Partner expectations
Where partners' expectations come from and why they are so hard to say aloud: starting optimism, the image of an ideal partner, unspoken hopes. Managing expectations means revisiting agreements regularly and talking honestly about what each partner really wants.
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Why is it so hard for partners to say what they actually want?
Few people can say exactly what they think, want, expect and refuse to accept, and in work with partners this is the hardest part. Until a thought is put into words, it cannot be discussed, agreed, disputed or written into an agreement.
Topics: Partner expectations · Partnership session
When should partners review their agreements?
Regularly and before a crisis: once a partner unilaterally stops keeping them, the moment is lost. The author advises an annual check of roles, accumulated tension, financial arrangements and fairness of workload.
Topics: Managing partner relationships · Partner expectations · Partner misconduct and internal control · The author's own partnerships
Why are partners' starting expectations almost always too optimistic?
Even in SaaS only 3.3% of startups reach 1 million ARR within a year, 13.4% within three, 25.1% within five. One partner can wait 5-7 years without dividends, another expects payouts in 12-18 months, so goals and timing belong in the agreement, reviewed yearly.
Topics: Co-founders through an investor's eyes · Money between partners · Partner expectations
Why does expecting a perfect partner lead to neurosis?
Idealisation first inspires, then paralyses: it brings disappointment in whatever misses the picture, or endless effort to bend the world to your standards. A partner's strength is working with imperfection and agreeing despite flaws.
Original: LinkedIn
Topics: Partner expectations
Why are conflicts between partners inevitable, and how can they be prevented?
People enter partnerships without knowing the rules, and friendly trust is no substitute for agreements. Disappointment equals reality minus expectations, so expectations must be discussed at the start, and each partner should ask how they would part if things go wrong.
Original: LinkedIn
Topics: Disappointment in a partnership · Partner expectations · Partnership session · Partnership: the blind spot of business · Scenario planning: failure, windfall, a partner dropping out
Where does disappointment between business partners come from?
From expectations colliding with reality: the company lacks resources for one partner's project, there is no profit for the dividends expected, a partner is moved to a new direction. So partners need to identify and soften disappointment and manage it.
Original: LinkedIn
Topics: Partner expectations
Why do co-founders quarrel, and how do clear expectations prevent it?
The author holds that co-founders quarrel because they cannot manage disappointment and satisfaction. His model of clear expectations is Churchill's speech of 13 May 1940: no promises or abstractions, so any result better than expected counts as a win.
Original: LinkedIn
Topics: Disappointment in a partnership · Partner expectations · Partnership session
What does Churchill's 1940 speech teach about managing expectations?
The speech about "blood, toil, tears and sweat" set expectations without illusions: any outcome better than promised is a victory, and a worse turn is understandable and foreseeable. The author contrasts it with today's politicians, who inflate expectations.
Original: LinkedIn
Topics: Partner expectations
What is disappointment made of?
Disappointment is the negative result of the operation "expectation minus reality". Psychology, sociology, management and partnership theory all study expectations, but life inevitably confronts them with reality, and unmet expectations lead to disappointment.
Original: LinkedIn
Topics: Disappointment in a partnership · Partner expectations
How can disappointment be described mathematically?
Disappointment is the negative result of a subtraction: expectation minus reality. To manage it, one has to understand how it arises.
Original: LinkedIn
Topics: Disappointment in a partnership · Partner expectations
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