Partners in Success

Both at work and away from it, partners have achieved some pretty remarkable things.

Whether it's:  

Lenin and Trotsky (partners in social revolution),
Lennon and McCartney (the Beatles legendary songwriters),
Lerner and Loewe (partners in developing show tunes),
Leopold and Loeb (partners in crime),
Lois and Clark (partners in journalism – in comic books), or
Louis and Clark (partners in geographic exploration)
...teams have been a part of the American scene for as far back as history stretches. In considering these successful partners, and your own aspirations, who do you know who could help you?

If Not Friendship, at Least Respect

There's something special about having one other person with whom you collaborate that often can bring out the best in both of you. You don't even have to like each other. Guy Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein of Rodgers and Hammerstein frequently feuded with each other and allegedly did not converse with one another other than when working. Lennon and McCartney had their spats along the way in an otherwise brilliant partnership.  

As long as the partners respect the capability or contributions of the other,
partnerships can go on and on, independent of what type of relations the individuals have otherwise.

Mellow Fellows

There are long-term partners who maintain a minimum of strife, at least publicly. This includes music stars Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, basketball stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

If you're part of a partnership that has resulted in both of your accomplishing more than you would have on your own, go out and thank your lucky stars.

If you're part of a rocky relationship which somehow seems to yield wonderful results, go out and thank your lucky stars as well. You're benefitting from a type of synergy a typical person simply doesn't experience.

Mentors and Other Strangers

In terms of helping you to achieve your goal, a mentor can be a godsend.  A mentor is usually not your boss. Having a mentor outside of your company or your division is probably better in the long run, but it may cause a problem with your own boss, especially if he or she feels threatened by someone else giving you advice.  

In addition to attempting to give you advice on almost anything you can think of, a mentor also helps to broaden your horizons. He or she often will be pleased to introduce you to associates garnered over the years. When your mentor introduces you to important and interesting people, recognize that these are people it might have taken you years to meet on your own.

Some proteges develop accelerated expectations. The mentor makes it look so easy. You need to remember that it may have taken your mentor 25 years of experience and networking to do what he did.

You might already have mentors in your life that you're not acknowledging and not using for your optimum benefit. Wouldn't it make sense right now to identify those people in your life who have served or are currently serving as mentors, as well as those who can serve as mentors? Then, identify how to increase the potency of the relationship.  

Other Resources

There are people all around you with whom you can affiliate yourself for your betterment. These affiliations need not be Machiavellian in nature, i.e., you don't have to get to know them simply because they are a means to an end. Rather, you can create dynamic relationships wherein you become a resource to those who enhance your progress toward your goals.