Power Partners
Why professionalising partnerships isn’t just smart, it’s survival.
Over the years, we’ve collaborated with multiple partners on various projects.
Some relationships are long-term and strategic, built on trust, experience, and mutual respect.
Others are short-term and project-driven, where you’re hiring for a narrow skill set (say, a designer who’s mastered the tech aspects of a specific learning management system).
It’s all been ad hoc so far as I suspect it often is for many of you working in-house: identifying and picking partners for specific projects, as needs arise.
The Turning Point
It’s only recently, following the guidance of a fantastic (and uncompromising) business adviser, that I decided to professionalise the setup.
If I explain why, it might help you.
1. Analyse
A couple of project-specific partnerships went wrong. Two failed to deliver as agreed.
A few others delivered, but the output was… underwhelming.
There were lessons - my failings, theirs, and the root causes.
The goal now is to turn those lessons into rules of engagement to avoid repetition.
2. Formalise
With partners who consistently deliver, we’re moving to longer-term partnership agreements, similar to master services agreements (MSAs).
I’ve seen this with clients too: once you reach this stage, everything gets easier.
With that safety net in place, it’s easier to:
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Do more — and do it better
In our case, it now means that if you ask me:
“Hey, do you know someone who does world-class OSINT sleuthing, develops fraud tools for SMEs, or designs brilliant speak-up frameworks for mid-caps?”
I can confidently say, yes.
3. Publicise
If you’ve had a wonderful experience with an adviser, share the love.
I know the hesitation:
“What if they don’t deliver next time?”
“What if they get too busy and have no time for us?”
But recommending great partners is one of the nicest, and most useful, things you can do.
All our work with development finance institutions (DFIs) and impact investors stems from two lovely individuals who consistently referred us.
Those introductions helped us stay afloat during a difficult year (2022) and, ultimately, improve our service to DFIs and impact investors.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
4. Call Out the Bullshitters
Many of you already share notes in working groups, European DFIs, London tech circles, healthcare collectives.
If you’re not in those groups, though, you might miss out on vital information.
Why bother calling people out? Because if you’re in-house, you can.
You’re not competing with the people you buy services from.
On the advisory side, we can’t.
There are four very prominent “gurus” in the ethics and compliance world who I know are frauds, they’ve stolen, misrepresented, or stepped on others to get ahead (one even has a book to show for it).
Much to my wife’s dismay, if I, or any other advisor, called them out publicly, it would look petty.
But you can.
Sharing that information in private networks isn’t gossip, it’s a public service. Hooray for you.
A Hedge Fund Lesson
Years ago, a fraudster mis-sold a hedge fund client a mathematical model and its software.
He claimed to have a Cambridge doctorate in maths (forged, of course) and used three mobile phones, one UK, one Aussie, and one US number.
He created three fake referees:
A gruff Australian mogul
A pretentious British academic
A slick New York trader
All played by himself, with apparently convincing accents.
When the truth came out, the hedge fund was mortified. A simple Google search, or one phone call to Cambridge, would have exposed him.
They ended up contracting my former employer to ring around London’s hedge fund scene to warn others.
You don’t need to go that far. But it shows there are ways to get the word out.
It’s in all our interests to maintain professional standards and uphold integrity.
Sifting the great partners from the duds is part of that.
I don’t want to hire or partner with anyone who isn’t up to the job and I know you don’t either.
Let’s share notes, compare experiences, and clean up a progressively messy market.
Governance (Trending)
With the list of risks handled by anyone in integrity, compliance, ethics, or ESG roles multiplying like spring bunnies, is governance the answer?
That’s the theory many DFIs, multilaterals, and development agencies are now testing.
Over the past six months, the number of projects focused heavily on governance has increased sharply.
The Thinking
Outside the Fortune 100 (or maybe 250), few organisations have the budget or bandwidth for large internal risk teams.
Expecting one or two people to manage everything, from sustainable supply chains to money laundering, is unsustainable.
It’s producing burnout and overwhelming workloads, creating supply-demand pressure in recruitment.
So, the idea is:
Shift ownership of risk upward - to the executive and the board.
The New Model
Savvy investors are now building this into investment conditions, making leadership directly accountable for governance and risk.
To make that shift workable, they’re offering knowledge transfer, modular training, tools, templates, and assessments.
We’re doing the same.
Because, unsurprisingly, when governance and risk become your problem as a leader...
miraculously, resources are found.
Who’d have thought?
Contextual Quote for the Week
“Idealism increases in direct proportion to one’s distance from the problem.”
— John Galsworthy
Need More?
Find out why the world’s most ethical investors say I’m “particularly skilled at sensitively engaging with firm leadership on very tricky topics.”
Why SMEs we’ve screened as potential investments thank us for “the deep, thoughtful approach.”
And why Transparency International said:
“We wholeheartedly recommend Rupert for his creativity, inventiveness, and professionalism - a definite 10 out of 10,”
after a recent collaboration.
Plus: free assessments, in-depth guides on integrity risk and sustainability, two chapters of my book, and how to schedule a no-obligation strategy session.
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