[Alicia Davis] So if you’ve been following us the last couple of weeks, you know that we have been doing a deep dive into constructive feedback and what it means and how to do it both as the giver and the receiver. And Stacie, this is a really complex topic, isn’t it?

[Stacie Watson] Well, it really is, and as even as we were talking about it, we were thinking, you know, what can a leader do to set themselves up to be able to do this effectively within their days?

[Alicia Davis] That’s right.

[Stacie Watson] And the word that came up for both of us was trust, right? Building trust. And I also guess, connection. And I think we should talk a little bit about that.

[Alicia Davis] Yeah, you know, when you think about it, when you have trust, or you can develop trust, you feel as if there’s some mutual respect, right? You take what the person says with more value. And so I think, as a leader, one of the things that we often talk about in building trust is to be really clear. You know, Brene Brown says, “Clear is kind.”

[Stacie Watson] That’s right.

[Alicia Davis] And clear in your expectations. Clear in your questions. Clear in what you’re expecting and wanting. And I think that’s a really critical piece to start in terms of building trust.

[Stacie Watson] It really is. And as crazy as it sounds, I mean, how often do we go in to work with teams or, you know, leaders and find out that there isn’t mutual understanding around expectations? So that’s a really important first step, for sure. And then I think that sort of along with that, it’s just really building connection. You know, being able to help the person on the team feel seen and valued and heard, right? To be able to really help them understand that I want what’s best for you. I want you to learn and grow and develop. And I want to do what I can to create an environment where that can happen. So it’s really being very intentional about building connections, because with connections usually, trust follows, right? That’s all very intertwined.

[Alicia Davis] That’s right. That’s right. So we would love to hear more about your journey on giving and receiving constructive feedback. And I’m Alicia Davis.

[Stacie Watson] And I’m Stacie Watson.

[Alicia Davis] And we are the owners of Transformative Leadership Strategies, and we just so love working with nonprofit teams and organizations in building trust, in creating these connections, and really helping people to communicate and give and receive that feedback that really helps us all grow.

[Stacie Watson] Absolutely.

[Alicia Davis] So reach out to us – info@TLStransforms.com – or DM us and thanks for listening.

[Stacie Watson] Thank you so much.