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Question #5 – How do we get action?
Q5
How do we get action?
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As you progress through the three stages of partnering, the level of participation of each of the partners should progress as well: from interest and allegiance toward ownership. It is when we have this shared ownership that we believe you will truly get action for all partners and maximise the outcomes from the partnering initiative.
The ECOA Principle
Partnership
Engagement
Commitment
Ownership
Action
Engagement – interested and participating or considering participation.
Commitment – participating and can be relied upon for contributions of time and resources (to a point).
Ownership – takes leadership and initiative. Has a vested interest in success. Makes significant contributions of time, energy and resources.
Action – achieving the results and impacts you are seeking for the partnering.
Taking the time
The challenge is to move the partners from engagement to commitment and then to shared ownership of the partnering initiative as you work through each stage of the partnering process.
This may require you to spend far more time in the early stages to ensure that the fundamentals are right before moving on too quickly.
Ensuring that there are clear understandings between all the partners and clear agreements on how to move forward are essential. If concerns are raised, they need to be addressed, not pushed aside as ‘undiscussables’, where they are likely to fester and come back to bite all the partners at a later stage of the process.
Overall, a step-by-step approach will ensure that the partners progress together and everyone is brought along at the same time.
In this way you will have a far better chance of success than blindly rushing in or trying to short cut the process.
We call this simple formula the ECOA principle and is an essential part of a successful partnering process. Often, at the beginning of a partnership, one partner is more enthusiastic than the others and may be driving the initiative. Moving successfully from one partner leading through to all partners having shared ownership requires sufficient time at each stage. This is to ensure that all partners have a clear understanding and are equally invested in the initiative. It is also important to understand what is meant by these terms and how we know when we have achieved each level.
