PREPARING YOUR LEADERSHIP FOR PARTNERSHIPS

The Covid-19 pandemic has undone decades of social progress across India’s communities. The need of the hour is to re-build efficiently. Lockdowns have impacted families through the loss of livelihoods, in access to education and insufficient nutrition. This has left millions more vulnerable, increasingly dependent on social support from non-profits. We, as non-profit leaders, need to take stock and consider holistic approaches to build back efficiently. Could partnerships be the silver bullet? 

At Sahayog, we consider partnerships as an equal relationship between two non-profits, with the common goal to amplify and sustain social impact. Partnerships can reduce duplication, avoid re-invention and increase efficiency, ensuring the right solutions reach each community.

A recent survey, Collaborating in the Social Sector, found that 70% of 160 non-profit leaders, agreed that their organisation's social impact is dependent on working together with other non-profits. However, when asked about the practices they adopted internally to promote collaboration, less than half were confident of their efforts. 

Neglecting the need for internal collaboration can hamper your chances of successful partnerships. Embedding partnerships as a core approach will require you to be confident of your organisation's internal collaborative culture. For this, leadership preparedness for partnerships starts with you.

Leadership preparedness for partnerships includes collaborative practices that foster trust, transparency, and ownership across teams. This approach, when combined with a systems-change perspective, prepares you for initiating partnerships with non-profits. 

Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative leadership requires a mindset shift that can significantly alter the DNA of your organisation towards a more inclusive and partnership-focused culture. Incorporating collaborative practices can revolutionise the way you work, clearing headspace to focus on the social impact you’ve set out to make.  

Being a collaborative leader gives your potential partners proof of the pudding – the way you are seen practising collaboration internally is indicative of how you would engage externally. 

Eco-system relationships 

When deciding to engage externally, it is critical to be well-versed with your eco-system. Being clear on how your organisation supplements existing initiatives is just as important as knowing what you can learn and adopt from others. Building this awareness, increases your willingness to explore partnerships with the aim of achieving collective goals.   

So how would you go about building your collaborative leadership skills? 

1.Role model collaborative leadership practices 

You can adopt the following practices, today. All you need is an open-mind, allocate time to independently learn, and keep track of your regular practice. 

• Active Listening 
• Deep Listening 
• Appreciative Inquiry 
• Leadership Feedback Mechanisms 

The above practices signal your intent to cultivate an inclusive and transparent culture. Click here and go to page 15 to know more about Leadership Feedback Mechanisms and how they are used to encourage inclusivity and foster trust.   

 2. Professional Development Programmes

Look out for professional development programmes that support your collaborative leadership journey. This can include programmes that: 

• Encourage introspection 
• Facilitate peer-learning 
• Provide experiential spaces that give you a chance to practice using collaborative tools 
• Extend mentorship opportunities that help you use collaborative tools in your organisation 
• Provide an eco-system perspective to social impact 

3. Platforms 

Platforms bring leaders together focusing on learning about and/or addressing common issues. Take the opportunity to network with peers, learning about their successes, failures, challenges and experiences faced across geographies and with various stakeholders. This dialogue provides invaluable insights of the eco-system, builds your ability to connect the dots, and consider partnerships as a vehicle to achieve collective goals.  

Take the lead in partnerships 

Taking the lead in partnerships begins with yourself. Engaging in deep-rooted collaboration requires mindsets to be shifted and capacities to be built. In the same way we adapt our programmes to meet community needs, it is critical to develop our leadership skills for our organisation's health. As collaborative leaders, our ability to listen deeply, foster trust and build inclusive organisations sets us up for greater partnership potential.  

Click here to access the Succeeding in Partnerships Guide and find out more about leadership preparedness for partnerships.