Partners in crime
June 6, 2005 | 12:00am
You know a great partnership when you hear them – put together some names and they have a magical ring to them: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Batman & Robin, Simon & Schuster, Barnes & Noble, Lennon & McCartney, Ernst & Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Siegfried & Roy, Hall & Oates, Stockton & Malone, Mel & Jay, Tom & Jerry…Tom & Mimi, Tom & Nicole, Tom & Penelope, Tom & Katie.
Okay, so maybe some partnerships are not as enduring as others. As history will show, it’s hard to trust a partnership with the name "Tom." But hey, it can’t be denied that great partnerships have made a tremendous impact in the history of the world.
Nowadays, the word "partner" is one of the most abused words. There was a time when it actually meant something – trust, loyalty, close affiliation, a "till death do us part" type of commitment. But now we use the term very loosely. Whenever a person is living in with someone and they are not married, they often refer to each other as "my partner." It’s never my "co-fornicator" or my "paramour" or my "lover." It’s a shame because the term "partner" used to connote commitment, now not always.
The word is even more abused in the business context. We say, "Oh, yes, we’re business partners" or "We have a joint venture partnership" when in fact, you’ve just met the person once on the golf course and both of you have mutually agreed to explore working together on a project.
I am guilty of this. I use it all the time. I say, "Hey, pardner, kamusta?" or "Pardnuuhr, what’s up?" "Pare" sounds so jeproks, and "Bro" sounds hip-hop. So I use "pardner."
What most people don’t realize – myself included – is that we are often "partners in crime." We profess to be partners yet we don’t live the part. We’re partners only in words.
Recently, I had lunch with my clients from Motorola, which is headed by the indefatigable and always vibrant Arlene Amarante. One thing I love about Arlene (apart from her cool phones, that is) is her honesty and her candor. She’s pretty straightforward. If she doesn’t like something that we’ve done, she’ll tell me right off (thank God there hasn’t been much of that). Conversely, if she likes something we’ve done, she will praise us – and celebrate with us. The lunch we had was a victory celebration of sorts because the MTV event that Motorola sponsored, "MTV Lokal Hits Cebu," was a smash hit with almost 50,000 at the SM grounds to watch the country’s top bands. Hundreds of people went to the Motorola booth to see the latest Moto phones – and of course, to have a chance to win a unit.
During the lunch, Arlene asked me if I could introduce her to another MTV client so they could explore a possible "partnership." I then took out my cell phone and started dialing. Arlene stared at my phone and she noticed that I was using a different brand of cell phone. She raised an eyebrow and asked mockingly, "Ano yan?" I then realized, "Oh no, I am not using my Moto phone!" I gave a sheepish, uncomfortable smile.
Arlene teased, "I can’t believe it! You’ve just professed your undying loyalty to Moto – then, in a blink on an eye, you bring out that – that, that…contraption! Hmmph!"
Embarrassed, I said the phone was merely given to me by the office as part of our corporate package with our telco provider. I actually do have a Motorola (which I totally love, by the way) but it just so happened I wasn’t able to charge it. It was a legitimate and valid excuse, but insofar as Arlene and the Motorola team were concerned, I’m sure I didn’t look good and I could very well understand the sentiment.
Arlene wouldn’t stop kidding me. She said to her team, "Hey, I have an idea — why don’t we partner with another channel?"
In a way, I did come off as some kind of a hypocrite. There I was, professing partnership to Motorola — and I was carrying another phone brand. What made it tougher is that I really, truly love Motorola phones (my Motorazor Motorola V3 is the slickest phone I have ever owned).
By the very nature of the business I am in, it is sometimes difficult to profess exclusive and an undying commitment to one client. We are in the business of selling media and the way we make money is through the advertisement of different companies on our network. This means that whether we like it or not, we have to deal with different companies who want to advertise with us, even if they are competitors. So in our world, we deal with Smart, Globe, and Sun; Pepsi and Coke; Unilever and Proctor & Gamble; McDonald’s and Jollibee. Sometimes, I find myself in difficult situations because obviously, each client wants to be treated as a "partner" of MTV.
It’s not always easy, though. Some clients feel that the moment they invest with you, they are the only ones that you should deal with. In such cases, you must make it clear that you do business with their competitors, too, but you must be able to assure them enough that with respect to the specific project that you are working on together, they have full exclusivity. A partnership is when the other person knows that you are behind him all the way – and that you will go out on a limb in only to ensure that the partnership will work.
If you read the Corporate Code (yeah, great reading material), you will learn that the difference between a corporation and a partnership is the level of commitment. A corporation is a separate entity altogether – distinct from the people who incorporated it, which is why when things turn sour, the stockholders just decide to dissolve it. The extent of the liability and risk of the stockholder is only up to the extent of his investment in the company. His personal assets will never be at risk (except in some cases). In partnerships, the commitment is more intimate. Generally, partners can be held accountable over and beyond what they invested in the partnership. If the partnership owed money, the creditor can go after not only the assets of the partnership, but also the assets of each individual partner. So you see, being a partner in a partnership means a greater deal of commitment than being an incorporator in a corporation.
