MODULE 3a

3. Partner selection

Basic principles of partner search

For a potential partner, you should first check the following factors:

  • Productivity: It is the ability of a person to achieve valuable results independently. Check out the past and see what results were, what the potential partner has achieved at work and in private life too. These can be successes in business, work or personal/community. Does he/she have any hobbies? If so, what success has achieved in this area? In order for your future partner to be a real supporter, you need to see valuable results behind it and be completely separate in achieving these results.
  • Motivation: Why does he/she want to engage in co-operation/partnership? What does he/she to do? Is it the person who has to make sense of the work and have fun? Beware of people who only care about how much they earn and what they get from co-operatives/partnerships.
  • Personality: It is very important for you to get along with the future partner on the human side. That is why it is good to check this factor too. It is hard to test a person's personality, especially if you do not know him/her. Be sure to ask the person what he/she is doing in their free time. You are usually looking for people who are engaged other activities in their free time. It is often the case that people who are active outside of their working lives tend to be more optimistic and enthusiastic. Optimism and enthusiasm are aspects that will make it easier for you to start your cooperation. If you would like more decipher personality, there is a possibility to use so-called personality questionnaires.

CHECK OUT THE COFARM CASE STUDY FROM IRELAND (CASE STUDY IR04 PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FARMS) TO GET TO KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PERSONALITY OF THE PARTNER!

Once you know the answers about your potential partner and his/her answers will be positive, continue with a more detailed analysis.

When you looking for a partner, it is also important to think about things, clarify your own attitudes and watch out for the following things:

What do you want to achive in common business? How big is the project? When it should happen?

What roles will be needed in co-operation/partnership?

What role do I want and can I play? How would I want to entitle that role?

What role should my partner have? How would I like to entitle him/her?

The clarification of the roles takes a lot of time and we recommend doing it very thoroughly. Ideal case is to invite someone outside, who will ask you the right questions and show the "problem" from another perspective. A pyramid can be used, when the steps are cleared up from the bottom to very top of the pyramid (i.e. the role).

It is not appropriate or advantageous to interconnect two, equally oriented people. It is important that each role is somehow exceptional and unique.

If you are clear now that a particular person is the right person for co-operation/partnership, start the proces of co-operation/partnership.

But if your ideas do not match and your skills and abilities are too overlapping, you should look elsewhere. It is always better to clarify at the beginning than to destroy a strong friendship for work. Believe that sooner or later there would be a problem.

Where to look further? Searching for a partner is possible at a variety of networking meetings, meetings of various associations, clubs, which exists nowadays many. It is good to talk about plans and share them with others (of course, only to a reasonable extent). Keep your eyes open and look for a partner that suits your expectations and expectations are the same. Do not compromise.

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SELF-ASSESMENT

This questionnaire will allow you to evaluate the competences acquired by studying the module.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
CO-FARM: Enhancing COoperation amongst FARMing entrepreneurs
Project Number: 2016-1-IE01-KA202-016870

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