Trust Among Partners Moves Work Fast

My partner and I follow the model of Visionary/Integrator found in the book Rocketfuel. You can take the test here if you want to find out if you are an Integrator or a Visionary. I’m a high level of Visionary, and my partner is a high level of Integrator. As a Visionary, my brain tends to think big thoughts, while it can get bogged down in smaller details (but I can move work fast when I need to). On the other hand, my partner’s brain moves incredibly fast (sometimes I ask her to slow down). She can also have visionary ideas, too, but looks to me to develop those.

We both have specific jobs in our companies, and they are defined by our Visionary/Integrator roles. These defined roles keep us in our lanes so we don’t step into the other partner’s lane. And since our work is integrated in a tight way around our roles, we have the privilege to trust each other in each specific role.

For example, my partner keeps all trains moving in all companies, and knows which car to hook up to the train next. She has greater insight into the movement of things than I do. So our team, including myself, can rely on her for the movement of the details of the company. We can ask her “what’s next?” and she’ll know. We don’t even have to be burdened with the ‘why’ behind what’s next. Our trust in her ability to know the next step is enough to simply go execute. We don’t need to ask “why?”

The foundation of trust can be enough to move tasks through a company lightning fast, which is why my partner and I can spend more time on higher-level strategy and planning. It takes time to develop trust. But when trust is established, it become a cornerstone to keeping up with the pace of an entrepreneurial company. If you need help developing trust in your partnership, reach out to us at [email protected], and we can help you know the next steps to take so your company can move faster too.