George Sichula
NDC Copperbelt provincial Chairman

You do need to be careful to avoid some common pitfalls, and here are ten common missteps.

1. LACK OF A SHARED VISION
Inherent to a partnership is a shared goal or commitment that will benefit every citizen, Making sure the partners start on the same page—and stay there—takes upfront and honest communication (and lots of it) in the partnership’s infancy and throughout. All too often there is a disconnect in expectations or understanding that will undercut the benefits to both parties and eventually undermine the alliance.

#2 Over- or Under-Investing
We invest in things when it’s “worth it” to us, and when we have the resources to do so. A person won’t exercise seven times a week unless the benefits of feeling and looking healthy outweigh the effort.

2. OVERATING ONE SELF. This has been a disease everywhere in Africa. It takes humility to achieve your intended goal. Humility is explosives under control.

3. POOR GOVERNANCE
Let’s say you pick one partner for Presidency and the other for vice Presidency, properly evaluate the needed work to be done—now you need to execute! Set clear expectations, meet as much as you need to, track your progress. If you’re investing resources into this alliance, make sure to also invest in managing the process.

4. LACK OF TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY
When you partner with another political Party, trust needs to be established and practiced at an appropriate level for the collaboration—and it needs to be balanced in that all political parties share as needed. If you’ve established clear guidelines for your alliance, these should include what information is necessary to share and how it will be shared. Once you have a clear plan, stick to it.

What you don’t want is lack of transparency. Be clear about what you plan to do, and then do it.

5 LACK OF ADAPTABILITY
Circumstances change and sometimes your Alliance may work or may not work. For example, one man said, “we dont need an Alliance because the PF went alone and formed Government in 2011”. That time and this time are two different times. Malawi has done it anyway. Avoid coming out so negative.

6. WORKING RELATIONSHIPS THAT JUST DON’T WORK
Even if a potential Aliance partner appears to have a lot to offer, that’s not the same thing as being a good fit for your political party. 40% of failures can be attributed to poor or damaged working relationships! If you want to avoid failure, you have to take the time at the beginning to ensure you have your sights on the right partner. I truly believe, the right partner wants you as much as you want them.

7.FLAWED STRATEGY AND PLANNING
The biggest reason that strategic Alliances fail is neglecting to create comprehensive plans for the alliance. An Alliance is like entering in a relationship with a girl. Put in efforts, if not, a girl will go to other men. Just like If you don’t care for money, it will leave you. Many people today have gone broke because they never cared for money.

8. IS IT A WIN-WIN?
When it comes to building a successful Alliance, both parties need to have win-win intent. This means that both sides have to be strategically aligned, desiring the well-being of the other and be capable of bringing advantage to the other party

9.A PRIORITY MISMATCH
A failure to correspond or match; a discrepancy. Every partner must be seen to be as important as the other. Appreciate each others unequal levels of influences, abilities and political experiences. “The small partner must never be seen as an under dog.

10. THE LOSS OF A KEY PERSON “Alliances are relationships between individuals, not institutions,” says Slowinski. To protect your precious partnership, try to establish relationships with more than one decision maker.

Avoid selfishness and let the Zambian people be at the helm of the Alliance. Change of Government is our priority.

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