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Successful partnerships are the result of common visioning, strategic planning, purposeful negotiating, and continuous communication. In times of high-stakes accountability pressures and reduced budgets, leaders and staff are currently asked to do more with fewer resources. Thus, relationships and partnerships with other entities are crucial to success in the environment in which state leaders are currently working.

As states consider how to best leverage resources, it is helpful to have a starting point from which a partnership can be built. The list of essential tenets of effective partnerships guides state leaders through an early visioning stage before any action needs to be taken. The partnership attributes set the tone for the future relationship, the ultimate goal of which is a successful partnership endeavor that is defined by trust and mutual respect among partners. Further, as states undertake partnership efforts, the essential tenets also offer points for reflection as they move through each stage of the relationship.

The intent of the attributes list is to provide states with a "snapshot" of characteristics and conditions that the Building Partnerships and Leveraging Resources Work Group deems necessary for effective partnerships. These attributes provide a broad vision of a partnership for states to consider as they build and evaluate existing partnership projects.

• Relationship is built on trust.
• Partners have complementary needs/goals/philosophies/interests.
• Relationship is mutually beneficial ("Win-Win") for all partners.
• Clear, open, and effective communication is practiced by all involved.
• Partners have mutual ownership of outcomes.
• Partnership is based on clearly defined and understood roles, responsibilities, and expectations.
• Partners validate and leverage one another's strengths and expertise.
• Results of partnership are clear and valued by all involved.
• The process employs mechanisms for change management throughout the partnership.