I wanted the John Maxwell Company to earn their team’s trust, so one of the things I did was introduce all of Hendrick’s leaders to the president of the John Maxwell Company. And we did something else. We gave them his personal cell phone number, and I said, “Anytime you feel that we are failing in our partnership to you, call him, and he will immediately rectify the situation.” To be a good partner, we need to be dedicated to adding value to others and being faithful to the trust they have put in us.
In recent years, I’ve received recognition for my contribution in the area of leadership. At first I was surprised to receive these wonderful honors. But then I thought about how I have tried to exceed the expectations of the people I’ve partnered with for forty-five years. So I guess slow but steady can win a race.
When I began my career, no one had high expectations of me. So I set high expectations for myself, and worked hard to meet them. I committed myself to daily personal development, and I worked hard at that, too. As my friend Karen Ford, Mary Kay independent national sales director, says, “To do more, you must become more.” And I started to exceed those expectations.
As I grew and improved, I began the practice of setting the bar of expectations for myself higher. Once I did that, I discovered something beautiful. That practice set me apart from many others. Most people don’t fight to consistently meet expectations, much less to exceed them. And others started to notice. This opened doors for me, but I knew that an open door can close quickly if you don’t continue trying to exceed expectations, so I made it a continual goal, and it has become a lifestyle within me.
Do you want to develop great partnerships and continue to thrive in them? It’s very simple. Consistently exceed the expectations of your partners, and your partnerships will expand. Everyone will want to be a part of whatever you are doing.
Too often people gain a partnership, and then take it for granted. When that happens, the partnership begins to deteriorate. It becomes strained. And it’s only a matter of time before it falls apart. For that reason, I practice gratitude for the partnerships I have, and I also work hard to earn the respect of others. Partnership cannot thrive today on respect that was earned yesterday. It must be continually re-earned. What do I do to recultivate respect?
I care more than I have to.
I serve more I have to.
I work harder than I have to.
I produce more than I have to.
I grow more than I have to.
When I do those things, I not only feel good about myself, but I earn the respect of others.
Do you respect the partnerships you have, whether you earned them yourself or gained them from the work of others? Are you doing the hard work to keep re-earning respect? Don’t take for granted the people who work with you, or what they bring to the table.
If you want to take your capacity to the highest possible level and achieve more than you ever dreamed possible, then choose to collaborate with others and increase your partnership capacity. There’s no greater way to increase your potential. And no more enjoyable way.
Howard Schultz, the former chairman and CEO of Starbucks, says, “Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from the efforts of one person, but from the joint achievements of many.” I have certainly found that to be true.
1. Are you naturally a soloist or someone who wants to be part of an ensemble? Do you think of ways to work with others, or do you plan to work alone? How can you change your thinking to develop more partnerships?
2. What work are you currently doing that would benefit from partnership with someone else? Who could you ask to partner with you today?
3. If you are a leader and have people who report to you, do you think of them as partners you serve? Or as employees who serve you? How would your capacity increase if you thought of them as partners?