Hello Waggle Community!

Did you know that October is not just for Halloween? 🎃

It’s also time to don your growth hat and use this month to learn about yourself, support someone as they learn, or pick up a new hobby!

This month we discuss four frameworks that will help you navigate crucial conversations at work.

We enjoyed doing another interview last month for our "Grown, not Born" leadership series. Comparing leadership to acting, Vidal says "You have to project positivity even when you don't feel it. It's exhausting sometimes, but it's part of the job".

Learn together at work

Here are 10 simple ways you can celebrate ‘Learning and Development’ month with your team.

1. Hold informal sessions for employees to share their passions, encouraging knowledge sharing and team bonding.

2. Encourage employees to set personal learning goals for October that align with their career aspirations.

3. Organize sessions on new skills or industry trends to introduce employees to fresh concepts.

4. Pair employees with mentors to support personal and professional growth through guided learning.

5. Share access to courses, podcasts, or articles relevant to employees' roles and interests.

6. Recognize individuals who achieve their learning goals, boosting morale and motivation.

7. Set up friendly competitions for most books read completed or skills practiced, adding a fun twist to learning.

8. Facilitate team-based activities like book clubs or virtual conferences to enhance collaboration.

9. Dedicate an hour weekly for employees to explore any skill or topic of their choice.

10. Have employees share their learnings at the end of the month to reinforce and inspire learning.

Reply to this email with topics or tips you’d like to see in next month’s newsletter!

Frameworks to navigate difficult conversations at work

Office conflicts can paralyze us, leaving us feeling trapped and powerless. Very few of us are taught how to navigate these treacherous waters.

Here are 4 powerful frameworks you can start using today to transform your conflict resolution skills:

1. STATE Model: Express your views clearly and safely
2. CRIB Model: Find common ground in challenging situations
3. CREATE Model: Manage unmet expectations effectively
4. SBI Model: Provide constructive feedback

1. To express your views safely, use the STATE model

2. Find mutual purpose with the CRIB model

3. To address violated expectations use the CREATE model.

4. For giving feedback, try the SBI model.

What is new on the app

10 Leadership categories

We've improved the skills dashboard by organizing over 150 skills into 10 leadership categories, such as Communication, Team building and Development, Coaching and Mentoring.

This will help you to visualize and better understand where you stand in each category. You’ll also have a comprehensive score breakdown of every skill that is identified to a leadership category.

Stay Ahead with Your Personal Dashboard

With the new personal dashboard feature, you have a view of your upcoming meeting and priority tasks, ensuring you are always prepared.

You'll know if Waggle AI insights have been enabled for each meeting, so you can anticipate the bot's assistance with feedback, note-taking, and summarization. Additionally, the dashboard offers a quick view of how you performed in your previous meeting, helping you understand what went well and areas that might need improvement.

Daily Skill Practice for Every Meeting

Our new skill focus feature empowers you to practice and refine a specific skill each day, aligning your development with your upcoming meetings. By selecting a skill to concentrate on, you’ll see feedback on past performance and actionable tips to get better. This targeted attention ensures you enter every meeting with confidence, equipped with the skills necessary for success and continued growth.  

Essential Reads from Our Blog 

Vidal Meric, shares his initial struggles of trying to delegate if you’ve been used to doing everything on your own and need to overcome introversion.

In our latest "Grown, not Born" series, Vidal talks about how not to let initial setbacks define one’s leadership potential. At the same time, no matter your leadership level or high-stakes experience, some areas will challenge you more. Committing to growth, regardless of your experience or position is important.

Warm regards,

Sarah Touzani

Co-founder, Waggle

P.S. We love hearing from you! Share your feedback on this newsletter and let us know if you have any notes on our new website!

If you enjoyed reading this Newsletter, please feel free to forward it on.