Two Way Street: Communication in Strong Partnerships

What drives success and how do we measure it?

When organizations look to measure success, they often focus on recent growth, strategy, innovation, or even funding in a general sense. These are all great indicators, of course, but when you look at what truly drives success, communication underpins every successful initiative.

Organizations and partnerships only thrive when communication flows in both directions. The day-to-day staff working on the ground floor to achieve the organization’s mission and uphold its values must report necessary information to their supervisors, which then makes its way up to the board. These are the visionaries who take that information and guide the organization in a strategic, systematic way. They need that information to make recommendations and direct funding to the right areas.

This is true across all organizations. But when you think about the information that flows back down to the ground team, it’s not always the same story. Too often, communication is treated as a one-way street. Whether it’s staff to leadership or one partner to another, communication also needs to flow back down the channels. Without feedback loops and follow-up from leadership, people feel unheard and alignment gets lost.

This is where many organizational challenges arise. It is well known that communication is the most valuable asset every organization and partner relies on. Yet when communication is lacking among board members, leaders, supervisors, and staff, challenges emerge. The truth is, these challenges are completely avoidable when you build in accountability structures to protect communication channels.

When the upward flow of information isn’t matched by a downward flow, the system breaks down. Common issues include miscommunication, misalignment on goals, inconsistency in values among staff, and “filling in the gaps” when things aren’t clearly communicated—often leading the organization down the wrong path. When communication is the key factor in success, the organization cannot move in the right direction or measure progress properly.

When we think about communication, we have to separate the internal focus within the organization from the external focus with partner organizations. The internal structures are different from the external ones, but the former feeds into the latter.

Internally:

• Create pathways for staff and leadership to share information upward, downward, and outward.

• Emphasize acknowledgment and visible action from leadership when staff communicate upward.

• Build trust, transparency, and a sense of shared ownership between leadership and staff.

Externally:

• Partnerships succeed when communication is consistent, honest, and flowing both ways.

• Treat partnerships as collaborations rather than transactions.

• Open communication surfaces challenges early enough to keep goals aligned.

• This is where Bridge Builder Strategies enters the conversation.

Recognizing these challenges, it becomes clear that organizations need to strengthen their communication pathways. Leadership must stay focused on big-picture goals and the mission, but equal attention should be given to day-to-day staff. They are the ones on the ground turning strategy into reality. When their efforts go unacknowledged because leadership is stretched too thin, staff can easily feel disconnected.

Here are three practical tips and action steps all organizations can use:

• Ask for and acknowledge feedback.

• Close the loop by showing how staff input influences decisions.

• Share context around decisions to build understanding and trust.

• Make communication a routine, not just a tool during times of crisis.

I encourage you to reflect on how your organization closes the loop and creates that two-way street of communication. When leadership measures success, they must understand what, why, and how data is being tracked. This cannot happen without clear communication structures. Communication is the foundation of thriving teams and partnerships.

When communication flows freely, collaboration follows naturally—like traffic on a well-designed two-way street.