Rohati Chapman explains how leaders fix failing partnerships by blending a mix of diverse skillsets in their teams.
We all like being part of the team that builds the latest shiny partnership. Innovative, exciting, well-funded and unblemished by any operational hiccups.
But what about that partnership?
You know, the tired, problematic one that has lost its shine. The one that everyone would rather forget. The one somebody needs to fix, now.
Here are the lessons I learned along the way, should you ever need to fix a failing partnership that is flashing red.
Failing Partnerships Happen.
Nobody sets out to build a failing partnership.
Bad partnerships happen to good organisations. It takes lots of different personality types and competencies to build a successful social sector organisation that delivers impactful partnerships.
Sometimes we realise that too late.
Leaders understand the utmost importance of building teams, and organisational cultures, that recognise and praise different strengths. If you hear murmurs that you need to ‘look’ or ‘act’ like the CEO to get promoted – take corrective action.
Behind every strong partnership is a balanced team. Understanding how two key groups, dream weavers and pragmatists, complement each other is a foundation for successful partnerships.
Dream Weavers Sell the Story.
Our natural networkers.
They are creative problem solvers and thought leaders that work hard in a very competitive environment to attract investors to our cause.
They turn dry, every-day detail into a magical forecast of social impact goodness.
Dream weavers beware. A $5 million strategic partnership supporting one million participants can quickly turn into a loss-making partnership with zero social impact and a goodwill deficit.
The fastest route there is when that money was secured by over-promising or inflating the expectations of stakeholders and funders alike. This leads to headaches at every single level.
There are numerous ways to prevent this happening, but let’s be clear. You can’t simply process-map or action plan your way through disconnection and dysfunction. The foundation of a sustainable solution and a winning partnership comes from a culture of teamwork that brings different strengths to the table in the partnership development cycle.
From the start.
Creating a productive relationship between the Fundraising and Business Development team with the Programmes team makes a big difference. Quality assurance comes from everyday relationships and conversations along the way, not an intense proposal review process days before the deadline. It raises organisational understanding of what happens before and after signing that grant agreement.
In one organisation, I made introducing the programme manager to the funder a formal partnership development milestone, which paved the way for a smoother and more impactful partnership.
Pragmatists Make it Real.
But what if you’ve inherited a failing partnership?
One that is halfway into delivery but that was stitched together and executed so shabbily that you face two options. Do you give the money back and lose face? Do you request a partnership re-set?
Should you ever find yourself going into a war-room scenario with a funder who has brought her technical team into your office to explore ‘what went wrong,’ you need the right people in the room to show that your vision for the revised partnership will work.
Be ready to lead from the front though, don’t hide behind your team.
They already bought the dream, you didn’t deliver it – so what’s your next move?
The collective skillset needed to pull a partnership back from the brink is very different to the one that ‘sells the dream’.
Programmes and Monitoring & Evaluation specialists know their theories of change inside out, as well as the most ethical and contextually appropriate way to measure impact. They know how the smallest detail, like how the changing seasons, can impact activities and the likelihood of missing key impact and payment milestones.
Don’t forget to bring your Finance specialist. You need them to ensure that your revised partnership budget is fully cost recovered and that it all aligns to both your accounts and to the funder’s.
No More Failing Partnerships: Share Strengths for Collective Credibility.
You need them both.
But do they know? Do you celebrate and recognise the equally important contributions of dream weavers and pragmatists?
Celebrate the colleagues who embark on thought leadership projects and TEDX speeches. They energise networks and open doors.
Celebrate the colleagues who tenaciously check each detail to make sure that social impact is achieved and proven. They build credibility and keep doors open.
Leaders know that building and deepening partnerships require a spectrum of skill sets and rational and relational levers. It’s not dream weavers versus pragmatists. Not people versus process. It’s dream weavers and pragmatists. People and process.
Showcasing and orchestrating different strengths for greater collective credibility is your job, leaders.
Look out for them, nurture them, and let them grow.
