There is this ridiculous intersection in Wiliamsburg, VA. As soon as westbound traffic passes through, the cars must then choreograph a merge in a very short space of time -- literally no more than about 20 feet and 3 seconds Now, merging is just a pain under normal circumstances, but this merge is a left-to-right maneuver; not the standard right-to-left.
Yes, folks, the left lane (the side with the oncoming traffic) disappears about 3 seconds after you cross the intersection. Not only do you need to find a way to play nice with the folks in the other lane, you've got to make sure you don't stray over the double-yellows into the grill of some guy's F-150.
And, truly, this is how it is merging in professional life. There are treacherous left-to-right mergers all over the place. We may not be talking life and death, but the principles are the same:
Are the right people at the table? Not all drivers are as skill or focused, or have the same temperment. Yes, Ed's your good friend and Susan is a longtime colleague. But do their skills and talents fulfill the needs of the venture. Who among you is handling the key tasks and functions? Topical expertise doesn't equal business savvy. Nor does friendship equal long-term commitment. And in these situations, it's easy to loose focus on the business of running your business.
Is everyone on the same page? In a perfect traffic world, people in the two lanes take turns, giving everyone a fair chance to enter the single lane without incident. In the business world, do you and your partner(s) have the same ideas about assignments and responsibilities? Or are you just assuming that any sane person would do things the way you would? Map out a plan for implementation together, and question your most basic, simple assumptions. Most of all, know what you want and what your vision of partnership looks like before beginning.
Are there clear signs and indicators? Most of us understand and interpret road signs the same way, but maybe there are distinctions that we wouldn't expect about one another. Is there a contract? Are there benchmarks that allow all parties to measure progress? Is there clear communication between you and your partner(s)? Is everyone listening? Does communication turn into action or decisions?
Is there enough time? Let's not have an accident due to race track maneuvers. A high-pressure or impractical timeline is no way to get started in a partnership. Is everyone truly on board with the timeline? What types of benchmarks are in place to measure progress and allow for adjustments? When is it time to count your losses and pull out of the deal? Are you feeling rushed and uncomfortable?
What happens if there's an "accident"? How do you extricate yourself from a bad situation? The accident has happened and it ain't pretty. What type of insurance -- metaphorically speaking -- did you put in place to cut your losses? Create a dissolution agreement or a memorandum of understanding to ensure appropriate allocation of assets, and that breaking up is as painless as possible.
Putting a damper on your euphoria? Don't let it get you down, but don't enter into this venture blindly either. Give that merger, partnership or collaboration plenty of consideration and planning. You'll be better situated to handle whatever comes your way.
Gaea Honeycutt
blog at WeirdingWord.com
Weirding Word®, a division of G.L. Honeycutt Consulting, LLC, is a virtual publication department that provides editing, freelance writing, and publication and web design services.
Copyright 2007-2010 Gaea L. Honeycutt. All rights reserved.
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