So King Hiram gave Solomon as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. The LORD gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.
1 Kings 5:10-12
Leaders create partnerships that are mutually beneficial. Solomon recognized the power of partnership early in his reign. He formed political partnerships, marital partnerships, and economic partnerships. They all served his purposes well, but partnership requires compromise, bartering, and even negotiating. People acting in self-interest are often thought of as sinful or selfish, but that is not always the case. The pursuit of self-interest and having your needs met is human nature. Meeting one another’s needs is at the heart of partnership and relationship.
Zig Ziglar once said, “You can have everything you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” What made Solomon so desirous to partner with was that he had something of value the other party wanted, and he was willing to trade it in exchange for something he needed. In this way, God’s wisdom taught him how to leverage his resources. Next time you have a need, ask yourself, “What do I have that the other person may be needing?” Knowing what you have that the other person may value puts you in a position to form a mutually beneficial partnership.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- What qualities embody a successful partnership?
- What do you have of value that someone may see value in?
- If you had to make a list of “dos and don’ts” of partnership, what would that list look like?
Partnerships grow strong when value is added from both sides of the table, and it dissolves when value is only one-sided.
