Spend your own money to build your core competencies. Use partner resources to shore up your weaknesses.
ADAGE
Yoke Up
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RESPONSE
Spend your own money to build your core competencies. Use partner resources to shore up your weaknesses. If you use a partner to build your core strengths, they will learn from you. The strengths you bring to the partnership will diminish in value to them. As your value decreases you become weaker. You can even lose control over core elements of your business. If you limit your partner’s contributions to building up your weaknesses, it can only make you stronger. You will have little they can take away from you. If you proceed in this manner, you’re unlikely to cede control over core elements of your business. As Christians we have a wonderful opportunity to partner with other Christian enterprises and to bring the Word to secular companies. There are times when we may have a partnering opportunity with an enterprise that operates in ways antithetical to our Christian beliefs. In the same way Jesus sat with tax collectors, prostitutes, and others, we too must evaluate opportunities like this in terms of serving God. We are not everything we need to be successful; we need others to help us overcome our weaknesses. At the same time, stay strong, do your part, and always be a necessary and valuable asset.
SCRIPTURE
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
James 4:7 (ESV) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Matthew (NASB) 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
QUESTIONS
How do the Scripture(s) apply to the business adage?
Should you partner with a secular enterprise? Explain.
If you do partner with a secular enterprise, how do you guard your enterprise from unethical practices?
Whenever you partner with someone, you give up some control that you would have had if you went solo. How can you guard against the partnership spinning out of your control?
DOWNLOAD
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