{"id":54606,"date":"2026-08-22T17:30:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turner.nl\/uncategorized\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-fellow-professionals\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T17:30:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T15:30:45","slug":"column-by-peter-de-bruin-fellow-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turner.nl\/en\/blog-en\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-fellow-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"Column by Peter de Bruin | \u201cFellow Professionals\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Column by Peter de Bruin<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"Fellow Tradespeople\"<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In his work across a wide range of sectors, Peter de Bruin has observed that partners in a partnership often find it difficult to hold each other accountable. That is the greatest threat to business continuity. Evaluate each other\u2019s results transparently, he argues in this column, which is based on a true story. \n \n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The partners, young and old, are sitting together. It\u2019s yet another \u201cstrategy session.\u201d But they haven\u2019t been partners for a long time now, which is why they keep going over the same ground. They can\u2019t seem to reach an agreement. One emphasizes the business itself as the foundation for both work and growth. Another wants to invest in marketing to generate leads for everyone. A third wants to tap into new sectors, but a fourth wants to maintain focus. <\/p>

In the discussion, there\u2019s room for everyone\u2019s professional perspective. But it turns out to be difficult to generalize from that. What you do doesn\u2019t work for me or my clients. This results in too little common ground; everyone\u2019s own way prevails. And that is precisely the strength of a partnership or any other form of governance in which Ownership, entrepreneurship, and management come together. But there must be a mechanism to define the boundaries between hobbyist activities on the one hand and generic tasks on the other. <\/p>

The difference in performance between these individuals appears to be significant. Are they on equal footing? That\u2019s difficult to assess. How do the results of one\u2014as a managing partner\u2014compare to those of the other, who is involved in the professional association? And how should the lower commercial results of both of them be weighed against those of the young innovator who is achieving great success? <\/p>

Multidimensional boundary discussions like these are tricky. Especially when things aren\u2019t going so well. When the weather\u2019s nice, everyone can \u201csail.\u201d As long as no one is cutting corners, there are nothing but happy faces on the annual ski trip. When things aren\u2019t going so well, whose belt is the first to tighten? That calls for an honest conversation about performance\u2014preferably while the sun is still shining. <\/p>

The colleagues I\u2019ve been mentoring haven\u2019t done that. The (dimensions of) results aren\u2019t transparent, and power dynamics have crept into the group dynamics over the years. The person with the smallest commercial contribution dominates the conversation with marketing results, supposedly on behalf of everyone. The partner with the highest bottom-line results is asking for room to invest, but the rest see that primarily as a risk. The turf war at the table is a legacy of years of bickering. In the boom years, a real conversation wasn\u2019t necessary. Now we have to lay our cards on the table. <\/p>

In this partnership, the younger generation must take on the established order, whose direct contribution to profits\u2014with many hard-won privileges\u2014has receded into the background over the years. They have drifted far from the business. It is the youngest who ultimately tells it like it is. \u201cIf, as an owner, you\u2019re not running your business with your feet on the ground, you\u2019d be better off selling your shares and becoming a board member somewhere.\u201d His bold argument aims to rally his fellow professionals to roll up their sleeves. He continues, \u201cIt\u2019s precisely those with a lot of experience who can add value; raise your rates and bring a few people along to share your experiences.\u201d <\/p>

The cat\u2019s out of the bag. Back to the trade! Working together. Fellow tradespeople. They agree to weigh the results annually as follows: <\/p>

1) everyone\u2019s primary contribution (sales, service, and healthcare for your group);<\/p>

2) all involve a generic task (marketing, methods, knowledge center, management, etc.) of comparable scope (in terms of time and\/or money) that does not come at the expense of the primary contribution and <\/p>

3) Include investments (in innovation) with a two-year payback period in the company\u2019s own P&L, and thus also their results.<\/p>

Furthermore, the managing partner upholds the minimum standards for quality and ethics. And they agree to inspire one another while remaining free to pursue their own initiatives. Example: \u201cIf you play golf to land clients, by all means do so. We\u2019ll see the revenue come in naturally. But don\u2019t go around mandating that we all have to play golf.\u201d <\/p>

Months later, I ran into one of the older partners again somewhere. When I asked him how he was doing, he beamed and replied, \u201cIt\u2019s so much fun\u2014I\u2019m back in my element!\u201d <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Meet the Author<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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