9 Partnership Principles: A Story of Life Lessons and Working Together

By Bryan K. O’Rourke and Robert J. Dyer

When most people create business partnerships, they focus on potential opportunities, their office, titles, mission statements, stationary, logos, social media platforms, and more. But entrepreneurs Bryan O’Rourke and Robert J. Dyer know there is much more to establishing a successful partnership. The founders of Fitmarc, which is a strategic partner with a variety of leading global fitness and wellness players, share nine principles to success in this guide to improving life at work and at home. Whoever you’re considering as a partner, values and character should be at the top of the list. You must openly discuss your views without fear of reprisal—and if you can’t—you need to ask yourself why. It’s also important to realize that no one has the right answers. But you do need to ask the right questions if you want to succeed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jan 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483463148

Book preview

9 Partnership

Principles

A Story of Life Lessons and Working Together

Bryan K. O’Rourke; Robert J. Dyer

Copyright © 2016 Robert J. Dyer and Bryan K. O’Rourke.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6313-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6315-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-6314-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016921035

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 12/21/2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword From Michael Bruno

Why We Give To Leap Missions

Introduction

Principle #1:   Values And Character

Principle #2:   Respect

Principle #3:   Strengths And Shortfalls

Principal #4:   Open Communications With No Fear Of Feedback

Principle #5:   Finding The Best Answer

Principle #6:   Alignment

Principle #7:   Faith

Principle #8:   Making Your Own Path

Principle #9:   Gratitude

About the Author

This Book Is

Dedicated To Our Families, Friends, Colleagues and Thousands Of Supporters. You Know Who You Are. We Love You And Thank You For All You Have DoneTo Help Us And The Fitness Industry Work Together For The Good Of Everyone.

We Also Are Grateful To The Contributors To This Book Including Michael Mantell, Chuck Runyon, Michael Bruno, Rasmus Ingerslev, Tim Keightley, Lori Lowell, Emma Barry, Shaunna Mae, Jessie Codi, Ingrid Owen, Michael Piermont, Kelli Hatton, Lindsey Rainwater, Brandi Bergeron, Clint Lee, and So Many More.

Thanks To You All And We Hope You Enjoy And Learn From the 9 Partnership Principles. We believe these principles applied can help you make the world a better place and achieve great things together.

—Robert Dyer and Bryan O’Rourke

To give and receive advice, the former without bitterness, the

later with patience and without irritation is peculiarly

appropriate to genuine friendship.

—Marcus Tullius Cicero

FOREWORD FROM MICHAEL BRUNO

CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF LAND AMERICA AND CORE HEALTH AND FITNESS, OWNER OF THE STAIRMASTER, SCHWINN COMMERCIAL, STAR TRAC AND NAUTILUS COMMERCIAL FITNESS BRANDS

There are two quotes that I love and both reflect my beliefs and how I have lived my life. The first was shared by Winston Churchill when he said, Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts. The second was uttered by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who said, Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat."

As a young underprivileged boy growing up in a very poor Youngstown, Ohio neighborhood it would have been easy for me to give up and not have the courage to continue. As I became an entrepreneur I enjoyed success, first in construction and later by becoming the first successful fitness equipment manufacturer in China; ultimately growing into one of the largest fitness equipment suppliers in the world through our ownership of the Stairmaster, Schwinn Commercial, Start Trac and Nautilus Commercial Fitness brands.

My successes, however, came with mis-steps and failures along the way. There were many things I learned as a result of these mis-steps, obviously never giving up, even though at times it was tempting to do so. Being focused on my customer’s needs and relying on the insights of others while being tenacious and never losing faith enabled me to overcome incredible odds.

Thankfully many people helped me along the way, which is why the nine principles outlined in this book are so important to keep in mind if you want to be a part of something special. I truly believe you are actually the sum of all the people you do business with and work with no matter their position. You learn from everyone. They help form your emotional intelligence and business IQ through experiences that are created on a daily basis. Hopefully you choose the right lessons that each of these experiences teaches and hopefully you are fortunate enough to enter into partnerships which result in success like the one Robert and Bryan formed together.

