Leadership Institute

Building Winning Partnerships

Learning Formats: Classroom

Order No. IMEX123

Failed partnerships are all too common in today’s workplace. Changing boundaries and responsibilities make it difficult to build and sustain partnerships, yet they are more important than ever to reaching organizational goals.

This course helps leaders identify their role in establishing alliances among work groups, management, customers and suppliers. They learn how to establish effective partnerships to meet customer needs by developingstrategies for gaining people’s commitment to working together.

Do You Face Any of These Issues?

  • Are partnerships strained across your organization, or do organizational silos exist?
  • Do leaders understand their role in building business partnerships, and do they employ strategies to ensure that they encourage partnerships?
  • Do leaders fear other groups on their turf?
  • Have partnerships stalled or failed because there is no designated leadership?

Performance Objectives

Helps leaders:

  • Establish an operational framework for a partnership through effective communication.
  • Work with internal and external partners to achieve shared goals and win-win situations for all.
  • Successfully monitor and enhance partnerships.
  • Overcome the challenges that often cause partnerships to veer off course.

Primary Competency Developed

  • Building Partnerships

Secondary Competencies Developed

  • Building Strategic Working Relationships
  • Communication

Course Overview

  • Defining a Partnership: Learners are introduced to a case study and watch a video where three leaders are trying to work as partners to achieve their organization’s desired outcome. The term partnership is defined and its characteristics explored.
  • Partnership Success Factors: Learners are introduced to the five factors of a successful partnership. They watch a continuation of the case study video and observe the importance of these Success Factors to a partnership. Then they identify and share examples of their own partnerships and choose the most challenging one for their table team to work on during class. They record how the partnership supports the organization’s objectives.
  • Tools: Checkpoints and Scorecard: Learners review the six Checkpoints that help partners identify and focus on important issues and help partners promote open communication. Table teams work through the Checkpoints for the case study. Learners are also introduced to the Partnership Scorecard, a tool used in partnerships that provides feedback on key parameters.
  • Addressing Challenges: Learners return to the case study, where feedback from the scorecard has revealed a challenge that must be addressed with partnership tools and skills. They watch a video clip of how two of the partners from the case study use partnership tools and skills to discuss ideas for improvement.
  • Applying Partnership Tools and Skills: Learners analyze and rate the level of the Success Factors in their table’s chosen partnership and work through the Checkpoints worksheet. Leaders use Discussion Planners to prepare for discussions with their on-the-job partners. The workshop closes with learners sharing insights and planning specific action to improve their partnerships.

Video Segment Summaries

  • An introductory video depicts three partners as they struggle over how to work together to achieve their organization’s desired outcomes.
  • The Partnership Success Factors are introduced through a continuation of the video case study. In this segment, one leader helps the other two partners get back on track by redirecting the focus of the discussion on the results everyone wants to achieve.
  • A positive model from the case study shows two of the partners using Checkpoints and Interaction Skills to discuss improvement ideas for one of the Success Factors for their partnership.

Course Details

  • Target audience: Frontline through senior-level leaders.
  • Course length: 3 hours, 30 minutes. Course can be lengthened with optional activities.
  • Facilitator certification: DDI-certified facilitator required.
  • Prerequisites: Essentials of Leadership.
  • Series: Suitable for all environments.
  • Group Size: 8 to 16 people.
  • Prework: No.

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