65%的创业公司失败的真实原因

刘颖

The Leadership Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question “What do you look for in the ideal business partner?” is by Alicia Navarro, CEO of Skimlinks.
    A business partner is one of the most important relationships you will ever have — the fate of your business depends on it. According to research by Noam Wasserman, Harvard Business School professor and author of The Founder’s Dilemmas, 65% of startups fail due to problems within management teams.
    Similar to romantic relationships, there is no universally ideal business partner. Every entrepreneur and every company is different. You of course want someone who is smart and hardworking, but beyond that, the ideal business partner is someone who is uniquely compatible to you.
    My business partner, Joe Stepniewski, is someone I’ve known for 18 years. We went to university together and have been close ever since. We even moved to the U.K. from Sydney at the same time and lived together in London for many years.
    Through ups and downs, our shared experiences created a strong bond. We trust each other, and at this point, are like family. We’ve run Skimlinks together for the past eight years, and the foundation of friendship means we never have to tiptoe around issues. We can be open and direct while knowing that no matter what, we can get through anything as a team. We know we’ll forgive each other, if needed, and will always be there to offer support. Plus, we enjoy spending time together.
    A decades-long friendship is by no means a prerequisite when searching for a business partner, but my own experience has taught me the importance of finding someone who is truly your counterpart.
    To me, a great business partner is someone who is similar enough to you that you’re able to understand each other. You have a similar frame of reference and share the same vision. You don’t have to constantly explain your way of thinking or doing and can take communication shortcuts. Perhaps most importantly, you are equally committed to the journey — and to achieving your goals.
    That said, an optimal business partner is not someone who is exactly like you. You want to be a whole that is greater than the sum of your parts, which can only happen when you both have incrementally different strengths — rather than overlapping. If you are both big-picture creative types, the nitty-gritty details may never get taken care of. If you both like taking the lead all the time, conflict and bitterness may ensue. Compatibility often hinges on having complementary personalities and skill sets. A partner who is sufficiently different from you can be the yin to your yang. A partner who naturally has highs and lows at different times than you is likely to balance you out and provide more stability and strength for the rest of your team.
    Finding your ideal business partner requires a strong sense of self-awareness. You have to know your own strengths and weaknesses, preferences, pet peeves and goals before you can know what to look for in a partner. You have to consider not only what you need, but also what your partner needs, to be the best you both can be. You have to be ruthlessly honest with yourself about your shortcomings so you can find a partner who is the right match for you. I’m grateful to have found that partner and can gladly say that thanks to Joe by my side, we’ve been able to build a business — and a friendship — that we can both be proud of.

刘颖

领导力内部网络是一个在线社区，最有思想、最具影响力的商界人士将在此回答关于职业与领导力的问题。今天我们的问题是：“你认为理想的合伙人应该具备哪些品质？”以下为Skimlinks公司CEO艾丽西亚·纳瓦罗的回答。

    商业合伙人是你最重要的人际关系之一——你们的关系如何，将决定公司的成败。哈佛商学院教授、《创始人的困境》一书的作者诺姆·沃瑟曼最近的一项研究发现，65%的初创公司因为管理团队内部的问题而遭遇失败。

    与恋爱关系类似，理想的商业合伙人没有统一的标准。每一位创业者和每一家公司都是不同的。创业者肯定希望合伙人聪明能干，但除此之外，理想的合伙人与创业者之间应该有独特的相容性。

    我跟我的合伙人乔·斯坦涅夫斯基已经相识18年之久。我们是大学同学，之后一直保持着亲密的关系。我们甚至一起从悉尼搬到英国，在伦敦共同居住过许多年。

    同甘共苦的经历，让我们的关系更加紧密。我们彼此信任，在某种程度上说，我们就像一家人。过去八年，我们共同经营Skimlinks，而深厚的友谊意味着我们从来不需要回避问题。我们可以坦率地交流，因为我们知道，无论如何，我们都能精诚合作，克服任何难题。我们知道，我们能够原谅彼此，始终都是彼此的依靠。而且，我们享受在一起的时光。

    在寻找合伙人的时候，数十年的友谊并非先决条件，但我自己的经历让我知道，找到真正能与自己配对的人是多么重要。

    我认为，好的合伙人应该与你足够类似，这样就可以理解彼此的想法。你们有类似的判断标准，有相同的愿景。你不需要不断地解释自己的思维或做事方式，这样可以缩短沟通的时间。或许最重要的是，你们都全身心投入到创业的过程当中，为实现共同的目标而努力。

    尽管如此，最佳合伙人并不是与你完全一样的人。你希望获得1加1大于2的效果，而要实现这个目标，你们必须具有不同的优势，而不是相互重叠。如果你们都是擅长宏观思考和创造，可能就无法照顾到那些繁琐的细节。如果你们都希望一直占据上风，结果可能造成冲突和怨恨。合伙人的相容性通常取决于双方是否具有互补的性格和技能。如果合伙人与你有所不同，你们就会像阴阳两面一样相辅相成。如果合伙人和你出现情绪高潮和低谷的时间不同，你们便可以相互平衡，保持团队稳定，为其他人带来更多力量。

    要找到理想的合伙人，你需要有很强的自我认知能力。你首先必须知道自己的优势和劣势、偏好、不能容忍的事情和目标，然后再去寻找你想要的合伙人。你不仅要考虑自己的需求，也要考虑合伙人的需求，努力成为对方的最佳拍档。你必须诚实面对自己的缺点，只有这样，你才能找到一位与你完美匹配的合伙人。能够找到现在的合伙人，一直让我心存感激。我可以很高兴地说，正是因为有乔陪在我身边，我们才能创建一家令我们引以为豪的公司，同时能维持一段让我们骄傲的友谊。