Building Bridges: The Power of Partnerships
When Glenda McNeal steps into a room, she brings decades of partnership-building expertise with her. As American Express's first-ever Chief Partner Officer, McNeal has brokered some of the company's biggest strategic deals. At INBOUND 2024, she sat down with Sarah Chen-Spellings to unpack the art (and science) of building partnerships that drive explosive growth.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: WHERE ART MEETS SCIENCE
For McNeal, the secret to successful partnerships starts with nailing the basics. "Partnerships is really about growth and innovation. It really is what fuels our business in many ways," she shared. At American Express, that growth relies on a simple yet powerful framework: build, partner, or buy. This approach has helped the company stay agile while evolving beyond just a credit card company into a true lifestyle brand.
But there's a deeper layer to success: trust.
Partnerships is really about trust...building trust one relationship, one touch point at a time. It takes a long time to build it. It takes seconds to actually lose it.
Her advice? Treat every interaction as a building block for lasting relationships that deliver for everyone involved.
STAYING RELEVANT IN A FAST-MOVING MARKET
Don't let American Express's 170+ year history fool you—they're anything but old school. With 60% of their new customer acquisitions being Gen Z and millennials, they're clearly doing something right.
How? By deeply understanding evolving customer needs. "Data is a powerful tool, being able to actually have the data, know how to use the data, analyze the data, and then use it is where the power is," McNeal explained. This data approach helped them recognize and capitalize on Formula 1's growing popularity among younger audiences, where notably over 50% of attendees at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix were AmEx cardmembers.
For customer-obsessed leaders, it's an opportunity to take a similar, integrated approach to spot and capitalize on emerging trends.
WHEN PARTNERSHIPS GO WRONG: LEARNING FROM CHALLENGES
Not every partnership is a perfect match, and that's okay. McNeal shared a candid story about a travel industry partnership that looked perfect on paper but wasn't ready to take flight. "Sometimes the timing is not right...you have to know—as much as you want to get a deal done—when to walk away," she advised. The key is recognizing that walking away doesn't mean walking away forever.
McNeal points to three main factors that can derail even the most promising partnerships: misaligned values, poor timing, and economics that don't work for both sides. "Sometimes you realize that the value that you envisioned really cannot be built around some of the key constraints that you have," she explained.
The solution? Don't force it. McNeal recommends keeping the door open for future opportunities. In fact, American Express is now revisiting that same travel industry partnership with fresh eyes and new possibilities. It's a reminder that in the fast-moving world of business growth, sometimes "not now" is a better answer than "not ever."
LEADING WITH CURIOSITY AND COURAGE
McNeal's unique leadership style is rooted in an observation-first approach which has served her well throughout her career. "Watch to see, listen to hear - that's moving from passive behaviors to active behaviors," she shared. This philosophy extends beyond just watching and listening to truly understanding what's happening beneath the surface.
For growth leaders driving change in their organizations, McNeal offers a practical tip: visualize who you are at your core. She keeps a photo of herself at age four nearby to stay grounded during challenging moments. "When I am sitting next to a CEO or my CEO or a group of people where I might have a different point of view...I go back to at the heart and at the core of who I am. I'm a person who has values. I respect others. I believe in listening and understanding."
This blend of emotional intelligence and self-awareness helps McNeal navigate high-stakes negotiations and build stronger, trust-based relationships. But it's more than just soft skills. Her approach balances empathy with sharp strategic thinking to deliver measurable results. Staying true to yourself isn't just good leadership; it's smart business.
TAKEAWAYS
Think your company is too small to pursue meaningful partnerships? Think again. McNeal stressed that it's less about size and more about value creation: "It's understanding what you ultimately hope to achieve, and so the ability to really now on an alignment of goals and understanding what's important to the other person."
The secret is differentiation. Focus on what makes your company unique and how that uniqueness can add value to potential partners.
Want more expert partnership takeaways? Watch Glenda McNeal's full session here.
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