Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Seattle 2.0, and imported to GeekWire as part of our acquisition of Seattle 2.0 and its archival content. For more background, see this post.

By Andy Sack

The number one reason startups fail is team failure.  I’ve witnessed a few startup teams implode recently. So, I developed this short list of ways to avoid such break ups:
  1. Pick a partner you trust — you don’t have to like your partner but you do have to trust them.  You have to trust them to make good decisions and to operate in the best interest of the company. 
  2. Pick a partner that has a very different skill set. It’s much harder to justify losing a person who does things you are not good at and don’t want to do.
  3. Spend at least 1 day a month communicating about the business and the partner : communication is the hallmark of most productive partnerships.  You need to allocate time to this. 
  4. Listen to what your partner does and says
  5. Surprise your partner with appreciation – there’s no better way than showing your partner you appreciate them than with a short note or a small gift. 
This list is sounding more and more like a list you’d make to avoid a divorce with a spouse… 
 
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