Excerpt reprinted with author's permission from Well Connected: Releasing Power, Restoring Hope Through Kingdom Partnerships (Authentic Media/World Vision, 2006)

In launching your partnership keep in mind that the partners, leaders representing their organizations or ministries, must ultimately have trust in two core elements:

The people—you as the partnership facilitator, your facilitation team, and, finally, a growing trust of the other partners.

The process—how the partnership operates, their sense of ownership of the process, and the fact that negative surprises are minimized and good experiences maximized.

Here are the six key elements that always have to be present for trust to develop and be sustained:

1. Do we share a common vision?
Vision is the what of our dream. What is the major outcome we hope to see occur in the area, among the people or in the project for which we plan to build the partnership?

2. Do we share common values?
Values are the how we will realize our vision. They help us define the strategy, tactics, and qualities of the initiative that we feel are vital to realizing the dream.

3. Do we have each other's best interests at heart?
Are we committed to each other's organizational and personal success and health? Is our relationship in this partnership going to be a genuine "win-win" situation? Or, is the relationship only based on convenience and selfish motivation?

4. Are you competent?
Can you perform the task, fulfill the promise, or provide the resources you have committed to provide? We have all been disappointed by individuals who made promises but really never had the ability to fulfill on those promises.

5. Are you reliable?
You may have the capacity to fulfill on your promise but will you? Possibly more disappointing than promises than can't be kept are those made that could be met but for a variety of reasons simply aren't.

6. Are you faithful?
It is something to fulfill on your promise once. But, in a partnership, reliability has a huge impact on trust. Will you continue to provide the resources, show up for planned meetings, meet your commitments, perform on time, or demonstrate other aspects of long-term commitment to both the vision and colleagues in the partnership?

Based on helping dozens of partnerships and networks effectively launched, here is a way to look at the key elements of building trust. You can apply this approach in a variety of circumstances. But, often, the most important point to take the time for this process is in your very first meeting of the whole group.

 

Another Look At The Diagram

The diagram contains the key elements that are important, for example, in your formation meeting(s). Over time, facilitated by prayer, the building blocks shown can help build a basis of

(1) Common information/understanding and

(2) Trust—in the vision, the leadership, and the process of the emerging partnership.

Well-intentioned partnership facilitators or facilitation teams frequently make the assumption that everyone in the room or around the table is working from the same experience and information framework. That is usually a false assumption and, untested, can lead to broken dreams, serious misunderstandings, and no partnership! So, take the time in the beginning and you will be glad you did later.

Working with others on a partnership or a strategic network is a lot like taking a journey together. And, like any journey, people want to know the destination and if there is a road map. As the process moves along, it's natural to want to know, "Where are we on the road map?" People want to know where they are going, at least the approximate route they are taking, and how they know when they have arrived. Helping the group review its progress (where they've come and where they're going) is a key role of the facilitator.

Partnership Recommendation

As you work your way "up" through the elements on the "Trust" diagram above, pause before moving to the next point and recap what you have covered so far. Particularly focus on those points where there has been agreement. And, if there are outstanding questions, remind the group of how they have agreed to deal with those items (such as having a small group work on the issue in a special subcommittee or task force—reporting back to the larger group later with recommendations). It gives the group a sense of momentum and confidence as they see a growing body of agreement. A big part of what you and the group are doing is taking what may be a complicated challenge and breaking in down into parts that most understand and agree on. It is that common ground that builds trust and allows you to move forward.