Partnering: Forge the Deep Connections that Make Great Things Happen

by Jean Oelwang

The hidden superpower of great leaders? Deep connections.

Our individualistic society has created a cult of self-sufficiency. The result: fear, division, and domination, which has crushed our ability to relate meaningfully to each other in the workplace and diminished our ability to innovate and collaborate.

Jean Oelwang, president of Virgin Unite, has interviewed over 60 business and life partnerships - including Desmond and Leah Tutu, and Ben and Jerry - revealing how to nurture relationships with depth and purpose. These kinds of deep connections have a profound ripple effect on everything we do, supporting us to achieve more, withstand anything and amplify impact. Enduring partnerships are the foundation of a meaningful life as well as the backbone of any successful organisation. In this book she unpicks the values that connect great partners, the daily rituals that they use to stay in sync, and the habits that allow them to disagree respectfully and productively.

Packed with wisdom to nourish the relationships that give us strength and meaning, Partnering is a call-to-action for individuals resisting individualism to lead with purpose and impact.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Psychology, Leadership, Self Help, Relationships, Love

296 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2022

About the author

As the President and founding CEO of Virgin Unite and the co-founder of Plus Wonder, Jean Oelwang has spent over 15 years working with the likes of Archbishop Desmond and Leah Tutu, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, and Ben and Jerry, to name a few. This set her on a journey to interview sixty of the greatest partnerships and collaborations of our time to learn how to nurture deep connections in our lives.

She is a Collaboration Architect, working with partners to lead the start-up of several global collectives, including The Elders, The B Team, The Carbon War Room (now successfully merged with RMI), Ocean Unite, The Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, and 100% Human at Work.

Before Virgin Unite and Plus Wonder, Jean spent 18 years working in six continents to help start and lead mobile phone companies. She also worked for the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife in Australia and was a VISTA volunteer in the US where she partnered with homeless teens.

Jean holds several advisory board roles, including The Elders, Vintro, Vatican Humanity 2.0, and the Sara Blakely Foundation. She is on the boards of RMI, The Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, AID Live, Unite BVI Foundation, The B Team, Penn State Board of Visitors, and Just Capital. She is honoured to be a B Team leader. Jean has been on the TED and TEDx stages.

Reviews

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a HUGE believer in the power of partnerships. I have some truly great partnerships in my life right now. So I was excited for this book. But I'm sorry to say that this book was really basic and boring. There were some really famous examples of partners--but there were no real insights to go with them. Maybe if you have never read anything on good relationships, then this would be useful to you. But it covered stuff like establish trust and have a shared mission or goal. It didn't cover how to create that trust or pick a goal, let alone how to handle it if one partner changed their mind on the goal.

[Pouri]

