DANCE LESSONS SIX STEPS TO GREAT PARTERSHIPS IN

Organizations today are lean, agile, and focused, which means that partnerships are more crucial than ever to success. From outsourcing to strategic alliances, businesses depend on partners to help them meet marketplace challenges and achieve financial goals. But what does a good partnership depend on? There are many books that explain the organizational dynamics. But until now, no book has focused on the single most important component: the human factor.

Chip R. Bell is senior partner with Performance Research Associates and manages their Dallas office. He was formerly Director of Management and Organization Developm,ent for NCNB Corporation (now NationsBank). The author of eleven books, including three bestsellers, Bell has served as trainer or consultant to such companies as IBM, Cadillac, Microsoft, Motorola, Sprint, USAA, Harley-Davidson, British Telecom, Royal Bank, Marriott, 3M, MBNA, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and Victoria's Secret.

Heather Shea is CEO of Inspiritrix, Inc., an Orlando-based training and consulting firm. She is the former president and COO of Tom Peters Group/Learning Systems and has held senior poistions with Arthur Andersen, CIGNA, and First National Bank of Chicago. A former professional dancer and actress, she has worked as a speaker, trainer, or consultant to such firms as 3M, Ford, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, MTV, Chevron, AIG, the Panama Canal Commission, and Walt Disney World.