Given my fortunate experiences I was delighted to write the forward to a book dedicated to the ideas of working together successfully in partnership. It is a particular honor in fact because of the many special people in the fitness industry who also contributed to this book. That the proceeds from book sales are going to a charity like leap missions, whose purpose is to provide medical care for children in need, is even better.

Thanks go to Robert Dyer and my friend Bryan O’Rourke as well for their support and friendship over the years. The book is enjoyable gentlemen and I appreciate the chance to contribute.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate my good buddy William O’Rourke. As you will learn later in the book, William managed the writing of this book over the past several months and actually wrote the last chapter on gratitude. I always enjoy seeing Bryan and Maureen’s son William, having watched him grow up into a fine young man over the years and I also enjoy seeing their son Shawn and daughter Margaux. Young people are our future and I share the sentiments of Theodore Roosevelt with you William and your brother and sister, along with my daughter Margaret and my sons Michael and Antonio and everyone reading this book, Nothing worth having comes easy. So work hard and work together in partnership because you have a chance to make the world and even better place and achieve great things when you do.

Hopefully all of you will enjoy the book.

Sincerely,

Micheal C. Bruno

Chairman and CEO

Core Health and Fitness and Land America

WHY WE GIVE TO LEAP MISSIONS

@Leapmissions

First of all thanks for reading this book. All of the proceeds are being donated to www.leapmissions.org. Please connect with them @Leapmissions. For 24 years this organization and its medical volunteers have performed over 9,000 surgical procedures for mostly children in 22 countries. 91% of funds collected go directly to provide care. We wanted to do something for people who needed help and the reason we chose Leap Missions relates to this very personal story from our friend and partner Pinky Dyer.

"Back in 1999 I was a Personal Trainer at our original Fit For Life Center and training a dear friend of mine, Robbie Jackson. She had been involved with LEAP for several years as their Coordinator which involved making all the travel and lodging arrangements in Belize for the LEAP team and shipping all the medical supplies.

She would tell me stories of their trips and the people there in such dire need. One year she told me about a young man who was born without legs and had to get around on a skateboard. They were bringing him to Dallas to make him legs. They already had the doctors donate their time and the hospital donated space. All they needed was to raise the money for whatever supplies would be needed. Robert and I decided to set up a donation jar at our facility, Fit For Life Center. Our members vigorously responded and within a very short time the money required had been donated. This young man, Adrian, would come to visit our facility whenever he was in Dallas for adjustments to his new legs. He wanted to personally thank our members and shake hands while standing on his new legs!

The people in the areas of Belize the team traveled to are so very poor; many of them would walk miles from their thatch roof huts, with their children, and wait hours at the clinic hoping their child would be chosen for corrective surgery. The majority of surgeries were to correct cleft lip and palate issues which are birth deformities.

I became interested in what they did for these people and one year she said they had a spot open if I wanted to participate. I literally jumped at the chance! The day we left was very exciting and seeing the whole team of professionals together at the airport was amazing! There were many medical boxes that had to be shipped with us on the day we flew. So, Robert and a couple of the other guys would help unload the boxes from the trucks into the airport and wait until all were checked in.

The team was made up of all doctors and nurses. Where could I fit in? I was assigned the job of photographer. Once the children had been chosen for surgery, I would take photos from different angles for the surgeons to review in order to decide on the best course of action.

Of special note is that each morning we gathered in a circle to pray for the Lord’s guidance that day and read a scripture. It was a beautiful sight! I also took photos of the surgeries in the operating room and that was the experience of a lifetime!

The LEAP MISSIONS website has tons of photos and information if you want to give it a look. When Bryan and Robert decided to donate the book proceeds to LEAP MISSIONS I was just speechless and emotional and I know Maureen O’Rourke was delighted as well. In fact she came up with the idea! If you could just see these children and what they have to endure sometimes for a lifetime. If it weren’t for LEAP MISSIONS and some of the other groups who offer their services I don’t know what they would do. That is why we are giving to this wonderful organization. I hope you do to. Remember every time someone buys this book we give the proceeds to leapmissions.org."