NOT A REVIEW. A summary From Blinkist:
Partnering (2022) looks at what it takes to develop deep connections in both business and personal relationships. Drawing from interviews with some of the world’s most legendary partnerships including Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel and the collective which saved the ozone these blinks are a guide through the six principles of connection which can elevate your relationships and make an impact on the world.
What’s in it for me? Foster deep connections to maximize your impact. We live in an individualistic society – one that encourages us to strive for individual success and self-sufficiency even if it means jeopardizing our relationships with our colleagues and loved ones. As a result we’re in a crisis of loneliness and many of us are unable to create meaningful relationships in our workplace or our personal lives. But if we look closer the core of both a meaningful life and the success of an organization are enduring partnerships. Leaders like the founders of Innocent Drinks and the collective which teamed together to close the ozone hole have become the best version of themselves and maximized their positive impact through nourishing their relationships. Whether you’re looking to cultivate a partnership in business or deepen your relationship with your friends family or romantic partners you’ve come to the right place. In this Blink you’ll learn the six principles of finding building and developing Deep Connections based on what Jean Oelwang has learned in over 60 interviews with business and life partners.
The path to a meaningful life is through Deep Connections.
At the time that she founded Virgin Unite the charitable arm of the Virgin Group Jean had two decades of career success under her belt. Before that she’d helped start and develop mobile phone companies around the world. But the price of success had come with a cost. In order to prove herself as a successful female leader she’d squeezed her friendships into calls from taxis and time with her family into fleeting fly-by visits. Then one day in 2006 Jean got into a taxi in Johannesburg South Africa with her friend Nicola Elliot and boss Richard Branson founder of the Virgin Group and she headed to a meeting that fundamentally changed the way she thought about relationships. The taxi was bringing them to meet Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça Machel to discuss potential candidates for the Elders which is an organization founded by Mandela and Machel in partnership with Richard and the musician Peter Gabriel. The candidates for the new organization were global world leaders who’d work together to address global conflicts. When they arrived in Houghton a leafy suburb of Johannesburg Nicola Richard and Jean were greeted by Graça whose radiance and generosity made her seem immediately familiar. Graça had been an education minister of Mozambique a freedom fighter and now an advocate for women and children internationally. She was soon joined by Mandela in the living room who with his bright smile and towering stature immediately filled the room with joy. But the room was also filled with another energy: the love that Graça and Mandela shared with one another. More than a romantic love this was a deep connection that lifted each of them up to better achieve their life purposes. Over the course of the meeting Mandela shared countless stories about friends such as the former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and the former United States president Jimmy Carter. It was that day that Jean realized Mandela had become the figure he’s known to be through his relationships . The Deep Connections that great leaders have with one another enables them to create something larger than themselves. Instead of the rampant individualism that society wants us to believe in she realized the meaning of life must be created through the Deep Connections we nurture with others. The discovery set the author on a 15-year exploration of what it takes to build Deep Connections and collaborative initiatives in order to positively impact the world.
Elevate your life purpose through cultivating meaningful relationships.
Most people think of purpose as a solo endeavor. But actually the most meaningful change tends to happen when people come together. So the First Degree of Connection is elevating your life purpose by cultivating meaningful partnerships. By cultivating meaningful relationships we have the potential to become a part of something bigger than ourselves. And in some cases sharing a purpose might even lead to impactful changes on the entire world. Take Professor Frank Sherwood Rowland or as his friends call him “Sherry.” He founded the chemistry program at the University of California Irvine in 1964. In 1973 Mario Molina a student from Mexico City joined Sherry’s postdoctoral program. Together the pair decided they would focus on what happens to chlorofluorocarbons also known as CFCs in the environment. At the time CFCs were found in vast technologies from refrigerators and pesticides to deodorant and hairspray. Sherry and Mario knew that CFCs remained in the atmosphere. But their research led to an unimaginable discovery: CFCs carried to the stratosphere by wind currents were breaking down the earth’s ozone layer. The consequences of this would devastate the planet as we know it. Without the earth’s protective ozone shield in place the sun’s ultraviolet radiation would destroy ecosystems significantly increase skin cancer and cataracts and ravage agriculture. When Sherry and Mario published their discoveries in Nature in 1974 most people didn’t want to believe their findings. In the face of this the two scientists began mobilizing business leaders politicians the public and the media to take action. At first they were attacked by companies which benefited from the multibillion-dollar CFC industry who accused them of seeking publicity as well as fellow scientists who felt that science had no place for activism. But Sherry