A partnership means commitment, allegiance, trustworthiness and devotion. Unless you’re willing to offer all this to someone, calling a person "a partner" may not be appropriate. At best, call the person "buddy." Or call him by his name – you’ll be able avoid becoming a "partner in crime."
Thanks for your letters! You may e-mail me at rodnepo@yahoo.com
Okay, so maybe some partnerships are not as enduring as others. As history will show, it’s hard to trust a partnership with the name "Tom." But hey, it can’t be denied that great partnerships have made a tremendous impact in the history of the world.
Nowadays, the word "partner" is one of the most abused words. There was a time when it actually meant something – trust, loyalty, close affiliation, a "till death do us part" type of commitment. But now we use the term very loosely. Whenever a person is living in with someone and they are not married, they often refer to each other as "my partner." It’s never my "co-fornicator" or my "paramour" or my "lover." It’s a shame because the term "partner" used to connote commitment, now not always.
The word is even more abused in the business context. We say, "Oh, yes, we’re business partners" or "We have a joint venture partnership" when in fact, you’ve just met the person once on the golf course and both of you have mutually agreed to explore working together on a project.
I am guilty of this. I use it all the time. I say, "Hey, pardner, kamusta?" or "Pardnuuhr, what’s up?" "Pare" sounds so jeproks, and "Bro" sounds hip-hop. So I use "pardner."
What most people don’t realize – myself included – is that we are often "partners in crime." We profess to be partners yet we don’t live the part. We’re partners only in words.
Recently, I had lunch with my clients from Motorola, which is headed by the indefatigable and always vibrant Arlene Amarante. One thing I love about Arlene (apart from her cool phones, that is) is her honesty and her candor. She’s pretty straightforward. If she doesn’t like something that we’ve done, she’ll tell me right off (thank God there hasn’t been much of that). Conversely, if she likes something we’ve done, she will praise us – and celebrate with us. The lunch we had was a victory celebration of sorts because the MTV event that Motorola sponsored, "MTV Lokal Hits Cebu," was a smash hit with almost 50,000 at the SM grounds to watch the country’s top bands. Hundreds of people went to the Motorola booth to see the latest Moto phones – and of course, to have a chance to win a unit.
During the lunch, Arlene asked me if I could introduce her to another MTV client so they could explore a possible "partnership." I then took out my cell phone and started dialing. Arlene stared at my phone and she noticed that I was using a different brand of cell phone. She raised an eyebrow and asked mockingly, "Ano yan?" I then realized, "Oh no, I am not using my Moto phone!" I gave a sheepish, uncomfortable smile.
Arlene teased, "I can’t believe it! You’ve just professed your undying loyalty to Moto – then, in a blink on an eye, you bring out that – that, that…contraption! Hmmph!"
Embarrassed, I said the phone was merely given to me by the office as part of our corporate package with our telco provider. I actually do have a Motorola (which I totally love, by the way) but it just so happened I wasn’t able to charge it. It was a legitimate and valid excuse, but insofar as Arlene and the Motorola team were concerned, I’m sure I didn’t look good and I could very well understand the sentiment.
Arlene wouldn’t stop kidding me. She said to her team, "Hey, I have an idea — why don’t we partner with another channel?"
In a way, I did come off as some kind of a hypocrite. There I was, professing partnership to Motorola — and I was carrying another phone brand. What made it tougher is that I really, truly love Motorola phones (my Motorazor Motorola V3 is the slickest phone I have ever owned).
By the very nature of the business I am in, it is sometimes difficult to profess exclusive and an undying commitment to one client. We are in the business of selling media and the way we make money is through the advertisement of different companies on our network. This means that whether we like it or not, we have to deal with different companies who want to advertise with us, even if they are competitors. So in our world, we deal with Smart, Globe, and Sun; Pepsi and Coke; Unilever and Proctor & Gamble; McDonald’s and Jollibee. Sometimes, I find myself in difficult situations because obviously, each client wants to be treated as a "partner" of MTV.
It’s not always easy, though. Some clients feel that the moment they invest with you, they are the only ones that you should deal with. In such cases, you must make it clear that you do business with their competitors, too, but you must be able to assure them enough that with respect to the specific project that you are working on together, they have full exclusivity. A partnership is when the other person knows that you are behind him all the way – and that you will go out on a limb in only to ensure that the partnership will work.
If you read the Corporate Code (yeah, great reading material), you will learn that the difference between a corporation and a partnership is the level of commitment. A corporation is a separate entity altogether – distinct from the people who incorporated it, which is why when things turn sour, the stockholders just decide to dissolve it. The extent of the liability and risk of the stockholder is only up to the extent of his investment in the company. His personal assets will never be at risk (except in some cases). In partnerships, the commitment is more intimate. Generally, partners can be held accountable over and beyond what they invested in the partnership. If the partnership owed money, the creditor can go after not only the assets of the partnership, but also the assets of each individual partner. So you see, being a partner in a partnership means a greater deal of commitment than being an incorporator in a corporation.
A partnership means commitment, allegiance, trustworthiness and devotion. Unless you’re willing to offer all this to someone, calling a person "a partner" may not be appropriate. At best, call the person "buddy." Or call him by his name – you’ll be able avoid becoming a "partner in crime."
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