External partners are also knows as associates, channel partners, vendors, joint venture partners etc. depending on the depth and extent of engagement you enter into with them.
I have had a whole range of experiences with (external) partners over past 16 years. These range from the miserable to the heavenly, from the pitiable to the praiseworthy. At times we have lost time, energy and resources trying to develop some of them. At times, we have succeeded big time, and have developed enviably beautiful relationships.
So what are the ingredients of a successful partner development strategy? This post is not on that, but a few quick tips - trust, patience, and foresight. More on that later.
Let me share my experience on the fishpond I have in my cabin. When we were putting up the new facility of PT universe, the architect proposed we put a big fishpond in my cabin, with exotic marine fish. Fortunately we decided against marine (sea) fish, and decided to go for regular ones (although slightly exotic). So we imported this huge tank from China (almost all fishponds are, nowadays), and got a local Indore fish vendor to supply the fish, and maintain the pond on a regular basis.Then started the nightmare.
The vendor was good at selling the school of 15 fish - a hefty 5k a piece - sourced from somewhere near Bombay. But he sorely failed in providing any after sales support, despite my explicitly asking for it, and willing to pay for it. I've been a fishpond enthusiast since the age of 10, and knew from experience that such a big pond will need strong, regular & technically correct maintenance. But that did not happen this time. The vendor was not able to provide that in time. We lost almost half the fish in the tank to variations in temperature (they are sensitive to that) and I pressed the panic button. After a long search, we found another experienced vendor who has, so far, done a neat job in maintaining the pond and guiding us about the day-to-day nitty gritty. This issue was serious because the huge pond sits right next to my table - so everyone takes at least one good look at it and identifies anything that is wrong :-)I learned some lessons here.
Get only experienced vendors, ready to offer after-sales service on call- Resist impulses to buy exotic stuff - maintenance is almost impossible unless you are personally an expert
- Buying is one thing, maintaining is quite another
- Whatever is not your core activity, is a big pain to manage always
Fortunately, we were able to get things in shape once more.
Another partner I got a chance to work with is the National Enterpreneurship Network (NEN). All I can say is - it is a superbly driven and inspired organisation run by some of the most selfless people I have met. Their drive to create enterpreneurs is quite extraordinary, and their achievements so far are quite solid. One of the things I liked the most was a comment by their senior functionary. In a meeting, he shared that he would like to bring (for a guest lecture to PT universe) a successful enterpreneur who has built his enterprise from scratch and now has annual revenues of .... guess? .... of more than Rs 40 lacs!
I was impressed. Only someone with a lot of depth can take pride in that kind of a figure. Normally, to impress me, he would have quoted figures running into crores. But the innocence and genuinity of that interaction made me realise that this organisation was worth working with. So I committed some resources to working with them. We are trying to collaborate on some important things. One such thing is the National Enterpreneurship Summit scheduled this weekend at Indore, which will feature six new-generation CEOs.
Overall, an interesting summit this should turn out to be. I will update my blog on Saturday night (on this event).
Since you have reached this far, let me share a very personal experience with you.
"One of my ex-employees who was heading a team, left the company in a huff some years ago, over a major difference of opinion. We pleaded that he complete his handing-over responsibilities properly to the new guy in-charge, and complete one very crucial external engagement assignment before leaving. I personally, literally, pleaded before him. He just did not budge. His words then were - "Sorry sir there is no point in discussing all this! I am leaving, and that's it." So, left with no choice, we settled his account and bid him a pleasant goodbye. Due to the unprofessional transitioning, we incurred heavy losses. Today, I got an email from that person (a cheerful email) declaring he has started his own software business and wants to sell an institutional management software to me. Imagine! He wants me to trust him now! Unfortunately, that is no longer possible. He has lost that golden opportunity. I was discussing with my senior colleagues today - if only he had given us a painless transition then, today's contract could probably have been his. As it is, we are looking for an ERP for PROTON and SBM. But that guy? Forget it! Even if he is the last ERP vendor in the world, we won't consider him. This is not because we don't like him as a person.. he may be great, but it is because he has lost all credibility. This thing - CREDIBILITY - is everything in business decision-making. Even if you have to incur some short-term loss today just to fulfil your promises, try to do justice to it. At least don't run away abruptly from your duty! Remember friends - if you ditch someone (especially your employer) badly today, you are likely to lose some BIG opportunity tomorrow. Life has a way of getting even. That's why my guiding principle has been - never be unfair to anyone, never under-deliver on any promise made, and never let anyone take you for a ride either."
You see, it is always a good idea to fulfil the commitments you make.
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