and Mario continued their work since they were motivated by a shared purpose: the need to save humanity. Ten years later another team of scientists working at the South Pole found a “hole” in the ozone layer above the Antarctic. After that other studies confirmed that the ozone layer was disappearing at an alarming rate. The world was finally starting to listen. In 1987 the Montreal Protocol was established setting in motion a plan to ban CFCs and other chemicals harmful to the ozone layer. In time 197 countries signed the agreement and Sherry and Mario even went on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. When we create partnerships we open ourselves up to the potential of creating something bigger than ourselves our partners and even our organizations. This something bigger isn’t about money or power – it’s about creating a meaningful life and a positive impact on the world through your unique skills. It might be your own personal mission or maybe it’s a mission that you share with your partner. But here’s the bottom line: instead of thinking about what you can get out of your relationships start asking yourself how you can contribute to the world through them. In the long run your relationships will be more sustainable when conflicts do inevitably arise since you’ll be motivated by a common purpose.
Go all-in with your relationships.
The foundation of any successful relationship is knowing that you have each other’s back – no matter what happens. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Second Degree of Connection is going all-in with your relationships. An all-in relationship means creating a bond where you can be vulnerable and take risks because you know you are supported by unconditional love. It’s not necessarily easy. An all-in relationship requires courage hard work and approaching conflict through creativity. But feeling safe and knowing that you have each other’s backs for the long run also gives you the confidence and freedom to do more. One of Jean’s first interviews for her book was with the former United States president Jimmy Carter. She’d worked with him for a decade through the Elders and she knew President Carter well but this interview was different. That’s because when she went to the Carter Center to meet him they didn’t discuss human rights or climate change or health care. They talked about the former president's more than seven decades of partnership with his wife the former first lady Rosalynn Carter. President Carter grew up as Rosalynn’s next door neighbor in Plains Georgia. One weekend while he was attending the US Naval Academy he returned home for a weekend visit. Their romance ignited. President Carter said he knew he wanted to marry Rosalynn – right from the start. Four children 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren later the couple shared the longest-lasting marriage of a US president. Heartwarmingly during the author’s interview Carter credited Rosalynn as the most important person in the White House during his time in office. But the couple was also candid about the conflicts that arise during a marriage. One of the most challenging times in their relationship was after Carter lost the election for his second term. He and Rosalynn decided to write a book together titled Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life. They had so many disagreements on the details of their stories that their editor finally suggested including both versions of the stories in the book. And although they admitted that they didn’t always see eye to eye they always discussed their differences before going to sleep at night. President Carter explained that when they have failures in their relationships it’s usually a common failure since they are in the relationship together. And the successes? They attributed those to giving each other space as well as developing mutual interests such as skiing fly-fishing and bird-watching. Through the Carter Center they have also continued their mutual fight for peace and human rights. And at the end of the day their all-in commitment has made their relationship resilient through good times and bad.
Create a moral ecosystem grounded in six essential virtues.
In our digital world most of us are focused on short-term profit and fame seeking power over others rather than collaborating for the greater good. In order to cultivate Deep Connections we need to reevaluate our moral and ethical values. The Third Degree of Connection is to cultivate a moral ecosystem. Think of this moral ecosystem like a spiritual operating system which guides your every action through practicing essential virtues. With time these virtues become automatic responses and develop kindness compassion grace and unconditional love between us and our Deep Connections. The six essential virtues you’ll want to practice to transcend cultural divides and expand your aspirations are: Enduring Trust; Unshakeable Mutual Respect; United Belief; Shared Humility; Nurturing Generosity; and Compassionate Empathy.
Let’s look at the most critical of the six essential virtues: Enduring Trust.
Enduring Trust isn’t just about learning to trust each other but learning to trust life itself. You need to learn to trust that the choices you make will enable you to walk in grace and succeed. When we learn to live without fear we can be fully present in our relationships and bring our whole selves to the table. In 2007 three young founders – Brian Chesky Nate Blecharczyk and Joe Gebbia – were trying to form a new business. At the time the thought of letting strangers live in your home seemed like a ridiculous proposition. The entrepreneurs understood that the trick to making their business work would be identifying the ways in which both guests and hosts would trust their system. And from its inception Airbnb’s business model revolved around connection and trust. The platform offered free professional photography designed an intricate reputation system and encouraged customer reviews. However