The Long Game: Lessons from Fitness for Technology Alliances
There’s an axiom in the fitness world: People tend to overestimate how quickly they’ll see results in the short term but dramatically underestimate the transformative impact over the long term.
This principle doesn’t just apply to exercise—it perfectly parallels the journey of building and sustaining successful technology alliances.
The Short-Term Overestimation Trap
Leaders often expect alliances to deliver immediate, measurable impact. It’s understandable: alliances are exciting, often backed by strategic intent, and promise significant returns. The hope is that a new alliance will quickly deliver revenue, market share, or differentiation.
But here’s the reality: alliances take time to mature. Isn’t that true for most things in life?
In the short term, alliances require:
Time for integration: Teams must align on goals, operational processes, and joint value propositions. This takes some time.
Relationship-building: Trust doesn’t happen overnight. The strongest alliances are built on mutual understanding and a history of delivering on commitments. Again, more time.
Go-to-market readiness: Collaborative offerings need time to gain traction in the market, especially if customers or partners require education about the joint value. There’s that pesky “time thing” again.
Rushing to see short-term results often leads to frustration, misaligned expectations, and sometimes the premature abandonment of partnerships that have strong long-term potential.
Underestimating Long-Term Impact
While the short term might underwhelm, the long-term potential of a successful alliance can be transformative.
Consider these examples:
Ecosystem Leadership: A strong alliance program can position a company at the center of an ecosystem, attracting more partners and customers over time.
Revenue Multipliers: Strategic alliances often unlock new markets, expand addressable opportunities, and drive exponential revenue growth—but this takes months or quarters, not a few weeks.
Enduring Innovation: Co-developed solutions can evolve into industry standards, solidifying a company’s role as an innovator and market leader.
The longer an alliance is nurtured with consistent effort, the greater its cumulative impact becomes. Leaders often fail to recognize the compounding nature of these benefits, underestimating just how pivotal alliances can be in shaping a company’s future. Like fitness goals and benefits, what a shame it is to not see it through with a bit of patience.
The Lesson: Manage Expectations with a Long-Term View
So, how do you manage the tension between short-term impatience and long-term potential?
Set Realistic Timelines
Be clear from the outset that alliances are marathons, not sprints. Establish milestones for relationship-building, co-development, and go-to-market execution—but emphasize that significant results will take time.Define Leading Indicators
Instead of fixating on immediate revenue, track leading indicators like partner engagement, pipeline growth, or joint marketing campaigns. These metrics provide early validation that the alliance is on the right path.Stay the Course
Resist the temptation to pull back on an alliance before it has time to mature. Success requires patience, persistence, and trust in the process. And don’t be afraid to tweak the plan as you get real-world feedback. Plans need not be static.Celebrate Wins Along the Way
Highlight incremental progress to sustain momentum and reinforce the alliance’s potential. Small wins can keep teams motivated while the partnership builds toward bigger outcomes.
Conclusion: Play the Long Game
Technology alliances, like fitness, thrive on consistent effort and a long-term view. Yes, leaders must balance the pressure for short-term results with the understanding that alliances reach their full potential only with time.
If you’re feeling impatient about an alliance’s early returns, take a step back. Remind yourself—and your team—that you’re building something much larger than what can be measured in months. By managing expectations and committing to the long game, you’ll unlock the transformative power of alliances that are built to last.
After all, the best results—whether in fitness or alliances—are worth the wait.
