9 Thoughts on Creating Great Partnerships

Partnerships are crucial in today’s culture. Great organizations seem to always have a strong ability to partner well. If you want to grow your organization or project or initiative, finding, building, and sustaining great partnerships has to be part of your plan.

Partnerships are not always easy though. Teaming up with one another can result in true synergy. Or many times, it can result in ultimate failure.

Here are a few thoughts on why creating Great Partnerships is a must for you and your organization:

1. Partnerships allow you to share risk and reward. Creating less downside, and potentially way more upside always make sense.

2. Partnerships create innovation, breakthrough, and discovery. Working with others allows for input from outside your “normal” circle of staff or key team members.

3. Ministries and churches have to work harder to create partnerships. Partnerships are very common in the business world, but for some reason in the not-for-profit world, it’s difficult to work together. Ministries and churches don’t partner well, but when they do, it can be revolutionary and a strong statement of unity in the community.

4. Kingdom building. If we truly wish to reach our mission with the greatest velocity possible, we have to work with others. Achieving our vision and mission is much more possible when working together.

5. Good partnerships start with a deep knowledge of the other. Know your partners well before entering into one.

6. Transparency is crucial. Authenticity and honesty make for long term impact.

7. Strength/Strength. Build partnerships on each other’s strengths, not necessarily on trying to improve a weakness.

8. Enjoyable. Partnerships don’t have to turn into friendships, but I believe partnering with folks you enjoy being around is a good decision, vs someone you really don’t get along with it. Default towards those organizations and leaders with whom you have much in common and enjoy their company.

9. Good fences make for good partnerships. Many times we don’t take time to spell out all the details of a partnership in full disclosure. It is crucial to put everything on paper, in an agreement, and make sure all the details are spelled out clearly on the front end.