Like It’s Your Job: Building Strategic Partnerships in Business and Beyond

DS
David Shields
Jun 1, 2021
business insights Business Leaders Ecoglo Entrepreneurs mobility safety negotiation pedestrian safety Robin Steel strategic partnerships Thought Leadership

Astute entrepreneur, start-up advisor, business owner and expert negotiator Melethia Campbell Tuggle is the Owner and President of Robin Steel, LLC. She knows the value of strategic partnerships in setting a business up for success, and she shared her insights and experiences with Matt and David Shields on this episode of Like It’s Your Job.

Tuggle’s 15 years at Microsoft provided her with a lot of experience in forming strategic partnerships and pioneering deals that positioned Microsoft as the preferred platform for first-rate advertisers and publishers. But, before Microsoft and straight out of college, Tuggle learned how to negotiate at Lockheed Martin.

“The first job that I had was to be a negotiator for the F16 fighter program,” Tuggle said. “And that’s where I discovered my love for negotiation. It was an absolute perfect fit for me. So, that’s when I knew I was really meant to be a negotiator.”

When Tuggle moved over to Microsoft, it was to work in their gaming division, where she helped launch the Xbox and cemented her love and passion for entrepreneurship and building strategic partnerships.

So, what are strategic partnerships, and how can businesses benefit from forming such unions?
“A strategic business partnership occurs when two non-competing businesses agree to leverage their complementary strengths for mutual benefit,” Tuggle said. “And one of the things to remember about this is these businesses are independent. And this can have a tremendously positive impact on any companies looking expedite growth.”

Tuggle believes winning partnerships result in synergy. According to Tuggle, synergy is a term used in the 17th century to describe the cooperation between human will and divine grace. “I think it is so interesting that such a popular business buzzword isn’t rooted in business at all.”

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Consulting
Consulting Reframed: Perspective, Leadership, and Impact Beyond the Client
February 19, 2026

As organizations navigate accelerating digital transformation, tighter margins, and increasing organizational complexity, the role of consultants is being re-examined. Today’s most effective consulting leaders are no longer valued simply for delivering projects, but for bringing outside perspective, cross-industry insight, and the ability to lead through ambiguity. Most large organizations today are not short on…

Read More
comedy
Laughter as a Service: How Comedy Can Power Trust, Teamwork, and Career Growth
February 19, 2026

Comedy might be the most underused business skill in your toolkit… In a world of back-to-back Zoom calls, Slack threads, and AI-generated everything, real human connection can start to feel like an afterthought. We’re moving faster than ever, but sometimes we’re listening less, reacting more, and missing the small moments that actually build trust. The…

Read More
founder-led brand
The Art of Evolution: Leading a Founder-Led Brand Into Its Next Chapter with Mary Beth Sheridan
February 19, 2026

For many retail brands, growth today isn’t just about innovation — it’s about keeping pace with customers whose expectations are evolving in real time, led by younger generations who expect brands to reflect their values and show up with cultural relevance. In fact, recent research from MG2 found that the overwhelming majority of Gen Z…

Read More
computer vision
Censis’ Final Check Uses Computer Vision to Eliminate Tray Errors Before They Reach the OR
February 19, 2026

Artificial intelligence used to live in strategy decks and conference keynotes—but now it’s showing up in a very different place: right on the assembly tables where SPD technicians build trays for the next case. And it’s arriving at a time when the pressure on sterile processing has never been higher. As surgical volumes climb and…

Read More
Related
comedy
Software & Technology
Laughter as a Service: How Comedy Can Power Trust, Teamwork, and Career Growth
February 19, 2026
top 1%
Healthcare
Get Vertical! Going from Idea to the Top 1% in Less Than 3 Years
February 17, 2026

Independent retail is operating in one of the most competitive environments in decades. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 20% of new businesses fail within their first year, and a whopping 50% don’t make it to year five. At the same time, consumers are increasingly choosing brands that offer community, authenticity,…

Read More
MarTech
Healthcare
How CMOs Must Respond as AI Redefines Marketing and MarTech Strategy
February 16, 2026

AI is shifting marketing from experimentation to operational integration. In this episode, Aby Varma speaks with Palmer Houchins, VP of Marketing at G2, about embedding AI into workflows, rethinking org design, and navigating rapid change across the MarTech landscape. From LLM copilots to agentic workflows, they unpack practical adoption lessons and the increasing importance of…

Read More