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Hello Waggle Community!

Welcome to our 23 new subscribers! March is here and five months post-launch, the enthusiasm from our community has been incredibly motivating.

Know anyone who would benefit from receiving this newsletter? Share it with them and help us support even more managers to be the leaders they always wanted to work with!

👂🏼Leadership Challenges: Receiving Feedback from your Team

A Series-A startup founder has reached out and asked the question:

Facilitating feedback within a team boils down to creating an environment characterized by open communication, trust, and responsiveness.

1. Create Multiple Channels for Feedback: It starts with giving everyone plenty of ways to speak up—think one-on-ones, suggestion boxes, or even a digital shout-out platform. It’s all about mixing it up to suit different styles. Harvard Business Review found that 72% of employees surveyed stated that they were more engaged and satisfied when their managers actively sought their feedback.

2. Foster a Culture of Trust and Openness: Trust is the cornerstone of effective feedback. This involves leading by example: don’t be shy to ask for feedback yourself. When the team sees leaders being open and responsive to feedback, it sends a strong message that it’s not just talk; it’s how things roll around here. The Center for Creative Leadership states that feedback can lead to a 20-25% improvement in leadership effectiveness.

3. Act on Feedback and Show Results: The most critical step is demonstrating that feedback leads to tangible changes or actions. Be all ears and ready to act on what you hear and make it clear that every piece of feedback sparks some kind of change, no matter how small. Whether it’s implementing a suggestion, adjusting a process, or explaining why certain feedback can’t be acted upon at the moment, taking visible steps in response to feedback validates the effort taken to provide it.

Sprinkle in these approaches, and you’ll create a space where everyone feels open to share, listen, and grow together.

Reply to this email to send in your questions for next month’s newsletter!

✔️What is new on the app

We've just rolled out a new feature designed to ramp up your team's sense of ownership over task management. With Task Commenting and the Notification Center, you can now kick start conversations on tasks created during meetings and stay on top of updates and comments. Whether it's tasks you've assigned or are working on, these tools ensure you're always in the loop in between meetings.

🔗 Essential Reads from Our Blog

New Manager Checklist: Everything You Need to Do in Your First 30 Days

A roadmap with all the tasks tailored to your first 30 days, plus straightforward tips to help you rock it.

How to Overcome Unconscious Bias as a Manager: 7 Easy to Implement Tips

Looking to foster a fair and inclusive work environment? We offer practical strategies for recognizing and overcoming unconscious biases, helping you lead by example, facilitating open discussions with your team, and implementing actionable steps to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

🤝 Join the Community

Want to be part of a community designed specifically for managers? Whether you're seeking advice, offering mentorship, or simply looking to connect with fellow managers, our community provides a supportive environment for collaboration and growth. Don't miss out—apply today and take your managerial skills to the next level!

🎤 Exciting News!

Are you attending the Transform Conference? Don't miss out on my panel session: "AI as a Coach: Personalized Leadership Development at Scale."

We'll delve into the power of AI to analyze and understand the manager's context comprehensively, providing actionable insights that drive long-lasting behavioral change. This session will be a thought-provoking discussion on the transformative potential of AI in shaping the future of leadership development.

Mark your calendars and join me at the Transform Conference in Las Vegas. See you there!

⭐️ Focus: Employee Appreciation Day (First Friday in March)

Employee Appreciation Day falls on the first Friday of March. It's an opportunity for organizations to show gratitude to their employees for their hard work and dedication. This may involve organizing appreciation events, offering small tokens of appreciation, or simply conveying sincere thanks for their valuable contributions.

As we go into March, let's embrace the spirit of appreciation and community. Thank you for being a part of the Waggle family.

Warm regards,

Sarah Touzani

Co-founder, Waggle

P.S. We love hearing from you! Share your feedback on this newsletter and employee appreciation stories and ideas with us.