I believe fostering a culture of open and honest communication is essential for growth in any partnership. Regular check-ins, where we can openly discuss our progress, challenges, and expectations, are crucial. Key is to create a safe space for growth and improvement.

Knowing how to communicate 1) without judgment, 2) with specific word choice, and 3) careful order of delivery that expresses real empathy first (their shoes), then honesty (your shoes). Leading with what's important to you triggers defensive reactions and unnecessary cycling of conflict. Empathy before honesty provides the best chance of the best outcome in the least amount of time, and is the path of least resistance.

Feedback is as critical as the conditions in which it is exchanged. While every circumstance is different, I find that two universal principles need to be believed and followed to create a culture that accepts and revels in constructive feedback. 1. Reconnect to the mission: Teams can get lost in the details. Regularly zooming out reminds everyone of the bigger picture and aligns efforts with the organisation’s purpose. 2. Assume best intentions: Acknowledge that everyone is working toward shared goals with good intent. When these two conditions are hardwired into culture I look to LeeAnn Renninger’s formula for giving feedback which is useful, powerful and scalable.

Like with any relationship, partnerships integrated with continuous feedback are likely to do better than those without feedback. Following are 3 thoughts for consideration: 1. Commitment to receive and apply feedback would be the first thing to get included - for mutual benefit. If not already in place this is the first step. 2. Clarity on the scope of goals (including clarity on non-goals), the measures of success and the method to monitor progress need to established before engaging in any feedback. These can be modified and improved too but an agreed baseline if missing can result in more acid than digestion. 3. Celebrating success is a powerful motivator and positive reinforcement mechanism which can help make feedback more welcome.

For me, partnerships must be mutually beneficial. This is fundamental and cannot be compromised. When a partnership lacks constructive feedback, I would add regular cadence to various tiers of that relationship from executing on the ground, to dept heads to senior mgt alignment. Nip the problems in the bud and have a post mortem after every activity conducted. Learn, finetune and realign as the relationship grows. Given a volatile environment that we operate in, changes are inevitable so communications and alignment are critical in growing collaboratively together.