when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and halted travel the cofounders made a decision to offer customers a full refund prioritizing health and safety over their traditional mode of business. The decision left hosts feeling blindsided. The breach of trust could have led to the end of the company. So in order to address the issue Joe Brian and Nate showed humility and offered a $250 million fund for hosts with their formal apology. In order to cultivate trust prioritize transparency and clarity in your communication. Assume people have good intentions but don’t be afraid of having hard conversations. Realize mistakes will be made and be willing to acknowledge and take responsibility for your actions. If you’re struggling to build trust with a partner consider this: Do you trust yourself? Trusting your own intentions and abilities is an essential starting point to cultivate trust throughout all of your relationships.
Cultivate magnetic moments through rituals traditions or daily practices to deepen your relationships.
Think about your fondest memories with your friends business partners or family members. Maybe it was laughing together at a company cookout. Or the mix of shock and joy on your best friend’s face when they walked into their surprise birthday party. These moments of connection are what we might call magnetic moments – which form the Fourth Degree of Connection . Magnetic moments are experiences that give you a feeling of togetherness and increase the depth and meaning in your relationships. They might include cultivating rituals daily practices or traditions to spark your wonder and curiosity. These moments can create space for unlimited joy and honest communication while building a wider community of support. They’re the moments which define your relationships and keep your Deep Connections afloat when conflicts arise. You shouldn't wait around for magnetic moments to occur organically. Magnetic moments require consideration planning and effort. This was something that Richard Reed along with his partners Adam Balon and Jon Wright understood when they started Innocent Drinks. Having originally bonded at the University of Cambridge the trio came up with the idea for a natural fruit smoothie business during a snowboarding trip in the late ’90s. Their first move was investing £500 to concoct an assortment of drinks to sell at a London music festival. The feedback on their smoothies was positive and Innocent Drinks was born. Part of the company's success can be attributed to the rituals practices and traditions which the cofounders implemented. Their quarterly off-site meetings once held at the local pub now take the form of team-building weekends in destinations from Salzburg to Ibiza. Since 2003 they’ve also led the Big Knit an annual tradition in which people across the UK mail mini knitted hats to the company. For every bottle with a hat sold the company donates 25 pence to Age UK in support of the elderly. Seven and a half million hats later the company has raised over £2.5 million for the charity and established a tradition which has built a special bond amongst its entire consumer community. Continuing to think up new kinds of rituals and traditions has been key to the three founders' ability to remain close friends as well as business partners. And they make sure to stay consistent too. They have a weekly Monday afternoon meeting which allows them to connect and makes them better at anticipating each other’s needs to best support one another.
Turn conflict into a learning opportunity by celebrating friction.
In any relationship friction is inevitable. We often see this as something we should try to avoid. But according to Jean conflict might actually benefit our relationships. That’s why the Fifth Degree of Connection is to celebrate friction. Celebrating friction isn’t about fueling drama; it’s about turning conflict into a learning opportunity. It requires putting aside your ego and considering your own contribution to a problem. This kind of constructive conflict requires you to trust that your partner has your best interests at heart going back to the moral ecosystem you cultivated in the Third Degree of Connection. Being able to find shared solutions will enable you and your partners to focus on the bigger picture. By dealing with friction gracefully we can come to view conflict as a learning opportunity. We can recognize that we don’t know all the answers and that our partners can be our best teachers as well as our support system. In 2016 André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard flew the first solar-powered flight around the planet. The 26 000 mile trip took 558 hours to complete. But it was years of developing the Deep Connection at the foundation of their friendship which they credit for the success of their company Solar Impulse. One of the early tensions to arise between the duo was when the media hailed Bertrand as the founder of the company without mentioning André. Bertrand’s wife Michèle Piccard encouraged him to tackle the issue before it left a scar on their friendship. Bertrand and André sat down to have a conversation about the issue leaving their egos at the door. Through talking together in private they realized that Bertrand’s past public speaking experience had made him the de facto spokesperson for their endeavor while André’s natural talent was his skill as a pilot. Bertrand’s intention hadn’t been to eclipse André. To solve the issue the two decided that Bertrand would train André to become a better speaker while André would train Bertrand to fly aircraft. What could have been a drama was skillfully turned into a learning experience for each of them. André and Bertrand call their ability to turn conflict into innovation “the sparkles.” Rather than trying to beat each other when conflict arises both parties attempt to transcend into an even better position. According to Bertrand if either of them is the same following a discussion it means that they learned nothing in the process.

