作為公司負(fù)責(zé)人，你能做的最重要的事就是找到合適的團(tuán)隊(duì)來(lái)幫你進(jìn)行經(jīng)營(yíng)。就公司如何向前邁進(jìn)而言，聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人、經(jīng)理、董事和生意伙伴都發(fā)揮著關(guān)鍵作用。好的生意伙伴并無(wú)硬性標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，但你選擇與之合作的人（或公司）將對(duì)貴公司的成功產(chǎn)生巨大影響。

完美生意伙伴的價(jià)值和你一模一樣，優(yōu)勢(shì)則和你恰好相反。好成員和真正了不起的成員之間的差別在于，前者組成的團(tuán)隊(duì)能很好地合作，而后者組成的團(tuán)隊(duì)能真正形成互補(bǔ)。這樣的差距看似很小，但互補(bǔ)性團(tuán)隊(duì)能在貴公司發(fā)揮全面效應(yīng)。

但從宏觀層面而言，尋找生意伙伴的方法已經(jīng)改變。隨便聘請(qǐng)一些熟人或者把商業(yè)決策變成個(gè)人愛(ài)好的日子已經(jīng)一去不復(fù)返。合作不再是交易，其內(nèi)容已經(jīng)變成有共同利益的雙方相互增強(qiáng)對(duì)方的實(shí)力。

作為一家軟件即服務(wù)（SaaS）公司的創(chuàng)始人，我經(jīng)常想到的一個(gè)問(wèn)題就是要把如今的合作看成一條雙向道路。SaaS改變了買(mǎi)賣(mài)軟件的方式。消費(fèi)者不再需要為本地軟件投入大量資金。相反，SaaS服務(wù)會(huì)成為企業(yè)的一個(gè)有機(jī)組成部分，而且會(huì)基于用戶反饋不斷地改進(jìn)，以便更好地滿足他們的需求。

如今的商業(yè)合作也采用同樣的方式。這種關(guān)系建立在不間斷的溝通之上。這樣的溝通能讓雙方深刻理解對(duì)方的首要任務(wù)，并更好地在對(duì)方最需要的地方提供支持。

尋找新的生意伙伴時(shí)，他的公司愿景應(yīng)該和你一樣，而且在你不擅長(zhǎng)的領(lǐng)域，他應(yīng)該是佼佼者。鎖定互補(bǔ)型伙伴將確保貴公司的所有部門(mén)都獲得支持。在你制定發(fā)展規(guī)劃時(shí)，這一點(diǎn)就會(huì)變得格外關(guān)鍵。

在和別人共同創(chuàng)立這家全球性科技公司的過(guò)程中，我有以下四點(diǎn)體會(huì)，恰能作為上述觀點(diǎn)的“操作建議”：

1、先要了解自己

絕對(duì)坦誠(chéng)，設(shè)法發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的優(yōu)勢(shì)和價(jià)值，這樣就可以找到可以和你的優(yōu)勢(shì)形成互補(bǔ)的伙伴，從而推進(jìn)你的首要任務(wù)。

2、開(kāi)發(fā)人脈

如果敬重某些人的工作或資質(zhì)，就去接觸他們，后者很可能為你帶來(lái)同樣的價(jià)值。如果他們成為新的伙伴，此前與之加深關(guān)系的舉措會(huì)在以后帶來(lái)回報(bào)。和普遍看法不同的是，我建議大家不要依靠直覺(jué)。你把公司的未來(lái)寄托在這些人身上，所以要真正了解他們，以確保找到了合適的人。

3、對(duì)新事物持開(kāi)放態(tài)度

如果有人能看到你也許無(wú)法立即看清的東西，就要特意挑選他們作為伙伴。就算他們的想法乍看上去很奇怪，也要聽(tīng)他們把話說(shuō)完。這些想法最終可能通過(guò)一些你永遠(yuǎn)也想不到的方式讓貴公司受益。

4、溝通是關(guān)鍵

工作關(guān)系和個(gè)人關(guān)系不同，你得為前者做功課。最初你們可以坐下來(lái)，就各自的想法暢談幾個(gè)小時(shí)。但漸漸地，你就得為這樣的溝通做更多的功課，特別是涉及到一些困難話題的時(shí)候。你們必須進(jìn)行這樣的對(duì)話，這樣做可以加深信任，讓你們團(tuán)結(jié)一心，甘苦與共。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

本文作者Alastair Mitchell是云協(xié)作軟件公司Huddle總裁兼創(chuàng)始人。

譯者：Charlie

校對(duì)：詹妮

The most important thing you can do as a business leader is find the right team to help you run your company — cofounders, managers, directors, andbusiness partners all play a critical role in how your company moves forward. There aren’t hard and fast rules for what makes a good business partner, but the people (or companies) you choose to work with can have a massive impact on the success of your business. The perfect business partner has the exact same values as you, but the exact opposite strengths. The difference between someone good and someone truly incredible can mean the difference between a team that works well together and a team that truly complements each other. It may seem like a small difference, but a team of people that complement each other can have a compounding effect on your business.

Yet the way we find business partners has shifted at a macro-level. Gone are the days of hiring random acquaintances or turning business decisions into personal favors. Partnerships aren’t transactions anymore — they’re about two parties with a mutualinterest in strengthening one another. Understanding today’s partnerships as a two-way street is something I’ve thought about a lot as the cofounder of a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company. SaaS has upended the way software is bought and sold. Instead of paying a lump sum for an on-premise software product, customers use SaaS offerings as living components of the businesses that continually evolve based on their feedback to better support their needs. Today’s business partnerships work the same way — they’re relationships developed from a consistent stream of communication that lets both parties deeply understand each other’s priorities and provide better support where it’s most needed.

When you’re seeking a new business partner, you’re looking for someone who shares your vision for the business, but excels in the areas you fall short. Identifying people with complementary approaches ensures every part of your company is supported–something that becomes especially critical when you’re planning for growth. To support this concept, here are four tips I’ve learned from cofounding a global technology company:

Know yourself first

Be painfully honest and work to identify your own strengths and values, so you can find partners that counterbalance your strong suits and advance your highest priorities.

Tap into your network

If there are people whose work or expertise you respect, reach out to them — it’s likely that they’ll deliver that same value to you. Deepening thosepersonal connections early on can pay off later if they result in new partnerships. And contrary to popular belief, I suggest not relying on your gut — you need to truly understand the people you’re entrusting with the future of your business to ensure they’re the right fit.

Be open to new things

Deliberately pick partners that see things that might not be immediately obvious to you. Hear them out, even if their ideas seem strange to you at first. Those ideas might end up benefiting your business in a wayyou never thought was possible.

Communication is key

Work relationships are not unlike personal relationships — they require work. In the beginning you can sit around for hours discussing ideas, but over time this type of communication requires more work; especially when it comes to difficult conversations. But these conversations need to happen, they will foster the trust needed to keep you united through thick and thin.