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STUART MCLENDON, from page 1
work together. By the time the first joint client engagement starts, your firms will already have a sense of how you work together. The success of the leadership teams in creating alignment drives the strategic partnership and its results, as highlighted in a couple of case studies. First, the good: Apple and Nike provide a great view into how large, successful enterprises collaborate to drive growth. In 2006 these well-known brands came together to promote the Nike iPod Sport Kit, integrating fitness tracking with the iPod. This partnership evolved into the Apple Watch Nike+, and these products were key offerings that helped Apple expand its wearable technology offerings into the fitness market. Nike leveraged Apple’s tech innovation to provide advanced fitness tracking to its customers, strengthening its position in the digital fitness space. The firms did an exceptional job aligning objectives and defining roles and responsibilities in the partnership. In contrast the failed partnership between Walgreens and Cooler Screens is an exemplary case of what not to do. Starting in 2018 the firms partnered with a goal of revolutionizing the retail experience by replacing cooler doors with smart screens. While the idea itself may be ill-fated, leadership from both teams failed to drive the key activities they are responsible for in the partnership. First, CEO turnover at Walgreens led to a shift in priorities as their new CEO was not bought into the partnership and vision and may signal a lack of alignment amongst the board and executive leadership team. Technical issues abounded in the rollout and implementation, but roles and responsibilities for maintenance, troubleshooting, and tech support were poorly defined. This led to frustrations and a breakdown in trust between the organizations, eventually culminating in active sabotage of each other and litigation. Regardless of the value proposition for the core technology, the absence of clear governance and resolution structures combined with disinterested leadership led these firms to waste considerable resources with a botched technology rollout and subsequent litigation. The contrast between the partnerships of Apple and Nike to Walgreens and Cooler Screens offers a textbook lesson in strategic alignment and leadership execution. Apple and Nike succeeded because they shared a clear vision, trusted each other’s capabilities, defined their roles precisely, and established a governance model that supported long-term innovation. Their partnership was rooted in mutual respect and sustained by shared accountability. In stark contrast, Walgreens and Cooler Screens stumbled over misaligned priorities, eroded trust, vague responsibilities, and poor decision-making structures. Leadership changes, technical failures, and a lack of strategic clarity turned a promising innovation into a legal standoff. These two cases make one thing clear: the financial success of a strategic partnership depends not just on the idea, but on the discipline of execution. Leadership must steward the relationship with consistency, foresight, and structure – or risk turning potential into friction. The difference is not the technology – it’s the trust and the teamwork behind it. Stuart McLendon is a fractional executive at Zweig Group. Contact him at smclendon@zweiggroup.com.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 21, 2025, ISSUE 1594
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