CHECK OUT THE COMMENT SECTION FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMARY

[Jung]

Deep Connections lay the groundwork for creating something larger than yourself and impacting the world. Develop Deep Connections in both your business and private life through cultivating a shared purpose and a moral ecosystem of virtues. By celebrating friction and creating space for Magnetic Moments, you can turn conflict on its head and foster even greater connection while exploring new opportunities for growth that your relationships have to offer.

---

The path to a meaningful life is through Deep Connections.

At the time that she founded Virgin Unite, the charitable arm of the Virgin Group, Jean had two decades of career success under her belt. Before that, she’d helped start and develop mobile phone companies around the world. But the price of success had come with a cost. In order to prove herself as a successful female leader, she’d squeezed her friendships into calls from taxis and time with her family into fleeting fly-by visits.

Then one day in 2006, Jean got into a taxi in Johannesburg, South Africa with her friend Nicola Elliot and boss, Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, and she headed to a meeting that fundamentally changed the way she thought about relationships. The taxi was bringing them to meet Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graça Machel, to discuss potential candidates for the Elders, which is an organization founded by Mandela and Machel in partnership with Richard and the musician Peter Gabriel. The candidates for the new organization were global world leaders who’d work together to address global conflicts.

When they arrived in Houghton, a leafy suburb of Johannesburg, Nicola, Richard, and Jean were greeted by Graça, whose radiance and generosity made her seem immediately familiar. Graça had been an education minister of Mozambique, a freedom fighter, and now, an advocate for women and children internationally. She was soon joined by Mandela in the living room, who, with his bright smile and towering stature, immediately filled the room with joy. But the room was also filled with another energy: the love that Graça and Mandela shared with one another. More than a romantic love, this was a deep connection that lifted each of them up to better achieve their life purposes.

Over the course of the meeting, Mandela shared countless stories about friends such as the former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and the former United States president Jimmy Carter. It was that day that Jean realized Mandela had become the figure he’s known to be through his relationships. The Deep Connections that great leaders have with one another enables them to create something larger than themselves. Instead of the rampant individualism that society wants us to believe in, she realized, the meaning of life must be created through the Deep Connections we nurture with others.

The discovery set the author on a 15-year exploration of what it takes to build Deep Connections and collaborative initiatives in order to positively impact the world.

[R Bhatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Partnering: The New Face of Leadership" by Jean Oelwang is an insightful and inspiring book that explores the power of collaboration and partnership in leadership.

Oelwang draws on her extensive experience as the CEO of Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, to offer a fresh perspective on what it means to be a leader. She argues that the traditional model of top-down leadership is no longer effective in today's complex and interconnected world.

Instead, Oelwang proposes a new model of leadership that emphasizes collaboration, partnership, and shared goals. She uses real-life examples from her work at Virgin Unite to illustrate how partnerships can create meaningful change and drive innovation.

The book is well-written and engaging, with a clear and accessible style that makes it easy to understand and apply the concepts. Oelwang's personal stories and insights are particularly compelling, and she uses them to illustrate her points in a way that is both relatable and inspiring.

One of the strengths of the book is its practicality. Oelwang provides concrete steps and tools that readers can use to build partnerships and collaborate effectively. She also acknowledges the challenges and risks involved in partnership, and provides guidance on how to navigate these issues.

Overall, "Partnering" is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in leadership, collaboration, and making a positive impact in the world. It is a well-written and thought-provoking book that challenges readers to think differently about leadership and the power of partnerships.

[Francisco García Pimentel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankómetro: 89%
Pudo haberse llamado: Ape together, strong
Lo recomienda: Richard Branson
Léelo si te gusta: Simon Sinek

***************

Jean Oelwang es la directora de la fundación @VirginUnite: una mujer que dejó un puesto cómodo y un sueldo magnífico para ir a buscar sus sueños al lado de @RichardBranson, encontrando en el camino docenas de personas y de proyectos que nos demuestran que vale la pena creer.

