The Power of Partnerships
“We need to move from thinking about me to thinking about we” – Retired Superintendent of Schools
A week or so ago, I was talking with a friend of mine who has a child who recently started in a new school in Edmonton. This student has some challenges and had difficulty fitting into a school setting the year before. Her opening statement was “for the first time I feel like I have a partner at my son’s school, I’m not in there feeling like I have to fight for everything, when I go in I feel like they are there to work with me”. This struck a chord with me and I started to reflect on the way that we develop partnerships within our school community. When I think about the word partnership I think of people working together towards a common goal. It’s the “we” approach to solving a problem and to coming up with a plan that make sense for all involved. If everyone is involved in determining where we are going it’s easier for us to all pull in the same direction to achieve success. In reflecting on the partnerships that I have been a part of there are three common core elements that I believe are crucial to making things work:
- Voice – Everyone has an equal voice and the ability to say when they disagree with a direction the group is taking. This doesn’t mean that everyone agrees all the time, but it does mean that when we disagree we work around things to find an agreeable compromise.
- Goal – For a partnership to be effective we all have to have the same big goal, we may be working on different aspects of the goal, but everything should tie back to that one big rock that we are all working on.
- Trust – This is the most important aspect of an effective partnership. Trust is at the core of any partnership. When I reflect on partnerships that were ineffective trust always factored into why they broke down. When I look at the ones that I am/have been involved in that were the most effective they are with people who I have a large degree of trust in.
There are many more core elements of what makes a successful partnership, what are the top three in your mind?
Bryn is an assistant principal at a school in Spruce Grove, he enjoys spending time with his family and exploring nature. He is always looking for ways to remove barriers that help to allow students to reach their full potential and beyond.
I agree with you Bryn, effective partnerships are about voice, goals and trust so when I read your words, I ask myself how am I making sure that all voices are valued? It takes confidence to express opinions and different perspectives but with that can come so much growth, sharing and learning. Sometimes, I learn a lot from voices that I’m not hearing too. Thanks for sharing and my hope is that we continue to foster effective partnerships. We know what we need to do, so let’s go!
Bryn, you have posed such a thoughtful question. After much deliberation, I’ve determined my top 3 core elements for effective partnerships:
1. Growth- Change is seen as growth; passion for growth is part of the culture
2. Creativity and Innovation- Creativity and innovation of group members leads to decisions- this sometimes involves “Independent Think” where group members take a critical stance, bring in other perspectives and offer constructive feedback
3. Open-minded- Effective partnerships recognize that mistakes are part of the journey and learn from them. They self-correct, ask hard questions, and demonstrate open-mindedness in considering all perspectives.
Some of my thinking stems from the “Mindset” bookstudy that our Learning Services team participated in last year. Our team works hard to “live” the traits of a growth mindset that we value so much. I recognize that I personally have much growing to do and doubt that my growth and learning will ever stop.
Hello Sir,
A great post and Voice, Goal and Trust are essential components of partnerships not only in schools but in all organizations. I will give you three additional concepts to consider:
Self-efficacy – Before you can be a we-thinker you must be able to be a me-thinker. It sounds self serving however psychologists agree more and more that you must perceive your own skills and abilities well to contribute to an effective partnership. Other wise all you have is an effective followership.
Clarity – With the common goals you suggest and the ability to express your voice in an environment based on trust, it needs to be clear what each partners role in the partnership is. This is linked to many other concepts including distributed leadership. A partnership is only as good as it’s weakest link. When roles are not clear, it is easy for those links to weaken.
Empathy – Can you see the venture from your partners point of view? Can you identify with your partner’s greater context beyond the immediate project or goal? How will you deal with adversity and conflict when it arises?….and it will.
Great job with the post….that is big-chair thinking