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“Partnering” by Jean Oelwang

Tangible lessons from 65+ of the world's most remarkable partnerships.

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Connection
Quiz

The six
degrees of
connection

We’ve spent the last 15 years listening to and learning from successful partnerships and collectives of all types. These unique relationships are special because they’ve helped each individual make a bigger difference in the world than they could on their own.

We delved deeply into the questions with which we all struggle at work and in our personal lives.

 

  • How do you build trust?
  • What happens when trust breaks?
  • How do you disagree on something that’s important to you without destroying the relationship?
  • How do you stay connected over the years?

We then coded and analyzed thousands of pages of transcripts and found six beautiful patterns of Deep Connection emerging.

We’ve called these interconnected patterns The Six Degrees of Connection.

The secret to building and nurturing deep connections lies in a holistic approach.

The Six Degrees of Connection is a powerful and unique framework designed to help you nurture meaningful relationships of purpose that lead to better lives, better organizations, and a better world.
Something Bigger
1st Degree

Something Bigger

Lift your purpose through your meaningful partnerships. Deepen your connection by becoming part of something bigger.

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All-In
2nd Degree

All-In

Feel safe in the relationship and know you 100% have each other’s back for the long-run. Discover how the security of that all-in commitment gives you the freedom to do something bigger.

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The Ecosystem
3nd Degree

The Ecosystem

Stay all-in through a moral ecosystem, alive with the daily practice of six essential virtues - Enduring Trust, Unshakeable Mutual Respect, United Belief, Shared Humility, Nurturing Generosity and Compassionate Empathy. Over time they become reflexive responses, creating an environment of kindness, grace and unconditional love.

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Magnetic Moments
4th Degree

Magnetic Moments

Keep connected and strengthen your ecosystem through intentional moments that keep curiosity and wonder alive, create space for honest conversations, spark unlimited joy, and build a wider supportive community.

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Celebrate Friction
5th Degree

Celebrate Friction

Take the heat out of conflict and turn it into learning opportunities. Ignite sparks of creative combustion for shared solutions and greater connection, staying all-in and focused on something bigger.

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Collective Connections
6th Degree

Collective Connections

A framework of design principles to scale collaborations, with Deep Connections at the center as role models, as hubs of momentum, and as connective tissue.

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The further we got into the research, we also found that humanity’s greatest achievements, like closing the ozone hole or ending Apartheid in South Africa, were successful in large part because of a handful of deep connections at their center, connections that served as hubs of momentum and persistence and as models of true collaboration for everyone around them.

Take the Connection Quiz to unlock further partnership lessons and tools as a Plus Wonder Explorer.

We would love for you to join us in building relationships that matter.

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