#Partnering es un libro sobre el poder de encontrar la (o las) personas que nos hacen ser mejores, que nos apoyan e impulsan en las buenas y en las malas. Es un remedio contra el individualismo y, sobre todo, contra el mito del superhombre que a veces puebla los libros de motivación, emprendimiento e historia. Es un recordatorio importante sobre el hecho de que nadie, NADIE puede lograr nada por sí solo; que aún cuando una persona tenga virtudes y cualidades especiales, requiere un aliado en el camino.

Jean busca -y encuentra- pares de personas cuya fuerza unida es mucho mayor que la suma de sus partes: Ben y Jerry, Jimmy y Rosalyn Carter, Desmond y Leah Tutu y el par de científicos -uno de ellos mexicano, Mario Molina- que cambiaron el mundo y ganaron el Nobel tras descubrir el daño en la capa de Ozono. Una y otra vez, sus historias resuenan con el valor del apoyo mutuo, de la confianza y del amor.
Es un libro, debo decirlo, tan esperanzador como fluido que te obliga a repensar algunas de las asunciones sobre el liderazgo y el poder. Porque, a fin de cuentas, como ella misma nos lo recuerda, “si queremos llegar rápido, hay que viajar solos… pero si queremos llegar lejos, hay que caminar juntos”.

[Art Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I've been reading a lot of this kind of book lately. Partnering is elevated compared to most "insight" books however, as Jean Oelwang has some serious experience in the area. She was involved in creating The Elders, a group that includes (or included) the Carters, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. She is also the CEO of Virgin Unite so she's experienced this first hand at the highest level.

The tough part of this book is that she's trying to weave sixty (60!) partnerships into 230 or so pages. It ends up being hard to follow who's who between them all. It also just starts feeling a little repetitive since so many of the lists overlap and so many partnerships formed similarly.

However I'm going to take a lot away from this book. I believe in the power of collaboration and working as part of an open-minded team, and many of the qualities called out here are very important. It will change the way I approach collaboration at work and at home.

It's not often that the end notes make you want to add a star, but I almost did here. The last 30-40 pages are filled with great references and I'll be exploring many of them.

[Miss Sayé · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a global humanitarian devoted to heart-to-heart connection and soul-aligned collaboration, Partnering resonated deeply with the very essence of my work and purpose.

Jean Oelwang’s words are more than wise — they are lived, grounded, and profoundly generous. Her experience building purposeful partnerships on a global scale reflects not only exceptional leadership, but the kind of courage that trusts in meaningful human connection as the foundation for lasting change.

Reading this book felt like a homecoming — a return to the sacred truth that deep partnerships, anchored in love and service, are the keys to making great things happen. Jean’s perspective on weaving relationships with purpose mirrors my own energy-led approach to transformation. Our paths, though unique, are undeniably parallel — and I believe there is much we can do together to help shift the world toward greater unity and harmony.

I honour Jean not only as a leader, but as a kindred force. Partnering is more than a book — it is a transmission for a new way of being, working, and uplifting one another.

With love and gratitude,
Miss Sayé

[Nic Martino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic global accounts of how to build relationships and create large-scale change in the world. Jean's experience and her connection to movers and shakers make this a quick read full of inspiration and tangible takeaways to better your personal and professional development. After reading, I shared the book with my 99-year-old grandmother who recently moved into an assisted living facility. Within the week of her starting the book, she began eating in the dining room and joining more social events to continue her partnering journey as she completes nearly a century on this earth. It's so great to see her back to her own ways and being a social butterfly! I am excited to continue sharing Partnering with students and colleagues in education. After a global pandemic, what could be more necessary? I am sure that the people who read this work will find their own ways to achieve 'something bigger' in the world!

