My parents recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, and this week, my grandparents celebrate their 65th. With the success rate of marriage, or any spousal partnership hovering around the 50% mark (depending on the source of statistic), the bottom line is that in today’s society, hitting that kind of milestone is a considerable achievement.
When toasting my grandparents this past weekend, the family asked for any advice they would share in regards to how they achieved such a long partnership, and they both answered quickly “hard work” followed by “constant communication”.
That made me think of one of my favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally, no not the scene you are probably all thinking, but the snippets they show of the older couples in between scenes talking about the keys to a successful partnership. They too mention hard work, compromise and communication.
Sounds simple, right? Think again.
We have partnerships at Yoh on both the RPO and MSP side that are more than a decade in length, and it is absolutely clear that the reason these relationships are as strong as they are is that we are always a work in progress towards betterment and we consistently communicate.
So that’s the good news. The flip side of that though is that I have seen RPO’s and MSP’s fall apart for the exact same reason: one or both parties weren’t willing to put in the work and commitment to go the distance.
I recently blogged about renewing your RPO vows in this post.
Whether it’s your spouse/partner, your friendships, or your RPO/MSP Partnership, it’s absolutely essential, okay let me use an even stronger word- critical- for both parties to be completely open and frequent with their communication.
I am going to go out on a “realistic limb” here and say that it’s not going to work all the time. Just like marriages dissolve, sometimes it truly does make the most sense for a client and provider to part ways b/c they are seeking something the other can’t provide or isn’t willing to commit to. The smartest approach is always the direct one and it’s been said for ages that the best decision is an informed decision, not one made in a vacuum without discussion. Three steps:
Determine-What is it you are looking for a provider to accomplish?
Discuss-Who can provide what is necessary to meet those needs?
Decide-Who is the right partner that together with the right commitment from both sides, you will go the distance.