Setting the stage

Ever since I was a teenager, I have liked to play videogames. All of my kids like to play videogames, mostly because it was something that we did together as a family since they were little. It was a stress-reliever for me and a chance for them to spend time together and then to participate.

As we navigated the intricacies of the games that we played, their level of involvement gradually changed. At first, they were just there as company. They watched, enjoyed the colours and music and silliness (I didn’t/don’t play scary stuff). As they got a bit older, they shifted to a more active level of participation, mostly watching for stuff that was happening that I would miss. The next level involved verbally walking me through stages, giving me directions and suggestions that we learned from other players. Eventually, they had surpassed me in all ways, so they just told me how to get past certain parts, or, in some cases, just took over for me.

What made me think of this was a phrase that was at the very start of the very first game in my sons’ favorite game franchise. In the game, you enter into a cave to find a little, old man. Before you leave to start your adventure, he says, “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this…” He offers you your sword and off you go.

Without the assistance of the old man and the sword, you are unable to succeed in the game or complete your adventure. The same can easily be said for life, regardless of the part of it that you are talking about. In our families, throughout school, in our work, personal or professional lives, I find that it is difficult (not impossible, but difficult) to fully achieve what we are trying to do without the contributions and involvement of others.

Partnerships

Over the years, I would say that the principle of partnership has been reinforced for me over and over. Specifically, over the past year, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that I am working entirely alone, for myself, I’ve seen the value of partnerships. So often, I have found that the support and contributions of others has allowed me to reach new heights and accomplish things that I would not have been capable of on my own. Whether it was the insight or advice from an experienced family member, the counsel of a trusted friend, or the encouragement of a colleague, each interaction and partnership added to and multiplied my own abilities and effort.

Stephen R. Covey, that master of people skills and self-management, provides two insightful quotations that I think describe the value of partnerships (formal or otherwise). He said, “Synergy is what happens when one plus one equals ten or a hundred or even a thousand! It’s the profound result when two or more respectful human beings determine to go beyond their preconceived ideas to meet a great challenge.”

He also said, “Synergy is better than my way or your way. It’s our way.”

Partnership Math

Partnerships represent opportunities for us to defy the mathematical options of spelling and create something amazing, something profound, something bigger than ourselves.

I look at it this way. Let’s say that I, as an individual, bring A, C, and T, to the table in terms of ideas, skills, and resources. Based on that, I can only spell three words, AT, CAT and ACT. I am limited by what I possess. It doesn’t mean that what I create is without value, but it is what it is. It doesn’t mean that I can’t add letters (skills and abilities) over time, but at the present time, my potential output is finite.

What happens if I partner with someone, meaning that I bring someone else in to contribute, whether it be full or partial involvement? If they, as an individual, bring the letters A, B, and R, alone, they can spell two words, BAR and BRA. If we look at our collective letters/resources, we have one in common, but they are largely different.

If, in our partnership, we work together, what can we spell? We get BRACT, TABAC, CARAT, CARB, CRAB, BRAT, CART, TARA, CAB, ACT, ARC, BAA, BAR, BAT, BRA, CAR, CAT, TAB, ART, RAT, TAR and AT. Alone, we each produced 2-3 words each, totaling 5. Together, we produced 22 words.

Power in Partnerships

Partnerships are powerful. They don’t have to be formal and stodgy. They can be entirely haphazard, random, or informal. Regardless of their structure and duration, if they are put in place in a mutually respectful environment, the results are exponential and unpredictable (in a good way).

Partnerships can take many forms. Partnerships can be a type of mentorship. They can be behavioral, such as listening, advising, or counseling. They can be all about sharing experiences or ideas. They can also involve working together, for mutual gain, or for the sole benefit of one of the partners.

If we flip things back into the horticultural business realm for a moment, I can think of many successful examples of partnerships, or partnership-type relationships. I’ve seen hundreds of times when an experienced grower takes a less experienced grower under their wing, with both emerging further ahead than when they started. One gained insights and knowledge and perhaps a heightened level of purpose, while the other probably gained resolve and renewed passion for their work.

I can think of several grower cooperatives in that are in place, some formal, others informal, where one grower will grow certain crops, while another focuses on others. In some cases, there is collective/shared marketing, in others, it is split markets.

I can also think of many times when I’ve seen people come together to solve common problems, or simply step in to help a peer address a challenge. Sometimes growers share knowledge resources with each other or work together to build something for both of their sets of customers.

I don’t think that we ever avoid partnerships, particularly the informal relationship-type ones. Never discount the impact that your support may have on another person or business. Take the help when it is offered. Share the load. Contribute to the whole. While it might not be entirely dangerous to go alone, you’d be foolish not to accept the help and see what happens as a result.