[Cindy Beharry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book. Very good advice for our working environment, college /grad students, dealing with co workers, collaborator and just friends. It's good for relationships as well.
It gives great advice for making connection in the work place, on a business and personal level, hence the name, deep connection. It includes morals, honesty and just good standards.
The book talks about making connection in business on an honest, moral level. These types of connection last a lifetime. Having true connections like this in business is priceless. These are people that you know will honestly have your back, will be there for you at any given moment if they can help, or try to honestly help, not stab you in your back when you are not looking. I recommend reading the book and making your own conclusion, don't just take my word, be your own judge.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it felt real and genuine, you know what I mean!!!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate the content: 4, but the writing: 2.
While I love the concept of Deep Connections and some of the material and principles, there were a couple of things that grated for me:
1. It felt unnecessarily verbose. Flowery or emotive adjectives. Repetition.
2. It saw no value in individuals as individuals - only in collectives. While the author did not quite come out and say it, she seems to be a cheerleader for One World Government (eg decrying borders on maps), which I guess is not surprising when you hang around at the World Economic Forum at Devo.

My own viewpoint, learned from "Nonviolent Communication" (Marshall Rosenberg), is that everything an individual does is to meet their own needs - even the act of choosing to Partner (eg needs for connection, growth, effectiveness, joy).

[Racquel Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a phenomenal book. I devoured it. I learned so much about the value of good partnerships and even areas where I need to do more work in support of my own partnerships. More than that though I enjoyed the stories! It was fun, entertaining and endearing. I’ll have to re read it to document and apply all that I’ve learned. The exponential opportunity for transformational change through partnerships is staggering through these examples. There are so many things we have the ability to accomplish if we just dared to forge these connections.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw Peter Gabriel refer to the book and it sounded interesting. It is the story of partnerships and has references to Peter Gabriel's work with The Elders. The book gives lots examples around a framework that the author uses to explain how to get partnering to work. The framework:
- Collective Connections
- Something Bigger
- The Ecosystem: enduring trust, unshakable respect, united belief, shared humility, nurturing generosity, compassionate empathy
- All In
- Celebrate Friction
- Magnetic Moments

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Partnering is a powerful and uplifting book about building deep, meaningful relationships—both in business and in life—as the foundation for making real change in the world. I was especially moved by the stories of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, the global effort to close the ozone hole, and the work of the Carters. It’s inspiring to see what’s possible when people trust, care, collaborate, and stay committed. This book not only gave me hope but also made me reflect on how meaningful and impactful my own partnerships have been. A truly rewarding read.

[Emily Sayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing and hopeful book. In part, packed with some incredible fly-on-the-wall stories of some of the world's most inspiring leaders, and also a powerful rally call for us all to re-think our concepts of success beyond a narrow individual framework and integrate partnerships and community into the core of our daily personal and work lives. At a time when hope can seem a little thin on the ground, this is an absolute must-read.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Oelwang’s book is deeply moving. The stories will make you smile, and hold the hands of those you’ve partnered with a little tighter. If you’re wanting to change the world, this book is your map. It will teach you to become the very best partner you can be, and how to choose a partner of your own. It will guide you as you set off to change the world together. We need partnerships, because nothing truly great is ever accomplished alone. And every partnership needs this book.

[Greg Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Partnering is a brilliant example of how a book can be simultaneously highly useful and very entertaining. Full of great life lessons but never preachy, Partnering will make you think differently about how and why we form partnerships, and how to make yours more effective and rewarding.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the framing of this book, the idea that if you get everything right 1 + 1 and = 1,000,000+. Diving into best practices for forming and sustaining partnerships is, with this framing, a worthwhile endeavour.
I enjoyed the stories of great partnerships.

[Tim W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good message but could be a lot shorter. Repetitive examples.

[Kathleen Messmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational guide on building all relationships in a meaningful way. Read it.

[Andreiqutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational, idealistic and hopeful

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine book, too many stories to follow. I wish the end of the book with the synopses had been the whole thing.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 ⭐️

[Julie Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as part of some research I was asked to do for a purposeful business support company I work for. Whilst I completely agree with the theory that partnering and collaboration is infinitely more useful than competition and combat, the style of writing was quite laborious and repetitive and the structure was not very clear. I would have preferred to have read each chapter as an example of good partnerships but instead there are endless lists and sublists of elements of partnering so it wasn't very cohesive and I skimmed through the last few chapters.