I Have Found "Navigating the Partnership" a Particularly Difficult Challenge

[General] partners operate fairly autonomously and, if one is to attempt to get a deal in front of the general partnership for investment, it requires an understanding of which partner to work with and how to 'sell' the deal to them. Knowing the preferences and investment style of a particular person is tantamount to being able to push it through to investment successfully. In my personal experience, not having a very strong advocate for your deal before the partnership views it is a recipe for disaster. I view this as a variant on the concept of 'managing upward' and requires a few doses of people smarts and a dash of salesmanship.