In The Partnership Charter, psychologist and business mediation expert David Gage offers a comprehensive guide to the art of establishing and maintaining a business partnership. The centerpiece of his approach is the Partnership Charter, a document that clearly outlines the goals, expectations, responsibilities, and relationships of the principals. The charter identifies potential sources of conflict and how they will be resolved, while addressing such sensitive issues as personal styles, values, money, and power. Illustrating every principle through engaging stories drawn from Gage's front-line experience consulting to business partners, as well as interviews with the founding partners of such successful businesses as Progressive Insurance Company and Manpower, Inc., The Partnership Charter dispels common myths and presents a practical framework for launching, building, and sustaining a thriving business partnership.
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Gage, a professor at the Kogod School of Business at American University, believes that business partners should have an operating charter in addition to a partnership agreement. This operating charter, while not legally binding, is a strategic way for partners to have a serious, ongoing discussion about how they plan to run their business, deal with work issues and people, and spell out their expectations. The actual charter is far less important than the conversations leading up to its drafting. Gage discusses the four key questions that should be considered when deciding to form a partnership. While some people can explain why they want to own a business and why they want to have a partner, two questions—are there better alternatives than choosing a partner and is the person you're choosing the best partner—are more difficult to answer. Using a variety of examples, Gage shows how business people sometimes choose partners instead of finding outside financing or hiring a consultant. This is a clear and helpful book, best for people who are considering setting up a partnership. Readers who are already in partnerships, however, may find Gage's advice useful but harder to implement. Overall, this book is a solid addition to the business guide category.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
David Gage is founder of BMC Associates, a multi-disciplinary Arlington, Virginia-based mediation firm. He is also an adjunct professor at the Kogod School of Business at American University, and maintains a private practice as a clinical psychologist. Gage speaks regularly to business and professional organizations, runs seminars, and writes articles on issues of preventing and resolving conflict. He lives in Arlington.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I came across this book in the small business section of the library, and once I had read it, decided I needed to purchase a copy for my permanent collection. I have been through the partnership anguish described in the book, and I wish I'd found the book earlier because I think my partner and I may have had a chance at working things out had we followed Gage's advice. Moreover, I am writing a book on women and small business, including a section about how natural and helpful it is to take on a business partner. I plan to refer to and recommend Gage's book in my own. The Partnership Charter is insightful, useful, and well-written. In a very professional way, Gage tackles one of the most vexing challenges of small businesses: they are personality-driven. I won't pretend that implementation of his advice is easy, but at least you'll have a roadmap that helps you and your partner to reduce the risks, get to know each other better, and give it your collective best shot.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a top-notch book - nicely written, smartly organized, and easy to follow and understand. It provides insightful information, telling case histories, useful checklists and exercises, and even includes a fully developed "Partnership Charter" in the appendix. Author David Gage offers an inside view of partnerships, and his case studies make the text a pleasure to read. More importantly, he shows you how to create a partnership charter that will function as your enterprise's Magna Carta in the years to come. If you are planning a partnership, we advise you to study this expert presentation first. You will save yourself a lot of trouble.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I read The Partnership Charter as I was about to enter into a partnership to start a business requiring large amounts of startup capital which I had almost finished raising. Upon reading this great book, I realized that my partner was not the one to do this venture with and I pulled out at the last minute. I thank David and this book for saving me from a great deal of anguish and aggravation. Had I entered into this partnerhip, I would have ended up doing the lion's share of the work and would have had to break up the partnership.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A cornerstone book for anyone who is in a business partnership, or...
This cornerstone book is a must for anyone wishing to form a partnership, anyone who is already in a partnership, and anyone who is in the field of partnership development. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ofer Arad
I was expecting something different
Probably, I was expecting more in terms of ideas of how to form ownership charter, design salary structures, do profit sharing and such objective issues & matters in a partnership. Read more
Published 4 months ago by medebayan
Most read for every entrepreneur
I think it's a most read for every entrepreneur and partnerships.
I really enjoyed all the examples and also that it structures a very difficult topic because business it's... Read more
I really enjoyed all the examples and also that it structures a very difficult topic because business it's... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jorge Lopez Kuri
GREAT Info, but the examples...killing me
There is a lot of good info in the book but the author goes overboard with examples and stories. I got it. You're a published author. Read more
Published 12 months ago by evoklarry
Missing link in business literature
I wish I had been privy to this book when I set up a family business partnership 6 years ago. If we had considered the multitude of ways that a family partnership could go wrong... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Renee Maxfield
Great information
Good book that gives a lot of excellent and helpful information in working through partnership issues.
Published on November 21, 2009 by K. Andrew
Read this BEFORE entering into a partnerhsip
Definitely on my recommended book list. A must read for women in business.
Susan Bock
The Success Coach for Women in Business
www.SusanBockSolutions.com
Susan Bock
The Success Coach for Women in Business
www.SusanBockSolutions.com
Published on September 17, 2008 by Susan Bock
Good book that will sit on my desk
I have skimmed this book and it looks great. However, it will probably sit on my bookshelf until I get desperate.
Published on June 8, 2008 by B. Callahan
Read this Book Before you Start any Organization
I really enjoyed this book and wish that it had been required reading in business school. Unlike many "business" books, this one is covers not only the theory behind what makes a... Read more
Published on December 21, 2007 by JPL
Fantastic book
I'm usually not the type to make the time to write a review but with this book I felt compelled to.
There are so few books written on this topic. Read more
There are so few books written on this topic. Read more
Published on November 10, 2007 by Nattie
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
"PARTNERSHIP" IS A SEDUCTIVE buzzword in the business world today. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
partnership distress, interpersonal equity, charter process, partner disputes, creating guidelines, prospective partners, outside board members Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Partnership Charter, New York, Star Systems, Chuck Johnson, Charlie Johnson, Paul Carlin, United States, Romancing the Woods, Harvard Business Review New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
"PARTNERSHIP" IS A SEDUCTIVE buzzword in the business world today. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
partnership distress, interpersonal equity, charter process, partner disputes, creating guidelines, prospective partners, outside board members Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Partnership Charter, New York, Star Systems, Chuck Johnson, Charlie Johnson, Paul Carlin, United States, Romancing the Woods, Harvard Business Review New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 19
books:
See all 19 books this book cites
- Family Business by Rh Value Publishing on 4 pages
- The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization (Collins Business Essentials) by Jon R. Katzenbach in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père on page 141
- Fathers & Sons by Todd Richissin in Back Matter
- The Count Of Monte Cristo (Scholastic Classics) by Alexandre Dumas on page 141
See all 19 books this book cites
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