For the individual, life without partnerships is a lonely place. For a business, the inability to form partnerships will probably mean a slow and excruciating death in the marketplace as competitors become more adept at adapting to the new reality of interdependence in the twenty-first century.
The first thing you need to do to avoid this predicament is to figure out what you want. To begin, fill out the Partnership Readiness Checklist. This may give you some insight into how ready your organization is to form a partnership. The questions are designed to help you determine whether a partnership is right for your organization.
If you’ve decided that you want a partnership, you are about to undertake perhaps the most difficult task of the partnering process: assessing your organization to determine its needs. This stage frequently requires the most time. Consistent with the Plan–Do–Check–Act cycle, the time is spent planning for what you want from the partnership and the quality of partnership you desire.


