Personal values drive and motivate partners. They are the underpinnings of their decisions. They’re the guideposts they rely on to chart their course through the myriad dilemmas they face every day. Partners need to understand their own and each other’s values to work effectively and harmoniously.

Research has demonstrated that people imagine they know other people better than they really do and some people hold onto those misunderstandings. Digging into feedback from style assessments helps partners understand one another and helps them make behavioral commitments to one another so their day-to-day interactions are much more collaborative and satisfying.   

Dividing roles and authority is advantageous for both partners and the business itself. Using a detailed roles table and clear levels of authority, partners discuss responsibilities and carefully specify the levels of authority each partner will have for each of their responsibilities. The result is far fewer turf battles and misunderstandings.

Many people say they avoid partnerships because partners so frequently complain about “unmet expectations,” which can feel like breaking a trust. The problem is partners routinely fail to share their expectations with one another. When partners explore their expectations from a number of different perspectives, they reduce the risk of this problem and build greater trust.

Equity percentages are often a major focus of partners. Despite being a critical topic and very complex, there’s very little written on the topic. Even some seasoned entrepreneurs misunderstand the real significance of equity percentages and the relationships between percentages and other issues like compensation and control. This unit “unpacks” those interrelated topics.

For many co-owners determining pay, distributions, dividends, benefits, and perks is one of the toughest assignments they have, and one that can result in divisive negotiations. Provocative questions covering the entire span of money issues and partners thoughtful answers, assist Guides to skillfully facilitate discussions and negotiations, and document everyone’s understandings.

Most closely held companies have a Board but rarely do partners understand the span of decision-making authority of the Board, owners, and managers. Really “getting” how these three entities can operate without stepping on the others’ toes puts partners at a distinct advantage and ready for growth without all the normal growing pains.

A wildly successful businessman once said, “All events should be crossed in imagination before reality.” This unit sets up partners to “think the unthinkable” and become more confident they’ll be able to handle whatever anybody – including their partners – might throw their way. These exercises also teach partners more about one another so they don’t have to wait for a crisis to learn how a partner might respond.

Even though the Charter process is designed to significantly reduce the likelihood of destructive conflicts, it’s still important to have agreed-upon strategies just in case. This unit helps partners identify more strategies for handling difficult conversations as well as a sophisticated multistep process for handling even major conflict without ever resorting to litigation.