Good Partners Are! 16 Attributes of Highly Effective Creative Community Collaborations 1.
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First, Good partnerships have long term goals that are focused, specific, and shared equally by the various partners. These relationships are built on long-term mutual self interest. Their success depends on stable, committed, assertive leadership that is inclusive. Good partners know that you don’t need complete and total alignment of beliefs, values, needs among partners. Partnerships can share common goals for different reasons, as long as they are on the table. Good partners know that the core driving force in successful partnerships is trust. They know that trust is built on a relationship of deeds and practice, not words. They also know that trust-engendering practice in characterized by the continuity, predictability, regularity, and consistency of your work together over time. “Over time” means a long time, sometimes years, many years! Successful collaborators also know that to be able to sustain their work for those years that the notion of power will need to be reckoned with---And they know that building trust between the more and less powerful is difficult, and that the greater the gap in power, the greater the challenge---also, that those who wield power are often unaware of their extent of their privilege and power and thus, have a difficult time understanding and responding to demands to share their power. Good partners know this is particularly important because successful collaborations are based on shared power. Participants in successful partnerships understand that money is perceived as the ultimate power in our society, and that this is the most difficult area in most collaborations, and that the sharing of financial decision making, and power is critical to the building of sustained partnerships.
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They also know that the best collaborative projects are mission centered and goal driven, rather than a response to funding opportunities or a funder’s priorities.
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Good partners know that shotgun weddings, arranged marriages, and artificial insemination, are not good partnership models. Good collaborators are sensitive to, and in concert with, community priorities, and know that community ownership and participation at all levels is crucial for building lasting partnerships. They know these strong partnerships use asset-based, rather than problem-based strategies. This means that, even though problem solving may be a goal, the effort is not defined by, and driven by, the what is wrong, but rather, the strength of the community resources that will be used to address the problem. People and organizations involved in successful partnerships in service to the community build programs that last. This mean their efforts contribute something to the community that does not fade away when the curtain falls on the last performance.
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Center for the Study of Art & Community